From now on there is another party in Armenia which will start working to take part in the Parliamentary elections. The aim of the political power is to create a fraction «Democracy and Labor Party» in the Parliament with a number of delegates. {BR} Organizing a meeting today the party «Democracy and Labor» was celebrating the first anniversary of its formation. The represenatitives of the party...

The Belgium political bodies, condemning the policy of Turkey denying the Armenian Genocide, during the conference titled «Recognition for building the future» in the Senate building on April 18 have informed that without recognizing the Genocide Turkey cannot be considered member of the European family and the recognition of the black pages of their own history must be the precondition for starting...

There are sectors at the Armenian-Azeri contact line where the Azeri positions are situated at the distance of 30-35 meters from our border, RA Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan stated at the hearings on Karabakh. {BR} Today he informed that though the tension has been alleviated the Azeri positions are still close to the border. As for the Armenian-Turkish relations, according to Serge Sargsyan the...

An incident took place during a meeting of New Times party members with the residents of the Armenian town of Talin. Today party head Aram Karapetyan invited journalists to show the shots demonstrating how the old women and youth tried to upset the meeting. Political Secretary of the party Emanuel Margaryan assured that the clamor was aroused by the members of the regional organizations of Orinats...

Press in Armenia is free, Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan stated when responding to «A1+» reporter's question referring to the recent statement by Robert Kocharian, who said that we have a strong country. {BR} In answer to the question «The international reports have many times noted that press in Armenia is not free. Don't you think that a strong state can afford free press and while there is...

The 7-th session of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Commission was held in Strasbourg April 13-14. {BR} Head of the Armenian parliamentary delegation, chairman of the commission for foreign affairs Armen Rustamyan informed that the delegates touched upon the political, economic and social situation in Armenia, democratic processes, relations with neighbors, the Karabakh problem, ecological problems and...

The U.S. Embassy will move from its current building on Baghramian Avenue to its new premises at the corner of Admiral Isakov Avenue and American Avenue from April 29 through May 1. The embassy will be closed to the public on April 29. Embassy Work hours will continue to be 9:00 AM to 6:00 PM, Monday through Friday.{BR} The public entrance to the new Embassy compound is on the East Side of the...

Under the present conditions Chairman of the National Democratic Union Vazgen Manukyan does not see any admissible variant of the Karabakh conflict settlement. According to him the best variant would be to freeze the process for 20-20 years. During this time the regional processes of integration should be settled, he says. {BR} The present position of Vazgen Manukyan is conditioned by his sustainable...

The Chair of the History of Ancient World and Middle Ages of the Kuban State University will hold a conference entitled «Armenian Genocide: humanitarian comprehension of the tragedy of the 20-th century». As reported by Yerkramas newspaper, the event is dated to the 90-th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. Representatives of national, cultural and religious societies, teaching staff and students...

“People, who say that I started speaking of mutual concessions only recently, are mistaken. I have always spoken of a compromise settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Some people have just put on a play with those to order and perform”, Armenian Defense Minister Serge Sargsyan told journalists today. {BR} In his words, the performers are some journalists and not the best ones. However...

April 21-24 the State Chorus of the Hungarian National Radio will give concerts dedicated to the Armenian Genocide 90-th anniversary in the State Philharmonic Hall of Armenia. {BR} The event has been initiated by the State Committee for organizing events dedicated to 90-th Genocide anniversary, the RA Foreign Ministry and the Ministry of Culture, the Public Radio, Forum of the Armenian Union of Europe...

Chairman of Democracy public organization Vardan Poghosyan is convinced that to date the acting Constitution provides for plenary powers of the President. {BR} In his words, our Constitution not only needs changes but is far from the constitutional models of democratic states. Today during the discussion of a draft of constitutional amendments Vardan Poghosyan touched upon concrete changes, which...

Secretary General of the World Church Council Samuel Cobia sent a letter to Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II with a promise to mention the Armenian Genocide during the services in all the Churches of the Council on April 24. {BR} April 6- 10 the Board of Chairs of the Conference of the Churches of Europe (CCE) summoned a sitting in the Swedish town of Wasteras to state that the murderous deeds...

According to Ashot Melqonyan, head of the RA Science National Academy History Institute, the Armenian Genocide must be transferred from the scientific field into the political. He thinks that in the international level the term «Turkey's responsibility» must be used alongside with «Recognition and Condemnation of Armenian Genocide». {BR} Today during the conference devoted to the 90th anniversary...

As Armenia is situated in a rather problematic region both from the geographic and political viewpoint and it need the Security Council. This fact is realized by all the political forced of the RA. The representatives of the ARFD are rather fundamental in regards to this issue. They have represented their proposals on the SC in 2001 and now while compiling the constitutional amendments within the...

The Security Council (SC) is a phenomenon peculiar to the countries with presidential and semi-presidential state government. As an institute the SC is functioning in Bulgaria, Macedonia, Poland, Romania, Russia, Montenegro and Ukraine. “In one case the SC is a constitutional body with an authority, in other case it is a consultative body”, specialist of the constitutional rights Vardan...

As a matter of fact the Security Council should be a structure of state strategic planning and analysis and regulate the security issues basing upon the conception on National Security”, chairman of the permanent commission for security issues, home affairs and defense Mher Shahgeldyan says. The international experience shows that it would be advisable that the Security Council was engaged...

Vazgen Manukyan, Paruyr Hayrikyan and Ashot Manucharyan once stated that as a matter of fact the National Security Council is not functioning in Armenia to date. The issues that should be considered by the council are being settled by one or two persons. Representatives of other opposition forces share this opinion. Head of the National Self-Determination Union Paruyr Hayrikyan consider that the clause...

The RA President forms the National Security Council and appears as its chairman – this amendment is provided by a draft of changes to the acting Constitution. To date a National Security Council is functioning in Armenia; however it was not formed on the basis of a concrete constitutional clause. Presently the Security Council is ruled by the President, while the Defense Minister is its Secretary. Should...

The session of the Republican Party of Armenia finished. It finished with the adoption of a resolution in which it is said, «The Republican Party thinks that the Armenian turnover to true democracy will mean a democratic revolution. Democratic Revolution means to eliminate the present authorities, to form legal authorities by free and transparent elections and to realize structural changes towards...

VIENNA, 15 April 2005 - The three-Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, which deals with the conflict over Nagorno-Karabakh, have issued a statement expressing their joint concern at the recent rise in the number of incidents resulting in more casualties along the front lines. Their statement reads: The Minsk-Group Co-Chairs, concerned by the growing tension between Armenia and Azerbaijan as a result...

Today the 4th session of the Republican Party took place, in which al the parties of the opposition were invited. Tigran Karapetyan, Marxist David Hakobyan, Ararat Zourabyan and all the parties of the Justice bloc with Stepan Demirchyan were present. {BR} Aramazd Zaqaryan noted that a change of authorities should have occurred three times – after October 27, on February 20, 2003, and on April 12,...

Today during the Parliamentary briefings Gourgen Arsenyan, head of the United Labor Party, brought a “historic” charge against the nationalist side of the present authorities. Although Arsenyan did not mention any political power during his accusation, everyone knows that the nationalist side of the RA authorities is the Armenian Revolutionary Federation. Gourgen Arsenyan has “revealed” why several Armenian political powers are against forming...

On the initiative of the “Cooperation for the sake of Open Society” a round table was organized today with the theme of the RA Law about “Organizing meetings, marches and demonstrations”. A suchlike discussion was also held last year when the organizers and the participants underlined that they are not satisfied with the current legislative situation and offer to immediately improve the Law. {BR} A year has passed, but no points have been...