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| Baku, May 7 /Armenpress/ Armenian and Azerbaijani foreign ministers Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mamedyarov discussed Tuesday the issue of a possible meeting of Armenian and Azerbaijani presidents Serzh Sarkisian and Ilham Aliyev.
Both ministers had their first meeting on May 6 in Strasbourg, France on the sidelines of the 118-th gathering of the Council of Europe's Committee of Ministers.
Azerbaijani APA news agency quoted Mamedyarov as saying that there are several options on organizing the meeting. |  Full Story |
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 Washington, April 30 /Armenians Today/ Democratic Presidential Candidate Sen. Barack Obama pledged to continue his efforts to press Turkey to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
The statement by the Senator was one of 30 remarks by Senators and Representatives.
In a statement issued to the Armenian American community on January 19, 2008, Senator Obama had noted "America deserves a leader, who speaks truthfully about the Armenian Genocide and responds forcefully to all genocides. I intend to be that President." | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, April 25 /Panarmenia.net/ On April 23, the Gazprom Board of Director approved the decision to raise prices for natural gas for the CIS and Baltic states.
The new price for Armenia will make $165 for a thousand cu. m. against current $110. The fixed price is not expected to go up during next three years. For the other CIS states, Gazprom plans gradual rise in prices up to the average European level.
Baltic states purchase some 5.5 billion cu. m. gas at the highest price, thus compensating lower prices for the CIS. | | Full Story |
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 April 25 /Armenialiberty.org/ By Emil Danielyan - U.S. President George W. Bush again declined to describe the mass killings and deportations of Armenians in Ottoman Turkey as genocide on Friday as he commemorated the 93rd anniversary of "one of the greatest tragedies of the 20th century."
"As we reflect on this epic human tragedy, we must resolve to redouble our efforts to promote peace, tolerance, and respect for the dignity of human life," Bush said in his annual address to the Armenian community in the United States. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, April 21 /Panarmenian.net/ After a long pause, the Armenian opposition held a regular rally in Yerevan on April 19. The protest action started at 3 p.m. at a monument to Alexander Myasnikyan, where the March 1 riots ended in bloody clashes with the police.
Suren Surenyants, member of Republic party political council, Anna Hakobyan, the wife of Nikol Pashinyan (currently wanted by the police) and Melissa Brown, the wife of detained former foreign minister of Armenia Alexander Arzumanyan, addressed the attendees. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, April 21 /Armenialiberty.org/ By Emil Danielyan and Ruzanna Khachatrian - President Serzh Sarkisian completed the formation of his coalition government on Monday with the appointment of five more ministers, among them an influential figure close to his predecessor Robert Kocharian.
Under Armenia's constitution, the new government has to submit its policy program to parliament for a vote of confidence within the next 20 days. Such a vote is a mere formality as the National Assembly is overwhelmingly controlled by Sarkisian's Republican Party (HHK) and three other parties that signed a power-sharing with him last month. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, April 17 /Panarmenian.net/ Azerbaijan is carrying out a policy of the Armenian civilization genocide, a political scientist said.
"The story starts from 1950-60-ies, when a group of so-called Turkish historians took up to prove that Armenian State had never existed in Asia Minor. According to them, people who call themselves Armenians are Armenized Turks. However, they failed to answer who assimilated Turks into Armenians and the effort proved useless," Levon Melik-Shahnazaryan told a news conference in Hayatsk press club. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, April 17 /Noyan Tapan/ At the April 17 plenary sitting PACE with 93 votes for, 8 against and 8 abstained adopted a resolution on the state of Armenia's democratic institutions. According to Radio Liberty, the document's preface mentions that the main reasons of crisis of post-electoral period in Armenia are that the pivotal institutions of the state, including the parliament and courts, do not fulfil their functions completely in line with the democratic standards and principles of supremacy of law and human rights. | | Full Story |
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| April 15 /Panarmenian.net/ Passions flared up on Armenia report in the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe yesterday, Kommersant daily reports.
Presenting his report, UK representative John Prescott said the presidential election in Armenia were mostly in line with the European standards. However, lack of criticism aroused discontent of some delegates.
Hungary's Zsolt Nemeth reminded that the Armenian election was followed by riots that claimed lives of 9 people. "The Council of Europe legitimizes anti-democratic deeds of the Armenian authorities. If we can't change anything let's stop sending observers. We need fundamental assessment of monitoring missions," he said. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, April 15 /Armenialiberty.org/ President Serzh Sarkisian signed a decree late on Monday appointing Armenia's ambassador to France Eduard Nalbandian as the country's new Minister of Foreign Affairs, Sarkisian's press office announced the same day.
Nalbandian, 52, a career diplomat who also served as Armenia's ambassador to Israel, Andorra and the Vatican, will succeed veteran diplomat Vartan Oskanian, who announced his resignation last week. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, April 14 /Panarmenian.net/ 29-year-old Samvel Harutyunyan, who was injured in the March 1 disorders, died in the resuscitation department of a medical center in Yerevan.
As reported by the press office of the RA Ministry of Health, Samvel Harutyunyan was hospitalized with a craniocerebral injury.
The death toll reached 10. Three injured are still in hospital. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, April 14 /Panarmenian.net/ Composition of the new Armenian government will apparently be known on April 15.
As a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter came to know from a source in the RA government, new chiefs of the National Security Service and Police will be appointed.
"The Police will be elevated to ministry rank. Mikael Harutyunyan will retain the post of Defense Minister. Minister of Culture and Education Levon Mkrtchyan and Minister of Agriculture David Lokyan representing ARF Dashnaktsutyun will also keep the portfolios. | | Full Story |
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 April 7 /Armenialiberty.org/ A top army general fired last week for tacitly supporting the Armenian opposition faced the possibility of criminal prosecution on Monday after being accused of issuing death threats to a former close associate.
According to the Office of the Prosecutor-General, the Armenian police are investigating the allegation made by Ara Marukian, a resident of the southern town of Echmiadzin. A spokeswoman for the office, Sona Truzian, said Marukian told the local police that Deputy Defense Minister Manvel Grigorian threatened to kill him and his family members in a phone conversation on Sunday
"An investigation is underway and circumstances are being clarified," Truzian told RFE/RL. "Nobody has been charged. The police are only looking into the claims made in [Marukian's] report." | | Full Story |
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| April 4, 2008, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The Minsk process has several constituent parts, said Dennis Sammut, Executive Director of LINKS.
"First, it's the OSCE itself; second, it's the Minsk Group; third, it's the mediators representing the Minsk Group co-chair states and forth, it's the publics of these states. I can't get the meaning of Baku's protests. What is the target of criticism: the OSCE, the Minsk Group, the co-chair states or their representatives?
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 April 3 /Panarmenian.net/ Armenia's Prime Minister and President-elect Serzh Sargsyan met Thursday with co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group dealing with the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement.
The meeting held in the framework of the NATO summit in Bucharest was attended by personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.
The mediators briefed Serzh Sargsyan on the outcomes of yesterday's meeting with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev. | | Full Story |
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| April 3 /Panarmenian.net/ It was a surprise to hear that the Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, was coming for a visit to Stockholm, Sweden on April 1-3 to meet his Swedish counterpart Fredrik Reinfeldt for negotiation, the Union of Armenian Associations in Sweden told PanARMENIAN.Net.
It was said bilateral questions and negotiation for an agreement about EU membership is on the agenda. But the Armenian Union in Sweden cannot help wondering if this really is the reason for the meeting. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, April 1 /Armenpress/ Outgoing president Robert Kocharian spoke in favor of bringing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution up for fresh discussions in Armenia.
Kocharian was speaking yesterday in Stepanakert, the capital of Nagorno-Karabakh, after meeting with its president Bako Sahakian.
Kocharian said some things are being changed in the world and there is the Kosovo precedent, there are Azerbaijani efforts to dissolve the OSCE Minsk Group and take the conflict to UN, there are incessant war rhetoric in Baku, which forces Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh to revise their approaches concerning Nagorno-Karabakh's security and its final status. | | Full Story |
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| March 27, /Panorama.am/.The Foreign Affairs Ministry of Armenia commented on the recent message of Azerbaijan sent to the OSCE for dissolving the Minsk Group which is trying to regulate the NKR question. In the announcement of the ministry's public relations department head Tigran Balayan it is particularly stated, "The message sent to the OSCE to dissolve the Minsk Group was directed to it before the UN Chief Assembly voted for the article presented by Azerbaijan. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, March 21 /Armenialiberty.org/ International mediators urged the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan late Wednesday to resume "as soon as possible" negotiations on the basic principles of a Nagorno-Karabakh settlement that were formally submitted to the conflicting parties last November. In a joint statesmen, the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group said they pressed for the holding of a fresh Armenian-Azerbaijani summit on Karabakh during separate meetings last week with the foreign ministers of the two countries. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, March 21 /Panarmenian.net/ Several hours after the lift of the state of emergency, hundreds of Yerevan citizens with candles, black ribbons and portraits of those arrested and killed on March 1 and 2 took the streets toward Liberty Square. Their march was stopped by policemen armed with batons and shields, who surrounded the Square.
Presently, the number of demonstrators doesn't exceed a thousand, mostly women and youth. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, March 20, Armenpress: President Robert Kocharian, who ends his second term in office on April 9, said today he will not extend the state of emergency which he imposed earlier this month after opposition protests led to violent clashes with police.
The 20-day state of emergency was declared on March 1 following mass protests against the February 19 presidential election, which the opposition claimed was rigged. Eight people died and more than 100 were injured during the disturbances in downtown Yerevan. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, March 20 /Panarmenian.net/ Ambassador John J. Danilovich, Chief Executive Officer for the Millennium Challenge Corporation, has sent a letter to warn of possible suspension of aid to Armenia, President Robert Kocharian told a news conference today.
"Of course, we would not like the program to be frozen but if the If the U.S. takes the decision, Armenia will anyway implement its plans with assistance of other organizations, particularly, the Lincy Foundation, Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and other donors. Although, the U.S. has not arrived at a decision yet," he said. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, March 4 /Armenpress/ On March 3 Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II addressed a message to the nation, which reads as follows.
"Our dear and pious Armenians, our souls are filled with sorrow today. My Armenian nation mourns the loss of its children. During the presidential electoral process, the sprit of intolerance led to disorder, to sad and tragic clashes and confrontations. We never would have expected that the inherent sound judgment of our people would yield to hatred and enmity. Dear ones, today our entire nation is disquieted and anxious, seeing that its cherished values of national unity, peace and security of the homeland are endangered. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, March 4 /Panarmenian.net/ Azerbaijan made an attempt to make use of the domestic tension in Armenia to provoke a ceasefire violation in Mardakert direction, RA Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian told reporters in Yerevan.
"The Azeri units tried to advance through the Armenian territory and seize a post but were rebuffed. Several Armenian servicemen were injured, 2 Azeri soldiers were killed. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, March 4 /Armenialiberty.org/ Armenia and Azerbaijan reported on Tuesday fierce fighting between their forces stationed northeast of Nagorno-Karabakh, blaming each other for what appears to be the most serious ceasefire violation in months.
News reports from Baku said at least two Azerbaijani soldiers were killed in the clashes. The Azerbaijani Defense Ministry declined to confirm or deny the information. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, March 4, /Armenialiberty.org/ Armenia's parliament on Tuesday gave a green light for the arrest and prosecution on coup charges of four of its members loyal to former President Levon Ter-Petrosian.
Miasnik Malkhasian, Hakob Hakobian, Sasun Mikaelian and Khachatur Sukiasian will be formally charged under articles of the Criminal Code relating to attempts to seize power and provoke riots for that purpose. The charges stem from Saturday's deadly clashes between Ter-Petrosian supporters and security forces that followed the forcible break-up of an opposition sit-in in Yerevan's Liberty Square. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, March 1, Armenpress: Armenian President Robert Kocharian signed on March 1 a decree declaring emergency situation in Armenia.
"To eliminate the danger threatening the Constitutional order of the country and for protecting people's rights and legal interests, being guided by the Constitution I decide:
1. To announce emergency situation in Yerevan from March 1 for 20 days.
2. To let the governance of the regulation and implementation of urgent issues as well as the elimination of circumstances of the emergency situation to the President of Armenia.
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| Helsinki, March 1 /Lragir.am/ - The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Finnish Foreign Minister Ilkka Kanerva, condemned the use of force against peaceful demonstrators in Yerevan today.
"I urge the authorities to use maximum restraint. I am troubled that there are reports of casualties. I urge the authorities to release those detained, and I again call on the government and the opposition to engage in dialogue," the Minister said. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, March 1 /Armenialiberty.org/ By Emil Danielyan, Ruzanna Khachatrian and Ruzanna Stepanian - The post-election unrest in Armenia deepened on Saturday evening as thousands of people rallied and barricaded themselves on a major street intersection in central Yerevan in anticipation of another government attempt to forcibly end the ongoing opposition protests. President Robert Kocharian, meanwhile, threatened to call a state of emergency in the country.
The crowd, furious with the brutal break-up earlier in the day of an overnight protest by fellow supporters of former President Levon Ter-Petrosian, blocked all streets leading to the area with buses and other vehicles seized from riot police that tried unsuccessfully to disperse them several hours earlier. | | Full Story |
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| Stepanakert, February 27 /Armenpress/ Residents of Nagorno-Karabakh can now apply for home loans after the authorities have approved a mortgage program.
All residents of Nagorno-Karabakh with a 10- year-long residency may apply for loans to buy homes, a loan for apartment repair requires a 3 year-long residency.
There is an age limit as loans should be repaid before the people who take credits reach retirement age. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, 27 February /Armenialiberty.org/ By Ruzanna Stepanian and Ruben Meloyan - Opposition leader Levon Ter-Petrosian told tens of thousands of his supporters Wednesday to continue to challenge the official results of Armenia's controversial presidential election, dismissing President Robert Kocharian's threats to end the non-stop demonstrations by force.
In televised comments aired late Tuesday, Kocharian warned that his patience with protesters camped in Yerevan's Liberty Square is wearing thin. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, February 26, 2008, ArmeniaLiberty.org - By Astghik Bedevian and Karine Kalantarian - Levon Ter-Petrosian continued to rally thousands of supporters in Yerevan on Monday despite the arrest of at least two more loyalists of the former Armenian president and the forcible closure of his campaign offices across the country.
Ter-Petrosian told the crowd in the city's Liberty Square in the evening that the Armenian police have moved to disarm his bodyguards without any explanation. He said that senior police officers have told the bodyguards to surrender their guns but that the latter refused to do that, citing a law that entitles the ex-president to armed protection. | | Full Story |
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 By Armen Dulian - President Robert Kocharian discussed mounting post-election tensions in Armenia with top military and security officials on Saturday, instructing them to thwart what he described as attempts by his predecessor Levon Ter-Petrosian to "seize power by illegal means."
"I am determined to take all necessary measures to ensure law and order in the country," Kocharian was quoted by his office as saying in separate meetings with the top army brass and the leaderships of the Armenian police and the National Security Service (NSS). The meetings were also attended by Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, the official winner of Tuesday's presidential election was also present at the meeting. | | Full Story |
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 February 24, 2008, ArmeniaLiberty.org - By Emil Danielyan, Ruzanna Khachatrian and Hovannes Shoghikian - Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian pledged to continue to challenge the official results of Armenia's disputed presidential election on Saturday as tens of thousands of his supporters demonstrated in Yerevan for a fourth consecutive day.
Ter-Petrosian urged Armenians to attend his rallies in even larger rallies and thereby put the authorities under greater pressure to call a repeat election.
"We must show these authorities that the whole people don't accept them," he told an estimated 40,000 people who gathered in the city's Liberty Square. "We must show the entire world that the Armenian people do not tolerate such an unworthy and blasphemous government." | | Full Story |
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 February 21, 2008, ArmeniaLiberty.org, By Ruzanna Khachatrian and Shakeh Avoyan - Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian on Thursday continued to receive congratulations from foreign leaders and insisted that he was democratically elected as Armenia's next president.
In a statement circulated by his Republican Party (HHK) late Wednesday, Sarkisian thanked Armenians for their "overwhelming support" of his candidacy in Tuesday's presidential election. "As I said before the elections, I am going to be the president of all Armenians," he said. | | Full Story |
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 February 21, 2008, ArmeniaLiberty.org, By Emil Danielyan, Ruzanna Stepanian and Ruben Meloyan - Tens of thousands of people again took to streets of Yerevan on Thursday as former President Levon Ter-Petrosian and his allies announced a campaign of non-stop demonstrations against the official results of Armenia's disputed presidential election.
The opposition leaders rejected as fraudulent the official election results, which gave victory to Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian, and demanded the vote be re-run before pitching tents for an overnight sit-in in the city's Liberty Square. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, February 14 /Azg/ Yesterday was signed the agreement of transfer of the "Armenian Railways" governmental enterprise to concession of the "Russian Railways" OJSC. The agreement was signed by Minister of Transport and Communication of Armenia Andranik Manoukian and President of "Russian Railways" OJSC Vladimir Yakunin.
According to the agreement, "Armenian Railways" is transferred to concession for 30 years with a 20-year renewable period. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, February 14 /Armenialiberty.org/ A plane bound for Belarus's capital Minsk crashed as it was about to take off from Yerevan's Zvartnots international airport early on Thursday, injuring eight of 21 people on board.
All of them were hospitalized immediately after the crash. Doctors said injuries suffered by them are not life-threatening.
"All patients are in a stable state of medium gravity," Artur Safarian, head of the emergency care unit at the Armenia Medical Center in Yerevan, told RFE/RL. "They are still in a state of shock." | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, February 12 /ArmeniaLiberty.org/ Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian and his Zharangutyun (Heritage) party endorsed Levon Ter-Petrosian on Tuesday, boosting the former president's chances of winning the Armenian presidential election.
The decision was announced after a meeting of Zharangutyun's nine-member governing board which began late Monday and ended after midnight. In a written statement, the party said Ter-Petrosian's return to power would enable Armenia to undergo "systemic changes" and have a "legitimate president." | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan February 11/PanARMENIAN.Net/. The Armenian Central Electoral Committee has launched an updated version of its web site www.elections.am. "The modification included a simplified search, which allows to receive information about the electoral register, constituencies, etc. The new program will bloc inaccurate data on the number of ballot papers that the server receives from district electoral committees, CEC chairman Garegin Azaryan said. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, February 11, Armenpress: The Central Election Commission (CEC) has registered 6 international organizations allowing them to monitor the February 19 presidential election. They are the OSCE/ODIHR, the CIS observation mission, the CIS Parliamentary Assembly, PACE, OSCE Parliamentary Assembly and the European Parliament. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, February 6, 2008, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ New premises of the European Commission Delegation opened in Yerevan yesterday. European Commissioner for External Relations and European Neighborhood Policy Benita Ferrero-Waldner said in her opening speech, "During the recent years significant progress was fixed in relations between Armenia and the EU and today's event in the evidence of this progress. Establishment of full-fledged EC Delegation will contribute to development of relations with state structures, NGOs and mass media," she said.
| | Full Story |
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 January 25, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Democratic Presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton called for Congressional passage of the Armenian Genocide Resolution and pledged that, as President, she will recognize the Armenian Genocide, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
"Our common morality and our nation's credibility as a voice for human rights challenge us to ensure that the Armenian Genocide be recognized and remembered by the Congress and the President of the United States," said Sen. Hillary Clinton (D-NY). | | Full Story |
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January 23, 2008, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Istanbul police department on combating terrorism arrested 50 people including retired General Vali Kicik, Aksam newspaper employee Guler Komurcu, lawyer Kamal Kerincsiz and spokesperson for Orthodox Church of Turkey Sevgi Erenerol.
They are suspected in complicity in the murder of Agos editor Hrant Dink, armed attack against judges, explosion in Cumhurriyet newspaper premises, attempt on two monks' life in Trabzon and Izmir. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, January 22, Armenpress: Armenia's Central Election Commission (CEC) defined January 21 the schedule and order of providing free air time to presidential candidates on the Public TV and Radio. Each of nine presidential candidates will be given free air time on Public TV since January 23 until February 17.
Thus they will be given two minutes of free time and four minutes of paid time on Public TV beginning from January 23 to February 11 from 5.15 pm up to 9 pm.
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 Yerevan, Januare 18, 2008 /Armenialiberty.org/ All nine individuals seeking to stand in Armenia's presidential election were formally registered as candidates by the Central Election Commission (CEC) on Friday.
The CEC swiftly accepted their applications three days before the official start of campaigning for the February 19 vote. All of them were found to have complied with registration requirements, including a financial deposit of 8 million drams ($26,000), set by the Armenian Electoral Code. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, January 17, Armenpress: A street in France's second largest city of Lyon will be named after Hrant Dink, a prominent Turkish Armenian journalist killed a year ago outside the office of his bilingual Agos weekly in Istanbul.
Ms. Hilda Choboyan, chairwoman of the European Armenian Federation for Justice, said to Armenpress the ceremony will be attended by Lyon mayor.
She said commemorative events will be held also in many European cities on January 19, which will mark the first anniversary of Dink's murder. | | Full Story |
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/PanARMENIAN.Net/ On January 19, 2008, the Youth Union of New Nakhijevan and Russian Dioceses of the Armenian Apostolic Church initiates a series of public events dated to the first anniversary of Agos editor Hrant Dink's slaying.
As reported by Yerkramas, the events include a liturgy in memory of killed Christians in Turkey, a picket at the Turkish embassy in Moscow, round table discussions titled Truth Makes Us Free, screening of a film dedicated to Hrant Dink. | | Full Story |
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Yerevan, January 14, Armenpress: The leadership of Armenian Public TV said today it is negotiating with a UK-based Pop News company the terms of a contract for commissioning two public opinion polls in Armenia before the February 19 presidential election and after it.
The chairman of the Public TV and Radio Council, Alexan Harutunian, said at a news conference that the UK company will be paid from Public TV's commercial earnings. | | Full Story |
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 January 14, 2008, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ 18 years have passed since the Armenian pogroms in Baku on January 13, 1990, known as Black January that claimed lives of 48 Armenians.
The pogroms grew into an anti-Soviet revolt ruled by the radical wing of the Azerbaijani National Front with Neymat Pakhanov and Ragim Gaziyev at the head. | | Full Story |
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/PanARMENIAN.Net/ Rubezh 2008 exercise due in Armenia in spring 2008 is by no means targeted at Azerbaijan, CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha said.
"Making the decision to hold the maneuvers we took account of the complicated situation in the Caucasus and exerted every effort to convince Azerbaijan that these are not directed against it," Mr Bordyuzha told a news conference in Moscow. "These will be command and staff anti-terror exercises," he added. | | Full Story |
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January 11, 2008 - Artists, intellectuals will be lending their voices to articles written by Hrant Dink, murdered journalist, publisher and founding editor of the bilingual Armenian-Turkish weekly Agos, to commemorate the first anniversary of his assassination
Turkish Daily News - Armenian, Alevi, Kurdish and Turkish young people in Turkey have formed a group called 'Hadig' to commemorate Hrant Dink, editor-in-chief of bilingual Armenian-Turkish weekly Agos, on the first anniversary of his assassination. | | Full Story |
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| /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Armenian President Robert Kocharian congratulated Mikheil Saakashvili on election President of Georgia. "I congratulate you heartily with re-election. I am confident that you will proceed with the course targeted at stability, democracy and economic reforms," the message says. | | Full Story |
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 January 7, 2008, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ On 6 January, 2008, the Armenian Christmas Day, a bomb scare disturbed the religious service of the Armenian Church in Paris, independent French journalist Jean Eckian told PanARMENIAN.Net.
After an anonymous call coming from a phone box located close to the Avenue des Champs-Elysees police launched a vast operation.
The police force carried out an evacuation during the liturgy chanted by Archbishop Norvan Zakarian of the French Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church. | | Full Story |
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 Etchmiadzin, January 7, Armenpress: In the Name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen.
"In this the love of God was made manifest among us, that God sent His only begotten Son into the world, so that we might live through Him." 1 John 4:9
Dearly Beloved Faithful,
Our souls are enveloped once again with the all-renewing ineffable mystery of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of our Lord Jesus Christ. And today, we along with all who await the Savior, rush toward the manger, to be joined in faith in the humble cave of Bethlehem with the joyous shepherds and wise magi bringing gifts to the Savior of the world; to bow down before the infant, to see the light of God's mercy descending to the earth, and praise the Holy Birth of the Son of God with the angels, "Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men". | | Full Story |
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 Dear compatriots,
The passing year 2007 is not a recurrent year to which we are saying good bye. It concludes the phase of formation of our country, which was full of difficulties and challenges. Unfortunately, as it is peculiar to countries which overcome such difficulties, in those years we had to direct our main efforts towards the formation of state institutions, creation and development of economic bases, formation of effective legislation and the defense of Artsakh. The successful accomplishment of all this provided the opportunity to start a new phase of development from 2008, the core of which should be our citizen and his family. | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, December 26 /Armenialiberty.org/ President Robert Kocharian signed on Wednesday Armenia's official military doctrine that describes Azerbaijan's pledges to win back Nagorno-Karabakh as a key threat to national security and asserts Yerevan's right to launch pre-emptive military strikes against potential aggressors.
"In the event of an immediate threat of armed aggression, the Republic of Armenia reserves itself the right to take military actions aimed at neutralizing it," reads the doctrine approved by Kocharian's National Security Council on Friday. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, December 25 /Armenpress/ The Armenian representation of Microsoft will announce early next year free distribution of the Armenian-language version of Windows Vista operating system.
Grigor Barseghian, head of Microsoft Armenian representation, said the work is in the last stage. | | Full Story |
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| December 18, 2007, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ Negotiators representing the U.S. House and Senate appear to have agreed upon Fiscal Year 2008 assistance figures for Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh, both at levels less than last year, as part of a far-reaching agreement on foreign aid and other appropriations measures that is set to be adopted soon by both houses of Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). | | Full Story |
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| Yerevan, December 17, 2007 /Armenialiberty.org/ Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian met on Sunday with another top opposition leader, Raffi Hovannisian, in an apparent fresh attempt to secure the latter's endorsement of his candidature in Armenia's upcoming presidential election.
In a short statement issued on Monday, Ter-Petrosian's campaign office said the two men met in Ter-Petrosian's Yerevan mansion to discuss the political situation in the country and, in particular, "issues related to the forthcoming presidential elections." "They agreed to continue those discussions," the statement said. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, December 17, 2007 /Armenialiberty.org/ The United States has proposed to sponsor a first-ever exit poll in Armenia as part of its efforts to facilitate the proper conduct of next February's presidential election, the U.S. charge d'affaires in Yerevan said on Monday.
Joseph Pennington confirmed reports that he floated the idea at a December 4 meeting with Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian and that the latter approved it. "We presented that idea to the prime minister and the prime minister was very enthusiastic, as he said so publicly," he said. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, November 23, Armenpress: The November 22 10th annual Armenia- Fund telethon raised more than $15 million. With the participation of all community organizations and members, the Armenia Fund Telethon surpassed its previous record to raise funds for improvement of Armenia's infrastructure and the strengthening of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic's statehood.
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 November 21, 2007, ArmeniaLiberty.org, By Ruzanna Khachatrian - Prime Minister Serzh Sarkisian has chosen the influential Minister for Local Government Hovik Abrahamian to manage his presidential election campaign, the governing Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) confirmed on Tuesday.
Abrahamian, who also holds the recently introduced post of deputy prime minister, was the HHK's campaign manager in parliamentary elections held last May and is thought to have significantly contributed to its landslide victory. | | Full Story |
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 Novemebr 21, 2007, ArmeniaLiberty.org, By Karine Kalantarian - A senior European Union diplomat struck on Tuesday an optimistic note about the approaching presidential election in Armenia, saying that campaigning for the vote promises to be "lively" and should increase Armenians' interest in politics.
"I think it will express the maturity of Armenia's political system," said Peter Semneby, the EU's special representative to the South Caucasus. "It will express a high degree of pluralism in terms of political views, several candidates competing against each other. And this is very positive." | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, November 15, //PanARMENIAN.Net/ The OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Spanish Foreign Minister Miguel Angel Moratinos, met the Co-chairs of the Minsk Group, which negotiates with the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan a possible solution to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The statement issued by the Spanish OSCE Chairmanship says:
"The Co-chairs informed the Minister about current developments on the peace process, which is becoming increasingly complicated due to the upcoming electoral processes in Armenia and Azerbaijan in 2008. They agreed that, in light of these circumstances, the governments of Armenia and Azerbaijan should not refer to the conflict in ways that might worsen the situation, and that could potentially endanger the progress achieved so far. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, November 15, /ArmenPress/: Turkish aviation authorities cited technical reasons behind their decision to close airspace for Yerevan-Beirut and Yerevan-Aleppo flights operated by Armenia's biggest air carrier, Armavia.
A spokesperson for government-affiliated Civil Aviation Department said the Armenian company was notified officially by the Turkish side that the airspace for these flights will be closed for some time. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, November 9, Armenpress: Armenia's next presidential election will be held on February 19, 2008. The date was formally announced today by the country's Central Election Commission (CEC). It was calculated based on the provisions of Armenia's Constitution.
The chairman of the Central Election Commission, Garegin Azarian, announced it during a televised appearance on Public TV , as required by the law. His announcement was broadcast also by Pubic Radio. | | Full Story |
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 Los Angeles, CA - Armenia Fund's 10th International Telethon is set to air onThanksgiving Day, November 22, 2007 from 8am-8pm PST (16:00-04:00 GMT). This year's program will once again reach millions of households in the United States, as well as international viewers across all continents via satellite and cable. The 12 hour live program will stream on the internet at www.armeniafund.org.
Armenia Fund's Telethon, a Thanksgiving Day tradition since Armenia's independence, will once again unite Armenians across the globe around one goal - helping the Armenian homeland stand strong on its feet. Every year for the past 10 years, this gargantuan effort brings together more than 50 professionals and 200 volunteers.
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 Yerevan, November 1. /ARKA/. The Armenian delegation will observe the elections of the RF Duma in December, said RA NA (National Assembly) Speaker Tigran Torosian during his meeting with RF Duma Speaker Boris Grizlov in St. Petersburg on October 31.
The RA Na Speaker wished the Edinaya Rossia (United Russia) Party good luck in the forthcoming election. He assured that Armenian-Russian bilateral cooperation will continue to develop actively after the Duma election.
In this connection, the RA NA Speaker attached importance to the activities of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Collective Security Treaty Organization | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, October 31, /Armenpress/: Two top members of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (ARF) said yesterday their party will be conducting a fair election campaign for next year's presidential election, 'will not throw dirt at its rivals and will not allow others to throw dirt at itself.'
"We do not have enemies, we have rivals whom our country will need tomorrow,' Vahan Hovhanesian, an ARF Bureau member and a deputy parliament chairman, told yesterday a crowd of party activists and voters in a Yerevan district.
Vahan Hovhanesian and Armenian Rustamian, who is chairman of a parliament committee on foreign affairs, are two short-listed members of the ARF one of whom will be selected as its presidential candidate to contest prime minister Serzh Sarkisian and opposition contenders. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, October 31, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ In a move widely seen as intended to calm Turkish anger over growing strains in its ties with the United States, Senators Robert Byrd (D-WV) and Gordon Smith (R-OR) have introduced legislation which ignores key points of tension in this relationship and offers unconditional praise to Turkey and its leaders, reported the Armenian National Committee of America
(ANCA). | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, October 31, /Armenpress/: The French-owned Yerevan Brandy Company has bought so far 29,000 tons of grapes, 1000 tons more from a year ago, its chief manager Cedric Ritaillond, told a news conference yesterday. Some 4,350 tons were procured in the northwestern province of Tavush at 140 Drams per one kilogram.
He said the YBC, owned by French giant Pernod Ricard, has invested $5 million in acquisition of new technologies to improve the quality of its products. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, October 29, /Armenpress/: A spokesman for Armenian foreign ministry said today there is no ground to speak about a breakthrough in the efforts to find a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
Vladimir Karapetian, who is also head of the foreign ministry's department for public affairs, told Armenpress minister Vartan Oskanian met on October 27 in Yerevan the cochairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group who revisited Yerevan after a trip to Azerbaijan.
He said the peace brokers from Russia, USA and France have stepped up their efforts through a shuttle diplomacy to help the sides to narrow their differences on a framework agreement. | | Full Story |
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| October 25 /Armenialiberty.org/ By Armen Dulian - Russia is ready to help Armenia build a new nuclear plan and is currently discussing the ambitious idea with its government, a top executive of a Russian atomic energy firm said on Thursday.
"We are discussing the issue of building a new 100 Megawatt unit in the territory of the Armenian nuclear plant [at Metsamor,]" Aleksandr Glukhov, vice-chairman of the state-owned Atomstroyexport company, told the Itar-Tass news agency. | | Full Story |
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 Yerevan, October 24, /PanARMENIAN.Net/ The U.S. Charge d'Affairs in Armenia, Rudolph Perina is completing his diplomatic mission October 26. Spokesman for the U.S. Embassy, Taguhi Jahukian told a PanARMENIAN.Net reporter that Vice Ambassador Joseph Pennington will act as U.S. Charge d'Affairs until appointment of Ambassador.
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 Yerevan, October 24, /Armenpress/: Foreign minister Vartan Oskanian received today ambassador Sergey Kapinos, the new head of the OSCE Yerevan Office.
The foreign ministry quoted Oskanian as saying that he is sure that the traditional and effective cooperation with the Yerevan Office will continue.
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 October 24. /ARKA/. U.S. Charge d'Affaires Rudolf Perina is wrapping up his diplomatic mission in Armenia, U.S. Embassy Press Secretary Tagui Jahikyan reported on Wednesday.
She said Perina would fly to Washington on Friday. In her words, U.S. Deputy Chief of Mission Joseph Pennington will temporarily fulfil the duties of charge d'affaires. | | Full Story |
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