According to him, Arman Navasardyan was hospitalized in St. Gregory the Illuminator Hospital. Arman Navasardyan was born on April 6, 1939. 1956-1960 studied after Valery Brusov at the State Linguistic University, 1974-1976 և 1988-1989 at the Diplomatic Academy of the USSR Ministry of Foreign Affairs, and 2015-2018 He was a candidate for the Chair of International Relations, Institute of Law, and Policy at the Armenian-Russian University. 1991-1993 He held the post of Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, held various diplomatic positions in Algeria, Senegal, Austria, Hungary and Lebanon. Arman Navasardyan had the diplomatic rank of Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary.

Hirair Hovnanian, the renowned American Armenian entrepreneur, philanthropist, and member of the Board of Trustees of the Hayastan All Armenian Fund, has died at the age of 91.

Do not believe the results of sociological polls in Armenia; they are all manipulative. Political scientist Armen Badalyan told this to Armenian News-NEWS.am.

“That is, there is no institute of independent sociological polls in Armenia; we cannot know whose [popularity] rating is rising and whose is falling,” he added.

According to the political scientist, in order for the snap parliamentary elections to take place on June 20, PM Nikol Pashinyan must resign in late April or early May, and after that—under the Constitution—, he should not hold office. “Constitutionalists explain that if he resigns, he should not continue in office. But as we understand it, at the moment, the incumbent prime minister will resign and will not leave [office], holding the June 20 elections as acting [PM]—as in the case of the previous snap elections,” he said.

As per Badalyan, Pashinyan may use administrative resources in the June 20 elections, but not in full. “You can get 2-3% of votes with administrative resources, but you need to get 50+%. It is almost impossible to commit such degree of [electoral] fraud without distributing money; that is, in this case the ruling force does not have the network to distribute money, which its rivals have. But, also, it will prevent—through the police force—them from getting votes by distributing money,” he said in particular.

And assessing the chances of Pashinyan’s political force in the forthcoming elections, Badalyan said that everything depends on the election campaign of the other forces. “If all the forces running in the elections be completely ignorant, of course the ruling political force can get even 100%. But if they conduct a successful election campaign, the ruling force has no chance not only to win, but also to become an influential force,” he added.

Alexander Molokhov, head of the Working Group on International Legal Issues at the Permanent Mission of the Republic of Crimea to the President of the Russian Federation, called Turkey’s promise to return the peninsula under Ukrainian control a gift from the Danes, RIA Novosti reported.

In his talks with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky in Istanbul, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan had expressed support for the “Crimean platform.” According to him, Ankara supports the territorial integrity and sovereignty of Ukraine, and its principled position is the recognition of the “annexation” of Crimea.

Erdogan has his own foreign policy goals, and the maintenance of Crimea within the framework of Kyiv’s influence is not in his plans, Molokhov added.

Also, he expressed confidence that with an “ally” like Turkey, Zelensky does not even need enemies.

Azerbaijani internet users have edited several addresses in Yerevan on Google Map, renaming them after their heroes.

Naira Zohrabyan of the opposition Prosperous Armenia party (PAP) raised alarm over the issue on Saturday morning, sharing the image of the map with changed addresses in central Yerevan.

“My residence address thus turns out a street named after a certain Polad Hasimov. Keep on preachig brotherhood with the Turk!” she said in a statement on Facebook.

A subsequent fact-checking by Tert.am also revealed addresses with Azerbaijani names in the Armenian capital.

A renamed location was also found in the village of Ptghunk in the north-western Armavir region. 

‘Standard quantum hooliganism’: IT security expert on renamed Yerevan streets with Azerbaijani names

The recently edited Yerevan map with Azerbaijani street names should come as asbsolutely no surprise given that we encounter the practice time and again in different software applications, an IT security expert said today, responding to the growing concerns over the recently published Google Map image.

“Things of the kind are a common practice, which will be repeated also in the future,” Samvel Martirosyan told Tert.am, describing the Azerbaijani internet users’ move as a “standard quantum hooliganism”.

“The Google operation is based on inputs by different subscribers, i.e. – anything we see on Google Map is added by individual users. There are certainly addresses posted from websites, but in most cases definitely, it is  people themselves that create the content. That’s how almost all the maps function in essence. And that’s the opportunity which they practically used now. After an individual user indicates a location name which is confirmed by several other users, [the adddress] appears automatically once it attracts the required number of conformations,” he explained.

Writer and opposition politician Selahattin Demirtaş turns 48 on Saturday 10 April. This will be the fifth birthday he spends behind bars, away from his loved ones.

Demirtaş has been held in pre-trial detention for over four years, on dubious terrorism charges. The European Court of Human Rights twice ruled for his release, to no avail.

It is time that Turkey abides by its obligations under international law and release Demirtaş once and for all.

TWITTER DAY OF ACTION – 10 APRIL

Join the call to free Selahattin Demirtaş on social media #FreeDemirtaş

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For more information about Selahattin Demirtaş and PEN’s campaign please click here.

For further details contact Aurélia Dondo at PEN International, Koops Mill, 162-164 Abbey Street, London, SE1 2AN, UK Tel: +44 (0) 20 7405 0338 Fax +44 (0) 20 7405 0339 e-mail: Aurelia.dondo@pen-international.org

.@abdulhamitgul, Selahattin Demirtaş should spend his birthday with his family, not behind bars. Release him immediately and unconditionally #FreeDemirtaş

Selahattin Demirtaş turns 48 today. This is the fifth birthday he spends behind bars. .@abdulhamitgul abide by @ECHR_CEDH rulings and release him now #FreeDemirtaş

.@abdulhamitgul, the PEN Community stands with Selahattin Demirtaş. Today is his birthday. He must be freed. #FreeDemirtaş

by Paul Antonopoulos,

A small park in Cyprus has been dedicated to the martyrs of the Turkish-sponsored Azerbaijani invasion of the historically Armenian territory of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh).

The Eleni Theocharous-led Solidarity Movement political party and the Mayor of Strovolos, Andreas Papacharalambous, along with members of the Armenian community in Cyprus, inaugurated the park yesterday.

In a Twitter post written in Armenian, Theocharous said “we planted trees in memory of the Armenian heroes who were martyred on the way to the Artsakh struggle.”

As a result of the invasions success to capture or assume control over the majority of Artsakh, over 4,500 Armenians were killed and a further 11,000 wounded.

The Artsakh Foreign Ministry issued a statement on the 29th anniversary of the Maragha massacre marked on April 10. The full text of the statement is provided below.

“April 10 marks the 29th anniversary of the genocide of the Armenian civilian population of Maragha settlement of the Martakert region of the Republic of Artsakh committed by the armed forces of Azerbaijan.

The Azerbaijani troops, having invaded Maragha, brutally killed and tortured the local civilian population, including women, children, and the elderly.

The perpetrators were awarded high state awards, and their commander was awarded the title of National Hero of Azerbaijan, which testifies that the Armenophobic and genocidal policy in Azerbaijan is encouraged at the highest state level.

Crimes against humanity have no statute of limitations and must be condemned.

The tragic events in Maragha will remain an incurable wound in the memory of our people.”

Washington, D.C. – A bold, daring and caring individual, a visionary leader, the founder and benefactor of many charities, and devoted longtime Chairman of the Armenian Assembly of America’s Board, Hirair Hovnanian leaves behind a remarkable legacy. Hirair was an amazing leader and mentor, always ready to roll up his sleeves and tackle any challenge. Hirair’s integrity, passion, dedication, commitment, work ethic, and love of his people, were extraordinary. A successful businessman, whose generosity extended to causes around the world, Hirair felt energized by the independence of Armenia, and did everything in his power to assist the newly independent Republic. He demonstrated his commitment to Armenia by resettling in his homeland where his philanthropy extended beyond precedent. Hirair responded immediately to the 1988 earthquake and embarked upon the recovery and rebuilding of the devastated areas. A builder and developer by profession, he knew exactly the type of assistance required and established a building parts manufacturing plant to accelerate the reconstruction process. His generous contributions in support of educational and religious institutions in Armenia and the diaspora are legion. At the helm of the Armenian Assembly of America, he helped shape non-partisan advocacy, creating an example of a united voice for Armenian Americans in Washington, D.C., and strongly believed in the unique role of American leadership in advancing democracy and human rights. He lent every measure of support within his means towards the affirmation of the Armenian Genocide, including the establishment of the Armenian National Institute. He welcomed Armenian Assembly interns to his home every summer and embraced the next generation with his infectious enthusiasm for all things Armenian. Through his boundless generosity, he touched the lives of countless citizens in Armenia and Artsakh to whom he exemplified the best of the Armenian diaspora. We are all saddened by this great loss and remain immensely grateful to Hirair for his unparalleled legacy. He was the champion of every cause that benefited the Armenian people, and he never hesitated to lead from the front with unwavering dedication and commitment. May he rest in peace. The funeral service will be held tomorrow, Saturday, April 10, 2021, in Yerevan, Armenia.

Established in 1972, the Armenian Assembly of America is the largest Washington-based nationwide organization promoting public understanding and awareness of Armenian issues. The Assembly is a non-partisan, 501(c)(3) tax-exempt membership organization.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is calling on Russia to stop denying entry to foreign reporters in the South Caucasus disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh, and is urging the United Nations and Council of Europe to ensure respect for the right to the freedom to inform.

Russian peacekeepers controlling access to Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia via the Lachin Corridor have denied entry to at least 10 foreign journalists since February, the Paris-based media freedom watchdog said in a statement on April 9.

“A growing number of foreign journalists are being systematically refused entry by Russian soldiers,” said Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF’s Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk.

Cavelier warned that without international media, Nagorno-Karabakh “is liable to become a news and information ‘black hole.’”

Last fall, Azerbaijani and Armenian forces fought a brief war over Nagorno-Karabakh, an enclave that is internationally recognized as part of Azerbaijan but has been controlled by ethnic Armenians since the early 1990s.

The six-week fighting concluded in November 2020 with a Russian-brokered cease-fire, under which a chunk of the region and all seven districts around it were placed under Azerbaijani administration after almost 30 years of control by ethnic Armenian forces.

It also resulted in the deployment of around 2,000 Russian peacekeepers along frontline areas and the Lachin Corridor connecting the disputed territory with Armenia.

More than 6,000 people died in the fighting.

According to RSF, a French photographer, a reporter for the French TV channel M6, and a Canadian freelancer for The Guardian and CNN, were among the journalists who were denied entry in Nagorno-Karabakh since February.

The group said access to the region is also “restricted” via Azerbaijan. It cited the case of TV crews from France 24 and the European channel Arte which “made highly controlled visits from Azerbaijan and were not able to report freely.”

The Russian-brokered cease-fire agreement has no specific provision for the entry of journalists, RSF pointed out.

It said press accreditation is issued by the consulate of Nagorno-Karabakh’s separatist authorities or by the Armenian Foreign Ministry.

However, the Russia peacekeepers “grant or refuse entry to foreign citizens, who are notified of the decision on the eve of their planned visit,” while Armenians and Russians “just need to show their passports in order to enter” the region.