CBS Network’s “60 Minutes” program aired on December 17 a devastating exposé of the violations of the rights of the Greek minority in Turkey. Ecumenical Patriarch Bartholomew of the Greek Orthodox Church, headquartered in Istanbul, courageously criticized the Turkish government for treating him as a “second-class citizen.” He went on to state that he felt like he was being “crucified.”

Having concluded the statistical analysis of the Thanksgiving Day Telethon held November 26, 2009, Armenia Fund U.S. Western Region is pleased to report that $15.9 million dollars was raised.

An Armenian deputy minister of environment protection has been questioned by police in connection with the arrest of two of his high-ranking subordinates charged with bribery, an official said on Wednesday.

The number of individuals prosecuted and imprisoned on human trafficking charges in Armenia has almost tripled in 2009, according to the national police.

Rep. George Radanovich (R-CA), a driving force behind Congressional affirmation of the Armenian Genocide and vocal advocate of the concerns of the Central Valley’s active Armenian American community, announced today that he will be retiring at the end of the current Congressional term, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

What began as a year of hope is winding down to being one of immense disappointment and marred by huge threats to our national aspirations and the Armenian Cause.

“If a tree falls in the forest and no one is there to hear it fall, does it actually make a sound?” asks the old adage. Does sound exists without the tool which interprets it? By the same token, what is art without the audience to appreciate it as such? Like the tree and the artist, a writer is in the same position. Words are only words without the reader who sees them and attaches meaning to them.

We were all raised to believe that “Armenians are Christians”, which of course begs the question, “Are ALL Christians Armenians?” Logically, it would have to be so, but that’s a fun little game of logic that can be played separately.

While an Ankara court has issued an order for four former deputies of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish party to be forcibly brought to court on terrorist propaganda charges, the four say the decision is discriminatory and against the law.

The Pasadena Armenian National Committee is proudly cosponsoring a program highlighting an exhibit commissioned by the Armenian Library and Museum of America (ALMA) regarding the heroic service of the Armenian Legion in World War I.

Armenian Finance Minister Tigran Davtian insisted on Tuesday that Armenia is emerging from its worst economic recession with minimal losses, downplaying a sharp decline in its Gross Domestic Product registered this year.