Category: News

President Serzh Sargsyan has issued an address on the occasion of Labor Day

Dear Compatriots,

I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of Labor Day.

On May 1, laborers all over the world traditionally celebrate their holiday and praise honest work. This is truly a holiday of human dignity.

Peaceful work, honest gain, and mutual respect are timeless values which because of the rich traditions formed through the millennia have found their steady place in our reality. These values were passed from generation to generation by our parents and forefathers, and we have to pass them on intact to our children and heirs.

Today, when Armenia is an independent state, we are obligated to revisit these traditions and reinforce them. Diligence, creative and innovative approach to work, solidarity of the different strata of the society constitute the most solid base for our Fatherland’s sustainable development. I am confident that this is the best road towards the implementation in Armenia of fundamental changes and modernization of our economy.

Dear Compatriots,

The working people – you, are the foundation of our country’s prosperity.
I once again congratulate you on this great holiday and wish that your life is full of interesting and productive work, new ideas and enterprising activities which will bring light, warmth, and prosperity to each Armenian family.

Being the winner of Armenian national selection in December 2016, Artsvik will represent Armenia at the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest with her song ‘Fly With Me’.

Shortly before the first rehearsal at Kyiv’s International Exhibition Centre Artsvik had no doubts about smooth running of the preparations. “I’m sure the rehearsals are going to be great, because there are a lot of professionals here, so I´m sure I´m in safe hands,” she said.

Artsvik made her way through the world of music and art through hardship and difficult choices. She initially decided to start her career as a speech therapist however later realised it was music that captured her soul. The singer believes that it is crucial to remain true to yourself, be honest with others and pursue the dreams no matter what happens. “Although I started to sing very late, I can say one thing, I know that dreams do come true and I want to encourage everybody to follow their dreams irrespective of age and profession,” said Artsvik.

Regardless of the results, Artsvik is here at Eurovision to share her music and reach new audiences with one key message; love is love. “I think nowadays world needs a lot of love,” said Artivik. The entry will incorporate colourful and mysterious graphics, fireworks as well as two dancers performing on the stage.

When talking to the Armenian participant underlined the importance of 2017 slogan Celebrate diversity that she finds very meaningful and important; “It really shows how so many different countries are united in one place by music”. Artsvik was so inspired by the slogan that even came up with her own idea of creating a Celebrate Diversity Challenge where she challenged other participants to sing traditional songs.

“I’m challenging other participants from other countries by singing folk songs from their countries and in response they sing something traditional from Armenia”, explained Artsvik. The challenge has already been accepted and undertaken by five countries.

Armenia’s second rehearsal will take place on 4th May. Artsvik will participate in the First Semi-Final on Tuesday 9th May.

Photo: Sputnik/ Sergey Guneev

 

Russian sappers from Russian military base in Armenia have started mine-clearing activities, the spokesman of Russia’s Southern Military District told Sputnik on Monday, Sputnik reports.

The sappers from the Russian military base in Armenia have started mine-clearing activities in the military training areas located in the mountainous areas of the Caucasian state, Col. Vadim Astafyev, the spokesman of Russia’s Southern Military District told Sputnik on Monday.

“The activities of the servicemen are conducted in the new Dublon protective suits along with… the [mine-sniffing] dogs and the use of advanced mine detectors… The military sappers would explore some 10 hectares [24 acres] of training areas,” Astafyev said.

He added that about 100 servicemen as well as over 10 pieces of military hardware are involved in the demining activities.

Russia has its 102nd Military Base in the city of Gyumri, located in northern Armenia. In line with bilateral treaties between Moscow and Yerevan, the base in Gyumri will run through 2044. The facility is on alert as part of the CIS Integrated Air Defense System.

Photo: EPA

 

The Indonesian man who claimed to be 146 years old – the longest living human ever – has died in his village in Central Java, the BBC reports.

According to his papers, Sodimedjo, also known as Mbah Ghoto (grandpa Ghoto), was born in December 1870.

But Indonesia only started recording births in 1900 – and there have been mistakes before.

Yet officials told the BBC his papers were valid, based on documents he provided and interviews with him.

Pulitzer Prize and Academy Award winning writer William Saroyan wrote in his short story “The Armenian and the Armenian” –

“I should like to see any power of the world destroy this race, this small tribe of unimportant people, whose wars have all been fought and lost, whose structures have crumbled, literature is unread, music is unheard, and prayers are no more answered. Go ahead, destroy Armenia. See if you can do it. Send them into the desert without bread or water. Burn their homes and churches. Then see if they will not laugh, sing and pray again. For when two of them meet anywhere in the world, see if they will not create a New Armenia.”

Those immortal words closed the recently-released film “The Promise,” which centers around the Armenian genocide in 1915.  They also adorn the left arm of Real Salt Lake and Armenian National Team forward Yura Movsisyan.

Last week, as the film premiered across the U.S., Movsisyan hosted RSL at a private screening.  Afterword, he spoke about the film’s historical importance, his reaction and the words that he had tattooed on his arm nearly a year ago. The club’s presents an interview with Yura Movsisyan.

“That quote defines and explains everything about the Armenians.  We’re a fighting nation.  We’re a nation that survived a genocide.  Our victory will be to survive.  For me, that has the best meaning in the world to have that quote engraved in my body.  It means everything.  It defines us and defines me as a person and who I am.  And it defines our nation and our race.  That’s the theme of the movie and it’s who we are.”

“With the worldwide release of The Promise, it’s finally a big movie about the reality of the genocide that happened 102 years ago.  Everybody has heard and read some stuff, but this is an opportunity for everybody to actually see the reality.  It’s definitely special because us Armenians have always fought to get it recognized.  It’s every Armenian’s duty to let it be known.  To have a picture with so many great actors and an Oscar-winning director film the movie … it can’t get bigger than this worldwide.  It’s about time people started understanding and learning about it.  These are the things we are seeing today – genocides.”

“When you are a kid and you are being raised, you are told the stories.  You are a survivor of a genocide.  Our duty is to make other people aware of what our history is.  It’s not just a small little country in Eastern Europe.  It’s a country that has seen a genocide.  You win by surviving and staying alive and telling others.  It’s great to see a lot of my friends and teammates come out and learn something new.  So it’s definitely special for me.  Once people learn about it, they will be more educated about Armenians.  And it isn’t just about the Armenian genocide.  It’s learning about history and letting people know that these things are happening today.  It can help the world out.”

“It’s tough.  You might know the story and the history, but every time you get reminded of it, it gets tougher and tougher – and heavier.  I think they did a fabulous job.  They put everything out there – the emotions and the reality.  But we still had that spirit to fight to survive and fight to help each other and save whoever we can.  That’s a big part of this movie and a big part of defining who we are.”

“It’s been 102 years that half of the world hasn’t recognized the genocide.  We’re still fighting for it.  We didn’t just move on – we’re always going to fight.  I always had to fight to reach the level that I’ve reached in life.  I didn’t have much, but I became a pro in a country of 300 million people.  I didn’t have any other goals but to be a professional.  That’s the fighting spirit that we have.  Nothing’s ever been handed to us.  Everything we’ve had to do has been done the hard way.  That’s the way it is for us and we embrace it.”

“Any Armenian who meets a fellow Armenian, no matter where in the world, you become close.  You just have that very warm, welcoming reaction.  We only had ourselves to protect each other and everybody is part of that lineage.  We are the grandchildren or great-grandchildren of genocide survivors or of people that were killed.  It’s an automatic that we are welcoming and warm toward each other.”

The Promise is in theaters now.  All proceeds from the film will be donated to various non-profit groups, with a focus on humanitarian and human rights groups.

The Spanish city of Villena has officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Embassy in Spain reports.

The City Council voted 11 to 7 with 3 abstentions to pass the bill.

About 30 Spanish countries have now recognized the Armenian Genocide.

 – An academic ceremony commemorating the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide was carried out in the Legislative Palace of Uruguay in the afternoon of Tuesday, April 25 and in the presence of dozens of Uruguayan Legislators and other authorities.

In addition to political representation, the event organized by the Presidency of the House of Representatives and the Armenian National Committee of Uruguay was attended by the archbishops of the Armenian Apostolic Church, Hagop Kelendjian, and the Catholic Church of Montevideo, Cardinal Daniel Sturla. The Minister of Foreign Affairs of Uruguay Rodolfo Nin Novoa, Minister of Tourism Liliam Kechichian, and Senator Luis Lacalle Pou, among others, sent an adhesion to the commemoration.

The event was headed by House Speaker Jose Carlos Mahia who said that “it is impossible under the characterization of genocide by the UN and the ample evidence presented, that the events in 1915 do not have its just qualification and recognition.”

Deputy Gloria Rodriguez analyzed the way in which Turkish denialism operates, stating that “the price that the whole humanity pays for the denial of the Armenian Genocide is very high.”

Uruguayan historian and political scientist Gerardo Caetano, who co-chairs the Nagorno-Karabakh Forum in Uruguay, coincided with Rodriguez in the current weight of denialism. “In the denialist practice of Turkey there is a continuation of the crime,” he said. He also added: “Those who undermine memory and justice regarding past traumatic are mortgaging the future.”

“No investment of Turkey or Azerbaijan is more valuable than the recognition of truth, than the defense of international law or than the claim for justice. And that’s not idealism, it’s realism,” concluded the renowned academic.

The human rights lawyer Oscar Lopez Goldaracena, who in February participated as an observer in the constitutional referendum of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, chose as a central theme of his speech the cultural genocide committed against the Armenians. Lopez Goldaracena stated that it is imperative to put an end to the cultural genocide that Turkey continues to perpetrate and urged to avoid further atrocities in those places where the Armenian population remains exposed to xenophobic ideologies, citing the case of the Armenian community of Syria against the “Islamic State” or what the Armenians of Nagorno-Karabakh face.

In his view, Uruguay can prevent the Armenian people from being subjected to attacks if it “advocates for peace in the Caucasus, recognizing the legitimate right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to independence.” Noting that this does not imply a violation of any principle of international law, he concluded that “if Uruguay moves on principles and values ​​at the political level, it should be the first country in the world to recognize the State of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

To conclude, Shushanik Boyadjian expressed on behalf of the Armenian National Committee of Uruguay that “it is time that Turkey’s recognition of its criminal responsibility light a new stage in Turkish society and to the descendants of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.”

She also denounced that Turkey not only “puts unbearable pressure on the small Armenian community that still resists in the country and on the Republic of Armenia, which suffocates economically through the unilateral blockade of its borders”, but also “explicitly or implicitly supports any attack on Armenian civilians, whether in Syria, on the borders of Armenia or in Nagorno-Karabakh.”

On the morning of April 24, during the opening of the Open Council of Ministers held in Montevideo, the President of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay, Dr. Tabare Vazquez, adhered to the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. “We adhere to sadly commemorate one of the most nefarious episodes that mankind lived, as it was 102 years ago the Armenian Genocide,” said President Vazquez in a ceremony broadcast by official TV and with extensive press coverage.

Today, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Ecuador to the Republic of Armenia Julio César Prado Espinosa (residence in Moscow) presented his credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan.

The President of Armenia congratulated the Ambassador on assuming his diplomatic mission and wished him every success. Serzh Sargsyan underscored that Armenia is interested in deepening relations with the Latin American countries including Ecuador and expressed hope that Ambassador Espinosa through his experience and active work will elevate the Armenian-Ecuadorian relations to a qualitatively new level.

Noting that Armenia is linked to the countries of Latin America mostly by common values and cultural ties, which at the beginning of the last century moved hundreds of thousands of the Armenians, who survived the Armenian Genocide, to seek refuge in these countries, the President of Armenia stressed the importance of strengthening the friendly ties and invigorating cooperation in different areas at the interstate level.

The Ambassador assured that during his tenure in office, he will do his best to deepen the relations between Armenia and Ecuador and cooperation in the bilateral as well as multilateral formats, in the framework of international organizations. Ambassador Espinosa also presented his proposals to President Sargsyan related to a full utilization of the existing potential of the Armenian-Ecuadorian cooperation in different areas.
The parties also stressed the importance of active contacts at the interparliamentary level.

Photo: Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee    

Asbarez – Senator Anthony Portantino’s legislation, SCR 25, which will install a sign at the Fair Oaks Avenue exit off Interstate 210 in Pasadena to direct the public to the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial, passed the Senate Transportation Committee with unanimous support.

“Just a few short days ago, at the Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial we commemorated the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Hundreds of community members came to the memorial to pay tribute to the victims and to remember the lessons learned from the first genocide of the twentieth century. This kind of community commemoration makes accessibility to this memorial so important. I am proud to carry this legislation that will install a freeway sign to help direct visitors to the memorial, and I am happy to have the unanimous support of my colleagues along the way. Installing a freeway sign will help direct visitors, raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide and serve as a reminder that fighting crimes against humanity is an ongoing process that requires our continuous attention,” commented Portantino.

The Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial was unveiled in April 2015 in the northeast corner of Memorial Park in Pasadena to honor the martyrs of the Armenian Genocide and all victims of crimes against humanity. The monument is a site of religious and cultural commemoration for more hundreds of thousands Armenian Americans of Southern California and a source of community pride. It was constructed by the nonprofit Pasadena Armenian Genocide Memorial Committee with unanimous support from the Pasadena City Council. Senator Portantino served on the board of the nonprofit prior to joining the State Senate.  He was the only non-Armenian to have served on the Board.

Sen. Portantino represents nearly 930,000 people in the 25th Senate District, which includes Altadena, Atwater Village, Bradbury, Burbank, Claremont, Duarte, Glendale, Glendora, La Cañada Flintridge, La Crescenta, La Verne, Lake View Terrace, Los Feliz, Monrovia, Montrose, Pasadena, San Dimas, San Marino, Shadow Hills, Sierra Madre, South Pasadena, Sunland-Tujunga, and Upland.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan Edward Nalbandian, Sergey Lavrov and Elmar Mammadyarov held a meeting in Moscow today.

The parties continued discussions on furthering the negotiations on the settlement of the Karabakh issue. They stressed the importance of implementing the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg in 2016.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan expressed gratitude to the Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov for the continuous efforts towards the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The Ministers agreed to maintain discussions regarding all issues considered at the meeting.

After the trilateral meeting the Foreign Ministers of Armenia, Russia and Azerbaijan were joined by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict.