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The Sardarapat Memorial was built in 1968, exactly 50 years after the famous battle that took place here. This is where ...
05/28/2025

The Sardarapat Memorial was built in 1968, exactly 50 years after the famous battle that took place here. This is where Armenian forces managed to stop the Ottoman Turkish army in May 1918 – a victory that basically saved Armenia from disappearing completely.

The architect Rafael Israelyan designed the whole complex. He did a great job connecting the architecture with Armenian history and culture without making it feel forced or over the top.

When you visit, the first things you’ll notice are the huge stone eagles at the entrance. They’re meant to guard the site and honestly, they’re pretty impressive – you can spot them from really far away. There’s also a bell tower with 30 bells that ring for the people who died in the battle.

At the entrance, you’ll also see stone bulls. These represent strength and determination, and they’re based on symbols from ancient Armenian culture.

The memorial was built right where the actual battle happened, in the Ararat Valley. There’s also a museum on site that has real artifacts from the battles at Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, and Gharakilisa – things like old photos, weapons, clothes, and personal stories from people who were there.

What makes Sardarapat special isn’t just that it marks a military victory. It’s become a symbol of what Armenians can do when they work together. The battle itself was won by regular people – farmers fighting alongside soldiers to protect their homes. That message still resonates today.

The French city of Clamart near Paris hosted its 10th annual “Armenia Day” festival from May 18-25, featuring a week-lon...
05/27/2025

The French city of Clamart near Paris hosted its 10th annual “Armenia Day” festival from May 18-25, featuring a week-long celebration of Armenian culture with unprecedented scale and grandeur.

The festival, which has become Clamart’s cultural signature event, included concerts, art exhibitions, panel discussions, and film screenings throughout the week. The celebration culminated on May 24 with a public fair in the square near Clamart City Hall.

The fair showcased Armenian cultural products including French-language publications on Armenian history and culture, children’s literature, traditional miniature paintings, folk crafts, Armenian wines, preserved foods, and authentic cuisine.

The festival highlights the strong cultural ties between Clamart and Armenia, with the French city maintaining a sister-city relationship with Artashat, Armenia. The Armenian Embassy in France noted the event’s growing significance in promoting Armenian heritage within the local community.

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan firmly rejected Azerbaijan’s claims to “Western Azerbaijan” within Armenia’s sov...
05/26/2025

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan firmly rejected Azerbaijan’s claims to “Western Azerbaijan” within Armenia’s sovereign territory during the Yerevan Dialogue international forum. Speaking about the current state of Armenia-Azerbaijan peace negotiations, Pashinyan emphasized that there can be no Western Azerbaijan in the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia.

The Prime Minister revealed that both countries have finalized a draft peace agreement and that Armenia is ready to sign it. However, Azerbaijan is linking the signing to two conditions: the dissolution of the OSCE Minsk Group structures and addressing what it claims are territorial claims in Armenia’s Constitution against Azerbaijan.

Pashinyan proposed signing the peace agreement simultaneously with a joint application to dissolve the Minsk Group structures, calling this a constructive approach. Regarding constitutional claims, he noted that Armenia’s Constitutional Court had ruled the Almaty Declaration complies with the Armenian Constitution, which establishes that independent Armenia and Azerbaijan’s territories correspond to their former Soviet boundaries, effectively refuting any territorial claims against neighbors.

“Winter in March,” an Estonian/Armenian/French/Belgian animated co-production directed by Natalia Mirzoyan, won 3rd Priz...
05/23/2025

“Winter in March,” an Estonian/Armenian/French/Belgian animated co-production directed by Natalia Mirzoyan, won 3rd Prize at the la Cinef competition at Festival on May 22, 2025.

The tells the true story of a Russian couple from St. Petersburg who oppose the Ukraine war. It follows their journey during the first month of conflict and their subsequent move to Georgia, depicting how the ordeal leads to their separation.

The film was produced by ArtStep-studio ( ) and Rebel Frame (Estonia), with co-production from animation departments and studios in France and Belgium. It received support from Estonian and Armenian cultural institutions.

The la Cinef section featured 16 student films selected from 2,679 submissions worldwide. South Korea’s “First Summer” won first prize, while China’s “12 Moments Before the Flag-raising Ceremony” took second place.

opened “La Bohème” Belvedere in on the 101st of Charles Aznavour’s birth, naming the viewpoint after the legendary...
05/23/2025

opened “La Bohème” Belvedere in on the 101st of Charles Aznavour’s birth, naming the viewpoint after the legendary singer’s famous song.

Armenian Ambassador to France Arman Khachatryan spoke at the ceremony, thanking Paris Mayor Anne Hidalgo and the city council for the initiative. He highlighted how embodied both French culture and Armenian heritage, serving as Armenia’s official ambassador and national hero after independence.

The ceremony was attended by Aznavour’s son Misha, Paris deputy mayors, the 18th arrondissement mayor Eric Lejeune, and local residents and officials.

The tribute honors the world-renowned artist who became a bridge between France and Armenia throughout his career.

Nine Deer were released into Province forests near on May 22, marking International Day for Biological Diversi...
05/23/2025

Nine Deer were released into Province forests near on May 22, marking International Day for Biological Diversity.

-Armenia and the Armenian Ministry of have been running a Red Deer reintroduction project since 2013, previously releasing 13 deer in Dilijan National Park. This marks the first reintroduction in Lori, where the species once roamed naturally.

The project is funded by Germany’s Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development through KfW Development Bank, with support from WWF-Germany and the Caucasus Nature Fund.

Dr. Gagik Ter-Kazarian at Armenia’s Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory has solved a fundamental problem in Einstein’s ge...
05/23/2025

Dr. Gagik Ter-Kazarian at Armenia’s Byurakan Astrophysical Observatory has solved a fundamental problem in Einstein’s general relativity that remained unsolved since 1915: calculating “relative velocity” in curved spacetime.

The breakthrough, published in Gravitation and Cosmology journal across two papers (2022, 2023), addresses the difficulty of measuring how fast objects move relative to observers in curved space. This was previously impossible due to challenges with “parallel transport” of velocity vectors in curved spacetime.

Ter-Kazarian’s solution shows that astronomical objects’ velocities always stay below the speed of light regardless of redshift values, preserving physics’ principle of causality. He also quantified how much of objects’ motion comes from cosmic expansion versus other factors.

The solution applies to various scenarios including rotating systems, black holes (Schwarzschild and Kerr metrics), and expanding universe models (Robertson-Walker metrics). This resolves a fundamental gap in general relativity that had persisted for over a century.

The 2025 Film Festival will open with the Los Angeles premiere of “Monsieur Aznavour” on Wednesday, September 3 at the...
05/22/2025

The 2025 Film Festival will open with the Los Angeles premiere of “Monsieur Aznavour” on Wednesday, September 3 at the historic Alex Theatre. The film, a musical biographical drama directed by Mehdi Idir and Grand Corps Malade, portrays the life of legendary artist Charles Aznavour.

Actor Tahar Rahim stars as Aznavour, chronicling his journey from the son of Armenian immigrants to an internationally acclaimed singer and actor. The premiere coincides with Aznavour’s birthday. Ticket details will be announced soon.

05/22/2025

“Armenian is my family language. People think I can’t speak Armenian, but of course I do” - Charles Aznavour’s multicultural identity shaped his universal appeal. Here are five of his most iconic songs:

1. La Bohème (1965)
One of Charles Aznavour’s most famous French songs, which has become a symbol of French chanson. It has been covered by many famous artists, such as Plácido Domingo, Nana Mouskouri, Julio Iglesias. The song has been included in the soundtracks of many films.
2. She (1974)
One of Charles Aznavour’s most famous international hits, written in English. It was especially successful in the UK, being the leader of the charts. It has also been sung by Elvis Costello, Laura Pausini, Jeff Lynne and other artists. It has become part of the most emotional episodes of a number of films, such as Notting Hill.
3. Hier Encore (1964)
One of Charles Aznavour’s most translated songs, also known as “Only Yesterday” in English. It has also been performed by Ray Charles, Josh Groban, Andrea Bocelli.
4. Comme ils disent (1972)
Charles Aznavour, a symbol of courage. He sang about taboo subjects, but the taboo nature of the subject did not prevent the song from becoming a hit.
5. Emmenez-moi (1967)
A chanson-style song about dreams, an escape from poverty and sadness to a better life. It has been translated into many languages, and there are performances in various musical genres, including modernized versions. The song continues to be considered one of Aznavour’s cheerful and hopeful compositions.

Today marks the birthday of Charles Aznavour - a man whose life story reads like the most beautiful song. From the son o...
05/22/2025

Today marks the birthday of Charles Aznavour - a man whose life story reads like the most beautiful song. From the son of Armenian genocide survivors to becoming one of the world’s most beloved artists, Charles proved that roots give you strength and dreams give you wings. His voice may be silent now, but his legacy sings eternal. 🇦🇲🎵

His Incredible Journey:
-Born from tragedy: His parents Misha and Knar Aznavourian fled the Armenian Genocide, finding refuge in Paris where their son would become a legend
-Early sacrifice: At just 9 years old, Charles left school to pursue his stage dreams, selling newspapers to fund his music lessons
-Musical giant: Wrote over 1,300 songs, sold 180+ million records, and earned 60+ gold & platinum awards worldwide - proving those who said “you don’t fit in” wrong
-Voice without borders: Sang in 9 languages including Armenian, believing “when you sing from the heart, languages are no barrier”
-Homeland hero: After the 1988 Spitak earthquake, created “Pour toi Arménie” uniting French artists for relief - the song topped charts instantly
-Cultural ambassador: Became Armenia’s Ambassador to Switzerland and UNESCO representative in 2009
-Silver screen star: Conquered cinema with memorable roles in “Shoot the Piano Player” and “Ararat,” bringing Armenian stories to the world

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has firmly rejected Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent statements about so-called “W...
05/22/2025

Armenia’s Foreign Ministry has firmly rejected Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s recent statements about so-called “Western Azerbaijan” on Armenian territory.

“There is no ‘Western Azerbaijan’ on the territory of Armenia. Western Azerbaijan is the western regions of the Republic of Azerbaijan,” the Foreign Ministry spokesperson declared in response to Aliyev’s remarks.

The Azerbaijani president had claimed that the issue of returning “Western Azerbaijanis” would remain on his country’s agenda until implemented, while demanding security guarantees for any such returns. Azerbaijan’s leadership refers to parts of Armenia’s sovereign territory as “Western Azerbaijan.”

Acting National Security Advisor Marco warned that a real risk of persists between and , with the United States a...
05/21/2025

Acting National Security Advisor Marco warned that a real risk of persists between and , with the United States actively working to prevent armed confrontation. Speaking at a House Foreign Affairs Committee hearing, Rubio outlined efforts to secure peace while addressing prisoner and human rights concerns in Azerbaijan. The Secretary of State acknowledged diplomatic challenges, noting that US policy must balance national interests when engaging with countries that “do not have a perfect model.”

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