ANKARA (Reuters)–Turkey’s top general on Monday reiterated that the military wanted the next president to uphold the country’s secular values, potentially reviving tensions between the secularist establishment and the government. The commen’s from Chief of General Staff General Yasar Buyukanit come amid recent concerns in financial markets about the presidency after an initial attempt to [...]

YEREVAN (RFE/RL)–A former head of Armenia’s prisons and detention facilities has been arrested on charges of kidnapping and holding to ransom an Armenian man in Moscow. Law-enforcement authorities confirmed late Monday that Samvel Hovannisian, who headed a Justice Ministry department running the Armenian penitentiary system until June last year, was detained on Friday. Officers [...]

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Education and science minister Levon Mkrtchian Monday commended the Diaspora research and teaching center, an affiliation of the ministry, for a training course designed for Armenian Diaspora teachers. Speaking at the opening of the conference, the minister said it was developed based on major requiremen’s set for Armenia-based teachers. This year, more than 40 [...]

ISTANBUL (Marmara)–Two suspects who stormed the Armenian Patriarchate during Hrant Dink’s 40-day memorial were released Tuesday, despite admitting that they were at the religious headquarters to assassinate Istanbul Patriarch Archbishop Mesrob Mutafyan. During the preliminary hearing in early July, Volkan Karaova and Yilmaz Can Euzal testified that they entered the Patriarchate compound to avoid a [...]

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–Lieutenant-General Seyran Ohanian, Armenia Army’s Chief of Staff, Tuesday attended the commencement ceremony at the Armenia’s Air Force Academy, awarding 29 students diplomas and titles of lieutenant. Ohanian said Armenia the air force is filled with skilled and professional personnel. “The Military-Aviation Institute has made great contributions to the development of our young army. [...]

YEREVAN (Combined Sources)–President Robert Kocharian met Monday with visiting Deputy Assistant Secretary of State and the US Co-chairmen of the OSCE Minsk Group Matthew Bryza and US Charge d’Affaires Rudolph Perina, with whom he discussed among other issues the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process. Bryza said during the meeting with Kocharian they discussed Nagorno Karabakh issue, issues [...]

WASHINGTON (AFP)–The United States and Turkey are preparing a covert military operation to suppress Kurds based in northern Iraq and capture their leaders, the Washington Post reported Monday.
Veteran columnist Robert Novak reported in The Washington Post that the joint operation, whose broad outlines have been presented to some members of Congress, was aimed [...]

WASHINGTON–US Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ,) co-chairman of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, made the following statement Thursday on the floor of the House of Representatives referencing the Turkish war trials at the end of World War I, in which top Turkish government officials were found guilty of genocide. This is the third in [...]

YEREVAN (Armenpress)–After wrapping up a working visit to Georgia and on his way back home from Georgia’s resort town of Batumi, where he discussed opening of Armenian consulate, foreign minister Vartan Oskanian Saturday visited the predominantly Armenian populated region of Javakhk in southern Georgia to meet with its leadership and Armenian activists. His first stop [...]

LOS ANGELES–Tens of thousands flocked to the Hollywood Bowl Sunday evening for the “Spirit of Armenia” concert, the first-ever night completely dedicated to Armenian music and culture.
The evening featured renowned Armenian artists, and the colorful costumes and dancing that symbolize the spirit Armenia. This evening’s host was Tom Schnabel, KCRW personality and the [...]

BY GAREN YEGPARIAN
Shortly after April and our Genocide activities, a reader proffered a concern. It’s nagged me ever since, though I find myself largely in disagreement with its underlying premise. The concern arose from the event held in Glendale wherein other genocides were included in the commemoration. “They’re diluting the Genocide” was the statement. [...]

BY ALEX DER ALEXANIAN
Last week, my fellow ANCA “Leo Sarkisian” interns and I attended a demonstration in front of the Turkish Embassy, organized by the Cyprus Action Network. The demonstration was to protest the ongoing illegal Turkish occupation of Cyprus. With the Armenian and Greek communities being long time friends, and also having a [...]

BY HARUT SASSOUNIAN
The Prime Minister of Turkey Receb Tayyip Erdogan has reportedly issued a confidential decree (No. 2007-18) on July 3 banning the use of the term "sozde" (alleged or so-called) when referring to the Armenian Genocide. The news of this "secret" directive was made public on July 19 by Turkish "Ulusal [...]

LOS ANGELES–The Foundation for Economic Development of California (FED), a contractor for the California Trade Office (CATO), hosted its second social event, the Marani Vodka and Cigar Night East, on Tuesday, June 12 at Pasadena’s famous Esquire Bar & Lounge. In attendance of the social-business mixer were representatives from various industries in addition to members [...]