Ayvazovsky’s stolen canvas back to Armenia

A stolen canvas by world-famous marine painter Hovhannes Ayvazovsky has been returned to Armenia.

The Storm at Rocky Coast that was earlier flown to Zvartnots International airport has been officially handed to the Armenian National Art Gallery which hosted today a presentation ceremony on this memorable occasion.

The canvas was stolen from the Armenian Society for Cultural Relations about twenty years ago. Earlier this year, it was offered for sale at a Moscow auction house. A Russian based ethnic Armenian senator, Hovhannes Ohanyan, was the last owner of the sea paining.

“Perhaps it was predetermined in heaven that I was to become the owner of this canvas,” the senator told reporters at the National Art Gallery.  Read more... (349 words)

Armenian Universities Facing Lack Of Applicants

Getting enrolled in Armenia’s state-run universities and colleges will be as easy as ever this summer due to sweeping structural changes in the national education system introduced over the past decade.

Armenia is now completing its gradual transition from the Soviet-era system of 10-year schooling to a 12-year education cycle that will produce first graduates next year. Virtually nobody will graduate from recently established Armenian high schools during the outgoing academic year.

This will have profound implications for over two dozen state universities operating in Yerevan and other parts of the country. The Armenian Ministry of Education expects only 1,200 young people to apply for a total of 21,000 first-year places available there. By comparison, the ministry reported 17,000 applications last year.  Read more... (411 words)

Armenian Revolutionary Federation MP: ANC leader’s statements have nothing to do with reality

Levon Ter-Petrosyan and his team have made so many false statements that they now have begun to believe their own words, Armenian Revolutionary Federation- Dashnaktsutyun MP Artsvik Minasyan said when asked by Tert.am to comment on Ter-Petrosyan’s statement that ARFD is concerned about the improvement of the political situation in the country. Ter-Petrosyan made the statement at the Armenian National Congress’ Tuesday rally in Yerevan.

However, Minasyan said, people clearly understand what’s going on, and they also understand that ANC leader’s statements have nothing to do with the reality.

Speaking of the dialogue between ANC and the regime, Minasyan said: “They have long been engaged in a dialogue; they were playing chess, praising each other, but people had nothing to do with that.”  Read more... (179 words)

Tigran Karapetyan launches new union

The Peoples’ Party has initiated a new Union of Peoples’ and Patriotic Forces, the party leader Tigran Karapetyan said at a conference on Thursday.

Karapetyan, who is also the co-chair of the union, said in this opening speech that it does not pursue political power. Instead it will try to build “a powerful homeland.”

“This is our country. We will not abandon it. And the day will come when we will punish those who are taking advantage of the people’s weakness,” said Karapetyan, the owner of the ALM TV channel that failed in an airing license contest and was shut down.

“We have not coaxed so that people would join us. They have come through the reckoning of their hearts, souls,” said he.  Read more... (170 words)

Taboo Breakers: Turkish human rights champion defies denial of Armenian Genocide

Turkish human rights activist Ragip Zarakolu is often referred to as Don Quixote fighting against the denial of the Armenian Genocide; he started publishing books and openly speaking out on the issue still in the 1990s, but says that not much has changed since then – Turkey continues its “indecent policy”.

“They continue poisoning the new generation with misinformation. The Armenians generously extended a hand, but the Turkish authorities failed us, since Turkey keeps bowing to Azerbaijan’s whims. Karabakh is not Turkey’s concern, and if Turkey insists that it is, it only proves that Turkey is carrying on with its pan-Turkic ideology and policy”, Zarakolu told ArmeniaNow and reprimands his own country:  Read more... (948 words)

Armenian Parliament Debates Opposition Amnesty

The Armenian parliament began debating on Wednesday President Serzh Sarkisian’s proposal to declare a general amnesty that will lead to the release of virtually all opposition members controversially imprisoned by the authorities.

Sarkisian submitted a corresponding draft law to the National Assembly late last week, effectively meeting a key demand of the main opposition Armenian National Congress (HAK).

Addressing the assembly, Justice Minister Hrayr Tovmasian described the bill as a gesture of goodwill and “yet another step to expedite radical changes in the state’s internal life.”

“It is time to understand that Armenia’s population consists not of several mutually antagonistic publics — the government, the opposition and the people — but of a single nation with its goals and challenges,” Tovmasian said.  Read more... (568 words, 1 image)

Azerbaijan’s Education Ministry Denies Receiving Invitation from Armenia Counterpart

Azerbaijan’s education minister has not yet received an invitation to participate in events in Yerevan as part of the Bologna Process later this year.

“We have not yet received an invitation to the event. But even if we get this invitation, the question of participating in the event will be discussed with Azerbaijan’s foreign ministry as this is a matter of foreign policy,” head of the public relations department at Azerbaijan’s Ministry of Education Bayram Huseynzadeh told Vesti.az.

Recall, the press service of Armenia’s education and science ministry issued a statement earlier today in which it stated that education minister Armen Ashotyan had sent invitation letters to the president of Turkey’s Council of Higher Education and Azerbaijan’s education minister to participate in the events organized in Armenia as part of this year’s Bologna Process. Note, Armenia and Poland will be co-chairing the Bologna Process from July 1 to Dec. 31.  Read more... (238 words)

Council of Europe not Deceived By Erdogan’s Double-Talk

By Harut Sassounian
Publisher, The California Courier

Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an embarrassing appearance before the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) last month.

Erdogan was invited to the podium after lavish praise by Mevlut Cavusoglu, who was acting more like a Turkish lobbyist than President of PACE. Cavusoglu is a founding member of the ruling AKP party and member of the Turkish Parliament.

In his lengthy speech, the Prime Minister shamelessly lectured European Parliamentarians about democracy and freedom. Given his country’s dismal human rights record, Erdogan should have not raised such issues! Claiming that Turkey’s accession was “vital to the European Union,” he described as “foolish” those who opposed Turkey’s EU membership “for populist or artificial reasons.”  Read more... (765 words)

US Legislators urge aid increase to Armenia and Karabakh

Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone (D-NJ) was joined this week by Congressional colleagues in calling on the US House Appropriations Subcommittee on State-Foreign Operations to expand USaid to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

According to Asbarez.com, the committee was also called to support a number of other pro-Armenia provisions in the Fiscal Year 2012 foreign aid bill.

“We join with Armenian Americans from across the country in thanking Congressman Pallone and each of the signatories to this letter for their principled support for Armenia’s growth, Artsakh’s security, and a fair and lasting peace for all the peoples of the Caucasus,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  Read more... (393 words)