News Archive
2008
April
APRIL 24 COMMEMORATIONS IN LONDON
May 6th. A conference, entitled the "The Armenian Genocide: Truth and Politics" and organized by the British-Armenian All-Party Parliamentary Group (BAAPPG) was held in the House of Commons. It was opened by Bob Spink, Member of Parliament and H.E. Dr. Vahe Gabrielyan, Armenia's Ambassador to the UK. Dr. Hayk Demoyan, (in the centre in the photo below) Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, Yerevan, was the keynote speaker.
Dr. Demoyan spoke on the problem of denial, the prospect of democratization in the Turkish society and the wider perspectives of Armenian-Turkish relations.
Mr. Ragip Zarakolu, a well-known publisher, writer and journalist from Istanbul discussed the righteous and real base for Armenian-Turkish dialogue and revealed the true dominant attitude towards Armenians and other minorities in today's Turkey. Dr. Susan Pattie,(left in the picture above) a cultural anthropoligist, concentrated on the shared future of the two nations.
Mr, Mike Joseph, broadcaster, journalist, writer and historian spoke about the responsibility of the UK Parliament and presented evidence on the ideological links bewteen the perpetrators of the 1915 Genocide and the Nazis in the beginning of the 20th century. (For more pictures of the conference please visit http://www.armenianembassy.org.uk/news-photo-gallery-2008.htm).
The Conference ended with a call to the British Government to re-confirm the public position of its own members at the beginning of the 20th century - recognize the Genocide as such and to exert influence on Turkey to act similarly.
April 29th. The Spring Remembrance Concert, held annualy in memory of the victims of the 1915 Genocide, and organized by "RP Musical Management" in collaboration with the Armenian Embassy in London, took place in the Leighton
 
House Museum in Kensington. The performance of Talar Dekrmanjian (soprano), winner of the Queen Elizabeth Competition (Belgium) and Hrachya Avanaessyan (violin), a rising talent and winner of the Yehudi Menuhin Violin Competition in 2006 (France) was highly appreciated by the audience comprising diplomats, government officials, musicians and other members of the public.
April 27th. The Committee for Recognition of the Armenian Genocide (CRAG), a committee of the Armenian Community and Church Council (ACCC) of Britain, organized a march that started at the St. Yeghishe Church in South Kensington and ended at the Cenotaph, Whitehall.
Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan and Embassy staff joined the community at the Cenotaph to jointly lay wreaths for the memory of the victims of the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey.
After the procession ACCC and CRAG leaders, on behalf of the British Armenian Community, submitted a petition to Downing 10, calling on the Prime Minister for the recognition of the Genocide by the UK.
April 26th. CRAG organized a commemorative evening at the St. Yeghishe Church. The Chairman of CRAG, Mr. Raffi Sarkissian, the Chairman of the ACCC, Mr. Ara Palamoudian and member of the British-Armenian community Mr. Hratch Koundarjian spoke of the necessity of recognition of the Genocide by the British Government and of the ways to reach it, while Bishop Nathan Hovhannisyan's reflections concluded the evening.
  
  H.E. Ambassador Dr. Gabrielyan spoke of the inevitability of the recognition and introduced to the audience some historic photographs that a member of the British public, whose father had served in the British Navy in the Mediterranean during the WWI and acquired the photographs then, has handed them to the Ambassador from his personal archives. Prints of the photographs, the originals of which are now in the Museum-Institute of Genocide in Yerevan, were displayed in the Church.
The "Luis" Vocal Quintet, specially invited from Armenia, performed folk songs and songs by Armenian composers, enchanting the audience with high level of professional performance.
April 24th. An Evening Service was held at the St. Sarkis Armenian Church for the memory of the victims of the 1915 Genocide in Ottoman Turkey. The ceremony concluded in the churchyard, at the Armenian Khachkar, where Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan and CRAG Chairman Raffi Sarkissian laid wreaths and Bishop Nathan Hovhannisyan and Revd. Hair Shnork prayed for the souls of those who perished in the massacres and deportations of 1915-1923, events constituting the first genocide of the 20th century.
Ministers of Foreign Affairs and Defence appointed
 14 April, 2008. President Sargsyan signed a decree appointing Mr. Edward Nalbandyan Minister of Foreign Affairs. By an earlier decree of the President Mr. Nalbandyan was relieved from his former position of Armenia's Ambassador to France.
Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandyan's biography.
 14 April, 2008 President Sargsyan appointed Seyran Ohanyan Minister of Defence of Armenia. Colonel General Ohanyan was relieved from his earlier position of Chief of General Staff of the Armed Forces and from active military service.
Defence Minister Seyran Ohanyan's biography.
President Serzh Sargsyan appointed Mr. Tigran Sargsyan 48, Chairman of the Central Bank, Armenia's new Prime Minister.
 April 9, 2008. Under the Armenian Constitution, the Prime Minister is appointed by the President and must enjoy the backing of the majority of the National Assembly.
For the Prime Minister's biography please click here.
Inauguration ceremony of the third President of the Republic of Armenia
On 9 April, 2008 President Serzh Sargsyan's inauguration ceremony took place at a special Meeting of the National Assembly, held in the Great Hall of the Opera and  Ballet Theatre, Yerevan. Dignitaries and foreign officials from around 60 countries were among the guests present at the ceremony. Serzh Sargsyan took an oath of office with the following words: "Assuming the office of the President of the Republic of Armenia I swear: to fulfill the requirements of the Constitution in an unreserved manner; to respect the fundamental human and civil rights and freedoms; to ensure the protection, independence, territorial integrity and security of the Republic to the glory of the Republic of Armenia and to the welfare of the people of the Republic of Armenia".
To read President Sargsyan's Inaugural Address, please click here.
President Kocharyan's farewell address to the nation
On Tuesday, 8 April 2008 President Robert Kocharyan delivered a farewell address to the nation reflecting on Armenia’s achievements during his decade-long term in office.
To read the statement in full, please click here.
April 7th, Motherhood and Beauty Day.
As Armenia celebrated Motherhood and Beauty Day, a public holiday with ladies receiving congratulations and good wishes from President Robert Kocharyan and the Prime Minister, President-Elect Serzh Sargsyan, the Armenian Embassy in London held its traditional Ladies Reception for the represntatives of the beautiful half of the British Armenian community. Mrs. Hasmik Gabrielyan, Ambassador's spouse and the initiator and host of the event since 2004 welcomed and congratulated the guests. The Ambassador joined the party for official welcome and shared the friendly and relaxed atmosphere.
Chronology of the 2008 Presidential Elections (February-April 2008)
06.12.2007
Nine candidates were registered to run for the top post in the country. (Click here for a fuller chronology).
19.02.2008
Election Day. The Central Election Commission announced a voter turnout of about 69 per cent.
20.02.2008
The Central Election Commission (CEC) announced preliminary results which indicated that Mr. Sargsyan had secured 52.86 per cent of the vote and Mr. Ter-Petrossian was second with 21.50 per cent. The latter claimed victory saying that there had been widespread falsifications.
20.02. 2008
The International Election Observation Mission assessed in a public statement that "the presidential election in Armenia was conducted mostly in line with the country's international commitments" but pointed to several shortcoming and to the need to address them.
20.02.-29 02. 2008
Already prior to the election day Mr. Ter-Petrossian had called upon supporters to gather in Yerevan on 20 February for a "victory" or a "protest" rally. From 21 February to early morning on 1 March, protesters maintained unautharized demonstrations and rallies in the Oper Square.
24.02.2008
The Central Electoral Commission announced final election results, confirming that the winner was Mr. Sargsyan.
26.02.2008
Presiden-elect Serzh Sargsyan offered collaboration to the other former candidates, declaring that he is ready to form a coalition government, involving people from a wide political spectre.
29.02.2008
Leader of the Orinats Yerkir party A. Baghdasaryan signed a political co-operation agreement with the President-elect, assuming the post of the Secretary of the National Security Council in the future administration.
01.03. 2008
Tipped that there were weapons and explosives in the possession of some of the protestors, early in the morning of 1 March the police attempted to carry out an inspection in the Opera Square but met with resistence. Dispersed crowds resorted to violence elsewhere and riot police were called in to restore order. Eight people (including one police officer) died and 130 were wounded, many of whom law enforcement personnel.
01.03. 2008
To prevent further violence, President Robert Kocharyan declared a State of Emergency for 20 days.
08.03.2008
The Constitutional Court upheld the decision of the CEC, whereby Serzh Sargsyan was declared as a wining candidate. The Court also confirmed there were violations during the vote and asked prosecutors to investigate. The Court said in a statement the violations did not provide enough evidence to question the election result.
21.03.2008
The State of Emergency was lifted.
On 9 April 2008 the Inauguration ceremony of the President-elect Serzh Sargsyan was held during the Special Session of the National Assembly at the Opera House.
March
Azeris aim at thwarting the NK peace process: a Resolution on "Occupied territories" is passed at the UN despite the reluctance of the majority of its members.
On Friday March 14, the United Nations General Assembly voted on a draft resolution introduced by Azerbaijan in which the latter attempted to secure international support for its own desired outcome for the Nagorno Karabakh resolution process.
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-chair countries - US, France and the Russian Federation - voted against the resolution as did Armenia and a few other countries. Showing disapproval of this one-sided approach, around 150 countries abstained or did not vote. Only 39 countries supported the resolution, out of organizational affinity with either GUAM (Georgia, Ukraine, Azerbaijan, Moldova) or the Organization of Islamic Conference.
Although the non-binding resolution passed the General Assembly, the rejection of Azerbaijan's position by an overwhelming majority is a indicator of the mood of the international community on this issue.
"I hope Azerbaijan got the message from the international community. Taking the lead of the co-chairs, a majority of member states repelled the one-sided approach," said Armenia's Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian.
Minister Oskanian characterized the resolution as hypocritical. "On the one hand, in an effort to misinform member states, the resolution included a paragraph that supports the OSCE Minsk Process. On the other hand, Azerbaijan blatantly ignored the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs position. The co-chair countries had made clear they would not support the resolution and in fact voted against the resolution."
Click here for the text of the resolution and the voting results
Ambassador Dr. Gabrielyan at the Annual Grimshaw Club Ambassador Series, LSE
On March 3, 2008 Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan took part in debate on "National Identity and Integration" organized by the Grimshaw International Relations Club within the scope of its annual The Ambassadors Series at the London School of Economics.
The Ambassador spoke about the key factors that have shaped the national identity of the Armenians, the historical and cultural background of Armenia, the current challenges facing the country, her relations with the neighbours and the wider world. The debate was followed by a Q&A session during which Ambassador Gabrielyan answered a number of questions from the audience.
February
Sumgait Massacres Remembered in a Conference in the House of the Lords
On February 27, a conference entitled "20 Years of the Sumgait Pogroms: Intolerance and Violence as State Policy" was organized by the British-Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group at one of the Committee rooms of the British Parliament.
Massacres of Armenians in Sumgait (a city located a half an hour drive away from Baku) took place in a broad daylight, witnessed by numerous people. The peak of the atrocities committed by Azeri perpetrators occurred on 27 - 29 February 1988. The events were preceded by a wave of anti-Armenian statements and rallies that swept over Azerbaijan in February 1988.
 
The meeting was chaired by Baroness Cox and addressed by Ambassador Gabrielyan, the distinguished historian Christopher Walker, and political analyst and international media contributor Ali Gueranmayeh. Stephen Pound MP also briefly shared his experience from his 2007 trip to Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh on the situation of refugees and their integration into normal social life. The meeting was attended by the representatives of various UK institutions and NGOs as well as members of the London Armenian community.
The killings of dozens of civilian Armenians in their own homes or in the streets, and the torture of hundreds in broad daylight in February 26-28, 1988 that was organized by the authorities of the Azerbaijani Soviet Socialist Republic in response to the peaceful and legitimate demands of the poulation of Nagorno Karabakf, a historic Armenian land that was at that time an Autonomus Region of Azerbaijan, was the first case of violence in in the Soviet Union.
To read Ambassador Gabrieyan's address, please click here.
January
Armenian experience shared at the Holocaust Memorial Day, Barnet
On January 27, the Holocaust Memorial Day, Ambassador Vahe Gabrielyan  addressed the participants the Holocaust Memorial Service organised by Barnet Council at the Middlesex University, the second largest Holocaust commemorative event in the UK. In his speech Ambassador Gabrielyan drew parallels between the Holocaust and the Armenian Genocide and emphasized the neccesity of recognition of the latter by the UK and the State of Israel.
To read Ambassador Gabrielyan's speech, please click here.
Exhibition of Armenian Photographs in the Houses of Parliamnet
 January 14-17, House of Commons. A selection of about 60 beautiful photographs depicting the nature, architecture and everyday life of Armenia was exhibitted in the Upper Waiting Hall of the House of Commons. The pictures are the work of fifteen professional photographers living and working in Armenia and are part of a larger collection dedicated to the 15th anniversary of Armenia's independence. The exhibition was organized by the Embassy of Armenia in London together with the British-Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group (BAAPPG) with the helpful artistic advice and assistance by British Armenian artist Edman Aivazian. It attracked many viewers and a lot of positive feedback. Some of the pictures can be viewed in Armenia/Photo Gallery section of this website.
Government Award to a long-time friend of Armenia
 January 9, Embassy of Armenia. Co-founder and Executive Secretary of the British Armenian All Party Parliamentary Group, the current Chair of Anahit Miutiun, the founder of The Chiltern's Armenian Society, as well as leader and active member of a couple of other organisations, Mrs. Odette Bazil was awared a Movses Khorenatsi Medal by the President of Armenia at the end of 2007 for her outstanding contribution to the development of Armenian-British relations. The Presidential Medal was handed to Mrs. Bazil by Ambassador Gabrielyan at the Ambassador Gabrielyan's traditional New Year Reception, held annually since 2004. The Ambassador praised Mrs. Bazil's vigour and dedication and said he believed that no other act could have better described Odette's activities for the benefit of the Republic of Armenia and the Armenian Embassy in London. A medal by the President of Armenia was a deserved recognition and a due award.
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