Norayr Mouradkhanyan, head of the Police Department’s Division of Passports and Visas, stated today that 4,323 individuals received RoA citizenship in 2009, 2.5 times more than during the past eleven years.

When asked how many of these had received dual citizenship, Mr. Mouradkhanyan answered that the law regarding this status only came into effect at the end of 2007 and that citizenship status only started to be granted as of 1997. He said that during the ten years since 1997, 1,735 received citizenship and this number shot up to 1,554 during 2008 alone, the first year that dual citizenship was granted. Mr. Mouradkhanyan said that most of the 1,554 involved dual citizenship status.

Today’s trial session, scheduled for the Kentron and Nork-Marash District Court, in the on-going Ostinvestor legal suit against Gagik Tsarukyan’s “Yerevan Ararat Brandy” company was postponed.

The cause for the postponement was that Davit Mantashyan, the legal representative for Yerevan Brandy had never gotten around to providing company documents to Ostinvestor, the plaintiff, prior to today, as obligated. Mr. Mantashyan stated in court that Yerevan Brandy had only supplied him with the documents on February 19 and that he had been busy relocating his office. »»»»»

Building Hosts Village Weddings and Playground

Even in the dead of winter, pupils at the Vardenis village school in Aragatzotn have a place to play football.

The cold winds blowing through the broken windows of the gymnasium and the thick dust rising up from its crumbling floor doesn’t seem to bother the kids though. »»»»»

Hayk Sanosyan, President of the “Georgia Armenian Unity” organization, said today that that Armenian churches in Georgia would only recive official legal status with the mediation of the Holy See of Etchmiadzin.

“Our church must explore new avenues and relations so that we can resolve this problem,” he stated at a press conference. When asked if the parliaments of the two nations would have to intervene as well, Mr. Sanosyan answered that each Armenian should raise the issue as well as various government bodies. »»»»»

On January 29, the Kentron and Nork-Marash District Court is scheduled to examine the suit that the German portfolio investment firm “Ostinvestor” has filed against Gagik Tsarukyan’s “Yerevan Ararat Brandy”.

“Ostinvestor”, a German portfolio investment firm, claims that Tsarukyan, who heads the Prosperous Armenia Party, illegally obtained the shares through a questionable stock consolidation deal. It wants to get the shares back. »»»»»

At today’s trial, “Haykakan Zhamanak” Editor Nikol Pashinyan opened his testimony by describing the situation in Armenian both before and after the 2008 presidential elections and noted the names of some individuals on Levon Ter-Petrosyan’s campaign staff that became targets of political persecution. He recalled the names of Suren Surenenyants, Aram Karapetyan, Gagik Jhangiryan and others.

Mr. Pashinyan argued that the objective of the political persecutions was to silence those speaking out against the fraudulent elections and to convince them not to pursue constitutional means in their demands for justice. The jailed editor also referred to widespread election fraud that had taken place and the  restrictions placed on the media in reporting those violations. »»»»»

The trial of “Haykakan Zhamanak” Editor Nikol Pashinyan continued today at the Shengavit General District Court.

Mr. Pashinyan has begun to offer his side of the story that led to his arrest on a number of charges dealing with the events of March 1, 2008 and the pre-election campaign of Levon Ter-Petrosyan. »»»»»

Badri Gyursan, a columnist with the newspaper Milliyet, stated at a press conference in Yerevan today that the Turkish parliament will not ratify the Armenia-Turkey Protocols with significant progress on the Karabakh issue. He said that the process right now is in a dead-end situation given the Azerbaijani factor.

Also at the press conference was CNN Turk news advisor Ferhat Borataf, who didn’t rule out the possibility that Turkey would eventually ratify the Protocols as a result of the threat of the United States officially recognizing the 1915 Genocide. »»»»»

Arshak Banouchyan – “I’m being persecuted for my political beliefs”

Arshak Banouchyan, the former Deputy Director of the Matenadaran Repository of Ancient Manuscripts who was found guilty of embezzlement and then pardoned under the general amnesty provisions passed by the RoA National Assembly, made the following statement at his trial that he was being persecuted due to his political convictions. »»»»»

On November 19, the Armenian St. Gevork of Mughni Church in Tbilisi collapsed after years of neglect. “If nothing is done, the next to collapse will be St. Nishan’s,” declared Archbishop Vazgen Mirzakhanyan, Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia.

St Gevork of Mughni was built in 1356. It had a large dome and three smaller domes along three sides of the structure. One was used as the belfry. »»»»»