Acing PM issues statement over cancellation of meeting with Nikol Pashinyan

April 24, 2018 By administrator

YEREVAN.- Armenia’s Acting Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan issued a statement over on cancellation of the meeting with the opposition leader, MP Nikol Pashinyan.

The statement notes:

“Dear citizens,

As you know, a meeting between Nikol Pashinyan and me was to be held tomorrow to discuss the situation and look for solutions.

I would like to inform that the pre-announced meeting will not take place as Nikol Pashinyan has unilaterally put forward new conditions, in particular with respect to the format, the agenda and covering of the meeting. He proposed a list of participants from our side, and also stated that he would discuss exclusively his agenda. This does not mean negotiation or dialogue, but presentation of own agenda and own point of view.

Having certain experience in negotiating, I’ve never heard of such a format.

Being concerned about the current situation, as the head of the executive power I appeal to the President of the Republic of Armenia to organize a meeting with a board range of parliamentary and extra-parliamentary political forces to discuss the current internal political situation and find possible ways out of it,” said Karapetyan.

Paros Foundation Statement, 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and the peaceful protest

April 24, 2018 By administrator

Paros Foundation Statement

As Armenians come together today around the world to commemorate the 103rd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, our thoughts and prayers not only remember the 1.5 million Armenians who perished at the hands of the Ottoman Turkish government, but turn to our compatriots living in this remarkable time in Armenia.

Scores of fearless people, facing uncertain consequences, took to the streets leading a well-organized, peaceful protest aimed at preventing a power-grab by Serzh Sargsyan, who had pledged not to pursue the office of Prime Minister following Armenia’s change to a parliamentary form of government. Calls for acts of peaceful civil disobedience initiated by young people and then joined by tens of thousands of citizens from all walks of life culminated in Sargsyan’s resignation. Throughout these tense days, both citizens and Armenia’s police exercised incredible restraint. The protestors, police and Sargsyan himself should celebrate the fact that Armenia is maturing and its growing pains were not met with loss of life, but rather a peaceful transition.

In the coming days, what the future holds for our homeland and its citizens is unknown. On behalf of The Paros Foundation, we join in the spirit of positive change and collaboration to build a bright future for Armenia’s children. We support our brothers and sisters in Hayastan on their path to long-term nation building over short-term personal gain. We, at Paros remain committed to mobilize Diasporan support for the implementation of valuable projects and the progressive leadership necessary to ensure their long-term success.

By remembering our past, we will build a homeland together that is safe, secure and prosperous, and one that our ancestors would be proud to call “Mer Hayrenik.”

Armenian Assembly of America releases statement on Armenia’s parliamentary elections

April 4, 2017 By administrator

The Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) is encouraged by the initial report of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Office for Democratic Institutions and Human Rights (ODIHR), the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly (OSCE PA), the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and the European Parliament (EP), which noted that the elections were “well administered and fundamental freedoms were generally respected” with the election day “generally calm and peaceful but marked by organizational problems and undue interference in the process, mostly by party representatives.” The Assembly congratulates the people of Armenia for its participation in the election process with voter turn-out of over 60 percent.

The statement released by the Assembly reads: “The Republican party won 49.12% of the votes; “Tsarukyan” bloc came second with 27.32%; “Yelq” (Exit) bloc came third with 7.77%; and ARF-Dashnaktsutyun scored 6.57%. Other parties and blocs running for the elections failed to meet the threshold with Armenian Renaissance Party scoring 3.71%; “ORO” bloc with 2.07%; “Armenian National Congress – HZhK” bloc with 1.65%; Party of Free Democrats with 0.94%; and the Communist Party getting 0.75%.

Armenia’s election process stands in sharp contrast to its neighbors. For example, in Azerbaijan its authoritarian president recently appointed his spouse as vice president and suppresses all opposition parties. In Turkey, Erdogan’s authoritarian regime continues its crackdown against opposition leaders and wide-scale imprisonment of journalists. Armenia also compares favorably to the other countries which emerged from the Soviet Union,” stated Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian. “As Armenia makes further advances in its democratic institutions, we strongly urge the government to address the irregularities cited, including that of vote buying and pressure on voters.”

“Yesterday’s elections marked a first step towards establishing a new political system in Armenia, but change cannot happen overnight,” said Ignacio Sanchez Amor, Special Coordinator and leader of the short-term OSCE observer mission and Parliament Member from Spain. “Reform is a never-ending process, and I encourage the parliamentary majority and the new government to continue their efforts to transform the country’s political culture, in partnership with the opposition, civil society and the international community.”

In November 2016, the United States, European Union, United Kingdom, and Germany pledged to fund concrete measures designed to improve confidence in the election process and help prevent fraud in Armenia’s parliamentary elections. U.S. funding supported agreements signed by the Armenian government and three leading opposition parties on voting conduct for the April 2017 elections. Funds went toward equipment required for live online broadcasts of voting and ballot counting, as well as electronic verification of voters’ identity, and other amendments to Armenia’s Electoral Code.

The Assembly strongly encouraged the U.S. government to support this initiative considering its importance to strengthening the democratic process in Armenia. At the time, the Assembly Co-Chairs stated: “The Armenian Assembly commends the U.S. and the EU for providing financial assistance to support this initiative to further the rule of law in Armenia. We are nonpartisan in both the American and Armenian contexts but this type of support to improve confidence in the democratic process serves us all.”

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.

CSTO Foreign Ministers adopt statement on Karabakh

July 4, 2016 By administrator

csto fm YEREVAN. – Following the July 4 Yerevan meeting, the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers adopted a statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and Syria. This was stated by Foreign Minister of Armenia Edward Nalbanduian at a press briefing following the meeting

Stressing that it is great honor for Armenia to host such a meeting, the foreign minister said that in the framework of Armenia’s chairmanship in the organization, Yerevan will host a meeting of the Collective Security Council in October.

Preparation for the upcoming session was discussed during today’s meeting.

According to the minister, the focus of today’s meeting was the first strategy of the CSTO until 2025. The ministers also discussed the process of implementation of the agreements and decisions taken at the previous meetings.

“Armenia has always played active role in the organization,” he said.

In turn, the CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha said that the focus of the organization remain the issues of combating terrorism.

Kurdish party of Turkey does not join anti-Armenian statement

May 31, 2016 By administrator

Kurdish party turkey Three political parties in the Turkish Parliament have issued a statement that condemns the resolution on Armenian Genocide recognition, and which is on the agenda of the German Bundestag.

The ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) as well as the opposition Republican People’s Party (CHP) and the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) issued a joint statement in connection with the forthcoming voting on this resolution, according to Birgün daily of Turkey.

But once again, the pro-Kurdish “Peoples’ Democratic Party” (HDP) MPs refused to sign under this anti-Armenian statement.

The statement notes that the passing of the Armenian resolution in the Bundestag will jeopardize Turkish-German allied and friendship relations.

The resolution, entitled “Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916,” will be put to a vote in the lower house of the German parliament on Thursday.

U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum issues statement on Genocide

May 5, 2015 By administrator

The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) issued a noteworthy statement on the centenary of the Armenian Genocide, according to Massis Post.

Headlined “Museum Statement on the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide,” it starts: “On the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum remembers the suffering of the Armenian people.”

“The Ottoman government, controlled by the Committee of Union and Progress…, systematically eliminated the Armenian ethnic presence in the Anatolia region of its empire,” the statement reads in part.

The USHMM statement also references Raphael Lemkin, who coined the word ‘genocide,’ by explaining that: “The origins of the term ‘genocide’ rest, in part, in the evens of 1915-16 in Anatolia, then part of the Ottoman Turkish empire.”

In addition to the historic statement, the museum now features a ‘Special Focus’ section in its online exhibitions dedicated to the Armenian Genocide, which provides background information, imagery, and select eyewitness testimonies from the USC Shoah Foundation’s Visual History Archive. The ‘Special Focus’ also provides links to additional information including a more in-depth description of the Armenian Genocide in the museum’s online Holocaust Encyclopedia.

Viewers are also encouraged to read USHMM historian Dr. Edna Friedberg’s April 17th article about Franz Werfel’s “Forty Days of Musa Dagh” in the Jewish Daily Forward article headlined “How Novel About Armenian Genocide Became Bestseller in Warsaw Ghetto.”

Dedicated in 1993, the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum is America’s national institution for the documentation, study, and interpretation of Holocaust history, and serves as this country’s memorial to the millions of people murdered during the Holocaust.

“On behalf of the Armenian Assembly of America, the Armenian National Institute, and the newly launched online Armenian Genocide Museum of America, we thank the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum for joining other institutions and organization from around the world in commemorating the Armenian Genocide. The continued attention by USHMM to the Armenian Genocide since its founding through lectures, exhibits, and publications is tremendously appreciated,” stated Assembly co-chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Z. Krikorian.

WASHINGTON: Chairman Royce Makes Statement on Genocide Centennial

April 15, 2015 By administrator

House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman, Rep. Ed Royce

WASHINGTON—On Tuesday, U.S. Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in advance of the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

“One-hundred years ago, Ottoman authorities began their calculated attack on the Armenian community. The cold, systematic execution of so many people, and the subsequent indifference by the international community, set a chilling precedent for other genocidal leaders of the twentieth century. There is no statute of limitations for such horrors. The need to atone for these atrocities remains as strong today as it was in 1915. The 1.5 million innocent men, women, and children whose lives were taken demand recognition.

“I urge President Obama to acknowledge those tragic events for what they were – the first genocide of the twentieth century. I also call upon Turkey to come to terms with this dark moment in its history to heal lingering tensions among its people, improve relations with Armenia, and promote stability in the region.”

Chairman Royce is an active member of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian issues. Earlier this month, he co-signed a letter to President Obama urging him to acknowledge the Armenia genocide on its 100th anniversary. In April of last year, Royce led a bipartisan delegation to Armenia where the delegation commemorated the 99th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide and placed a wreath at Dzidzernagapert, the national memorial to the Genocide.