The NKR government allocated 9 million AMD to organize an exhibit at the Milan International Tourism Exhibition now underway in the northern Italian city.

Sergey Shahverdyan, who heads the NKR Tourist Board, mentioned at a press conference held today, that there have been no problems at the NKR booth despite attempts by Azerbaijan to protest the presence of Karabakh as an independent country. »»»»»

Below is the official statement of the NKR Foreign Ministry regarding the incident at Khojaly.

The anti-Armenian campaign in connection with the regular anniversary of the tragic events in the settlement of Khojaly, which has set everybody’s teeth on edge for a long time, has gained an unprecedented scope this year in Azerbaijan. »»»»»

Refugees from Azerbaijan Need “Crash Course” in Armenian to Find Work

Tamara Amirdjanova, an Armenian refugee from Azerbaijan, had the following to say regarding the issue of refugee return bandied about in the Karabakh conflict settlement negotiations:

“I will never go back to Baku. I can’t even think about returning for I remember how we grabbed our kids in our arms and fled that place. Better I live in poverty in Karabakh, the homeland, than return there.” »»»»»

According to an elections amendments package that was passed today by the NKR National Assembly, political parties would have to garner 6% of the upcoming May 23 parliamentary elections to take seats in the legislative body. Political alliances would have to win a minimum of 8%.

Sergei Nasibyan, President of the NKR Central Elections Commission, commenting on passage of the bill, noted that the new law had thused eased requirements in place during the last parliamentary elections. The prior law had stipulated 10% for parties and 15% for political alliances. »»»»»

NKR President Bako Sahakyan traveled to Abkhazia to take part in the swearing in ceremonies of newly reelected President Sergey Bagapsh.

President Sahakyan wished the Abkhazian leader success in his future endeavors and peace and prosperity to the peoples of Abkhazia. Abkhazia is home to a sizeable community of Hamshen Armenians. Armenians settled in Abkhazia in late 19th and the early 20th centuries and are now the largest ethnic group in  Gagra, Sukhumi and Gulprish districts, forming 20% of the Abkhazian population with 45,000 out of a total of 215,000.

Americans for Artsakh (AFA)  has just completed the first in what will be an annual series of youth leadership programs in Artsakh.  AFA brought an outstanding team of experienced trainers to Stepanakert and Shushi to provide valuable leadership skills to the most gifted and motivated university students in the area.

A total of 30 students received an intensive (eight hours a day), eight-day training session provided leadership, negotiation, and cognitive effectiveness (or “lateral thinking”) training, based on methodology developed by the Harvard University/Mercy Corps Conflict Management Group. Artsakh State University and the Naregatsi Art Institute in Shushi provided the training space. »»»»»

This year, work to supply the NKR towns of Martakert and Hadrut with gas is scheduled to begin, this according to Karlen Petrosyan, head of the NKR’s Department of Industrial Infrastructure.

Mr. Petrosyan said that gas distribution work will also take place in the village of Nerkin Horatagh in the Martakert district and the village of Patara in Askeran. He said that as of January 1, 2010, some 23,347 apartments in the country had been registered as customers of the “ArtsakhGaz” utility.

Moscow benefactor promises to help; has already sent $20,000

Alla Soghomonyan remembers what happened after they moved into their new home in Shushi. The family had been living in Shushi since 2001. The three room house was built for them by the NKR government, after Mr. and Mrs. Soghomonyan had their seventh child. The government wants to encourage large families.

“We moved into the new house in October, 2003. Soon after, we noticed that the walls would get damp and the plaster crack,” she said. »»»»»

The following article, written by Matthew Collin, appeared in the February 5 edition of Al Jazeera.net.

In the frontline trenches of Nagorno-Karabakh, the long-running conflict between Armenians and Azerbaijanis over the disputed mountain enclave continues.

In the village of Khramort, children make their way home from school for lunch, some laughing and joking with each other, others holding on tightly to their mothers’ hands. »»»»»

Hayastan All-Armenian Fund and the government of Artsakh implement drinking-water project in Sos Village

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund continues to make headway in the construction of a drinking-water network in Sos, a village in Artsakh’s Martuni Region, as well as the refurbishment of the community’s broken water reservoir. The project, launched in October 2009, is co-sponsored by the Hayastan All-Armenian Fund’s French affiliate and the government of Artsakh. »»»»»

NKR President Bako Sahakyan today named Vasily Atadjanyan to the post of NKR Deputy Minister for Foreign Affairs.

Prior to the posting, Mr. Atadjanyan had been a member of the NKR Parliament, serving as President of the Standing Committee for Social Affairs. He will join Vardan Barseghyan as the NKR’s other deputy foreign affairs minister.

“I understood that this was to become our real, actual, Tigranakert city,” joked Harout Baghiryan.

The Baghiryan family has been living in Tigranakert, formerly Aghdam, for the past twelve years. After the experts excavated the place and found that the town was built by Tigran the Great, Harout Baghiryan realized that he had made the right choice in putting down roots here. Harout presented himself as town’s supervisor. »»»»»

NKR President Bako Sahakyan met yesterday with a delegation from the All Armenia Fund, headed by Executive Director Ara Vardanyan. The two sides discussed on-going projects in the country, with special attention to the plans for the town of Shushi.

President Sahakyan emphasized the importance of completing the projects envisaged for Shushi in a timely manner and according to the higher standards, given the town’s significance for Armenians worldwide. »»»»»

During yesterday’s meeting with OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair Robert Bradke, NKR President Bako Sahakyan stated that Karabakh’s independence and security are non-negotiable and that any attempt to disregard this reality would lead to a failure of settlement talks.

The Press Office of the NKR’s Office of the President stated that President Sahakyan told the visiting U.S. Co-Chair that a settlement would only be possible if the NKR and Azerbaijan engaged in bilateral negotiations. Both Mr. Bradke and President Sahakyan stressed that the normalisation of Armenian-Turkish relations was a separate process not linked to the Karabakh conflict settlement.

NKR Defense Minister Movses Hakobyan proudly proclaimed that 188 apartments had been allocated to military service personnel in 2009. He said that this was a substantial increase over previous years despite the ongoing financial crisis.

During a press conference yesterday, DM Hakobyan stated that to date 770 officers in the NKR Defense Forces had been allocated housing and that 217 million AMD had been spent for this purpose in 2009.