Armenia

Internal Documents Reveal UK Officials Misled Parliament on Armenian Genocide

Harut Sassounian | Posted 11.04.2009 | World


Harut Sassounian

A prominent legal expert, Mr. Geoffrey Robertson, exposed this week the false and inaccurate statements on the Armenian Genocide made by the British Foreign and Commonwealth Office.

Symbolism vs. Reality in the Caucasus -- More Reality is Needed

Elin Suleymanov | Posted 10.22.2009 | World


Elin Suleymanov

A noble effort to overcome dependence of conflicting visions of a common history should not be done at the expense of ignoring the reality of the present and promise of the future.

Armenian Oligarch's Staff Allegedly Implicated in Animal Cruelty Scandal

GroundReport.com | GroundReport.com | Posted 10.20.2009 | Home

Read More: Armenia, Home News

Facebook users today posted links to a video shot at what is alleged to be the private zoo of oligarch MP Gagik Tsarukian. Better known to most Armen...

Obama's Caucasus Diplomacy Flies Under Radar

Jeffrey Mankoff | Posted 10.18.2009 | World


Jeffrey Mankoff

The furor over the Nobel Peace Prize has obscured what may stand as one of the Obama administration's first real diplomatic triumphs: clinching an accord to normalize relations between Turkey and Armenia.

Armenia, Turkey pursue 'soccer diplomacy'

AP | SUZAN FRASER | Posted 10.14.2009 | Home


BURSA, Turkey — Turkey defeated longtime foe Armenia on a soccer field Wednesday – an event that had little significance in the world of sports but meant a lot in the arena of international politics.

Armenian President Serge Sarkisian arrived in Turkey to attend the World Cup qualifier after a dinner hosted by Turkish President Abdullah Gul in Bursa, a former Ottoman imperial capital. Gul attended an initial game in Armenia in a goodwill gesture last year, kicking off a round of "football diplomacy" that led to the signing last weekend of an agreement to establish diplomatic ties and open their border within two months.

Turkey's Halil Altintop scored with a header in the 16th minute, and Servet Cetin fired the ball into the Armenian net in the 28th minute to make it 2-0, a lead that held until the end. After the first goal, Sarkisian shook Gul's hand to congratulate him.

The game, televised live in both countries, began after Turkish fans booed and whistled as an announcer read out the Armenian lineup, and cheered the Turkish players. Some fans released white doves in a gesture of peace that drew applause in the stadium.

The announcer urged fans to show "traditional Turkish hospitality" to the visiting team and not to jeer or whistle during the playing of the Armenian national anthem. His appeal was mostly ignored. Police in riot gear stood outside the stadium.

Azerbaijan attacks deal with Armenia

The Independent | Independent | Posted 10.11.2009 | Home


Turkey's Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan said yesterday that Armenia must withdraw from Nagorno-Karabakh in Azerbaijan to assure his parliament's appro...

Turkey-Armenia ink historic accord

Al Jazeera. | Al Jazeera | Posted 10.10.2009 | Home

Read More: Armenia, Turkey, Home News

Foreign ministers sign protocols to normalise ties after a century of hostility....

Turkey And Armenia Sign Historic Accord, Establishing Diplomatic Relations

AP | MATTHEW LEE | Posted 10.11.2009 | World


ZURICH — Turkey and Armenia signed a landmark agreement Saturday to establish diplomatic relations and open their sealed border after a century ...

From Armenia to Venezuela: 36 Foreign Language Film Submissions (and counting)

indieWIRE | indieWIRE | Posted 09.24.2009 | Home

Read More: Armenia, Venezuela, Home News

The full submission list isn’t released until October, but thirty-six countries have now officially submitted films to the 82nd Annual Aca...

Armenia's Progressive New AIDS Policy Suggests It Can Be a Regional Leader

Jirair Ratevosian | Posted 09.22.2009 | World


Jirair Ratevosian

Active participation of civil society is critical for success, including participation from organizations representing sexual minorities and people living with HIV/AIDS.

Who Will Blink First, Armenia or Turkey?

Harut Sassounian | Posted 11.12.2009 | World


Harut Sassounian

For more than a year, many Armenians, both in Armenia and the Diaspora, have vigorously complained to the government about the wisdom of negotiating an agreement with Turkey.

Turkey, Armenia Agree To Establish Diplomatic Ties For First Time

AP | AVET DEMOURIAN | Posted 10.16.2009 | World


YEREVAN, Armenia — Armenia and Turkey, bitter foes for a century, took a step toward reconciliation Monday by announcing they would launch final...

Nearly 170 killed in Iran plane crash

AP | ALI AKBAR DAREINI | Posted 08.15.2009 | Home


A Russian-made Iranian passenger plane carrying 168 people crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday, smashing into a field northwest of the capital and shattering into flaming pieces. All on board were killed in Iran's worst air disaster in six years, officials said.

Before crashing, the plane's tail was on fire as it circled in the air, one witness told The Associated Press.

"Then, I saw the plane crashing nose-down. It hit the ground causing a big explosion. The impact shook the ground like an earthquake. Then, plane pieces were scattered all over the agricultural fields," Ali Akbar Hashemi, a 23-year-old who was laying gas pipes in a nearby home, told AP by phone.

The impact blasted a deep trench in the dirt field, which was littered with smoking wreckage, body parts and personal items from the Tupolev jet, according to photos from the scene. Firefighters put out the flaming wreckage, which officials said was strewn over a 200 yard (meter) area. A large chunk of a wing was visible in footage of the scene, but much of the wreckage appeared to be in small shreds.

Iran has seen numerous crashes in recent years, usually blamed on poor maintenance. Iranian officials often blame U.S. sanctions that prevent it from updating American aircraft bought before the 1979 Islamic revolution and make it difficult to get European spare parts or planes as well.

Nearly 170 killed in Iran plane crash

AP | ALI AKBAR DAREINI | Posted 08.15.2009 | Home


A Russian-made Iranian passenger plane nearly 170 people crashed shortly after takeoff Wednesday, smashing into a field northwest of the capital and shattering to pieces. State television said all on board were killed.

The plane's tail burst into flames in the air and it circled in the air as if looking for a place to land before it crashed, an unidentified witness told the semi-official ISNA news agency.

The impact gouged a deep trench in the dirt field, which was shown littered with smoking wreckage in footage shown on state TV. It showed a large chunk of a wing, but much of the wreckage appeared to be in small pieces, and emergency workers and witnesses picked around the shredded metal for bodies and flight data recorders to determine the cause of the crash.

The Caspian Airlines Tupolev jet had taken off from Tehran's Imam Khomeini International Airport Wednesday and was headed to the Armenian capital Yerevan. It crashed about 16 minutes after takeoff near the village of Jannat Abad outside the city of Qazvin, around 75 miles northwest of Tehran, civil aviation spokesman Reza Jaafarzadeh told state media.

At Yerevan's airport, Tina Karapetian, 45, said she had been waiting for her sister and the sister's 6- and 11-year-old sons, who were due on the flight. "What will I do without them?" she said, weeping, before she collapsed to the floor.

All feared dead in Iran air crash

Al Jazeera. | Al Jazeera | Posted 08.15.2009 | Home


Caspian Airlines jet on way to Armenia crashes in Qazvin city, killing up to 168 people....

Germany and Turkey: Similar in Crime; Different in Penance

Harut Sassounian | Posted 06.20.2009 | World


Harut Sassounian

I could not help but make a mental comparison between the remorseful way the German Federal Republic has reacted to the Holocaust and the Turkish government's incessant denials, lies and distortions of the Armenian Genocide.

British House of Commons: Demanding Justice For Armenians, Not Just Genocide Recognition

Harut Sassounian | Posted 06.20.2009 | World


Harut Sassounian

This continuum of massacres, genocide and deportations highlights the existence of a long-term strategy implemented by successive Turkish regimes from the 1890's to more recent times.

Recommendations for the Armenian Diaspora

Bruce Fein | Posted 06.08.2009 | World


Bruce Fein

The "Armenian Genocide" narrative is an existential narrative for the Armenian Diaspora. It has become the glue that bonds the community across social, economic and political lines.

Witness to Fire: Survivors of the Armenian Genocide

Janet Kinosian | Posted 06.23.2009 | World


Janet Kinosian

This holocaust is like a long, dark arm that continues to stretch out over the Armenian people.

Et Tu Obama? Letter from a Former Admirer

Harut Sassounian | Posted 05.29.2009 | World


Harut Sassounian

Mr. President, we are now terribly disappointed because you acted not much differently than your predecessors on the Armenian Genocide issue.

Obama Avoids Term "Genocide" In Statement On Armenian Massacre

LA Times | Christi Parsons | Posted 05.25.2009 | World


Reporting from Washington -- President Obama chose not to use the word "genocide" today in commemorating the deaths of more than a million Armenians d...

The World In Photos: April 24, 2009

Huffington Post | Jessica Gusman | Posted 05.25.2009 | World


Here is the HuffPost's selection of photos of today's news and events from every corner of the globe. Check back Monday through Friday for this HuffPo...

Armenians Mark Anniversary Of Mass Killings As Tensions With Turkey Begin To Ease

AFP | Posted 05.25.2009 | World


Armenians on Friday marked the 94th anniversary of mass killings of their kin under the Ottoman Empire amid signs that decades-old tensions with Turke...

Turkey, Armenia agree on road map to normalize ties

WorldFocus.org | WorldFocus.org | Posted 05.24.2009 | Home

Read More: Armenia, Turkey, Home News

Neighbors Turkey and Armenia have reportedly agreed on a road map to normalize relations. Turkey closed its border with Armenia in 1993. Turk...

The Armenian Question: A Snapshot

Betwa Sharma | Posted 05.13.2009 | World


Betwa Sharma

Akcam, a Turkish scholar, told an emotionally charged audience at Columbia University that the record should be set straight: "You cannot solve ethnic problems without facing history."