Sirusho Chosen for Eurovision 2008!

This just made my day!

Armenian pop singer Sirusho is going to represent Armenia during Eurovision-2008 international song contest. The contest will take place in Serbian Belgrade next year.

According to new rules of Eurovision, the song that will be performed during the contest must be decided in a public vote.

Let's hope the public is able to pick a song that doesn't automatically guarantee failure, like last year's. Unfortunately, it is not yet known whether innocent bystanders will be beat, stabbed, or shot, but keep checking back.

Source: Panorama

Concerts in Germany for Geghardavank Choir

Here is more information:

The Geghardavank choir headed by abbot monk Ghevond Ghevondian will leave for Germany where it will have concerts.

Concerts will take place in Munich, Augsburg, Stuttgart, Lorsch, Hanau, Darmstadt and Frankfurt am Main. Armenian spiritual and folk songs are involved in the concert program.

If you live near those regions, you can attend and write up a review for us!

Source: Armeniainfo

Hayko Chosen for Eurovision Song Contest 2007

If you're in the United States, chances are you have no idea about Eurovision. To be honest, I have never seen it, either, but it is an international song contest in which musicians represent their own countries. There's big rivalry between the competitiors and their home countries, and it is apparently a very fun deal.

Hayko is one of the best known male artists in Armenia, and now has the honour of representing his country for only their second ever participation at the Eurovision Song Contest.

By the way, Armenia's first competitor was last year's Andre, who did very well and made it to the finals.

Source: Oiko

European Court Rules Against Armenia

This is a very interesting development. Here's what we know so far:

In a first-ever ruling relating to Armenia, the European Court of Human Rights on Thursday declared illegal the arrest of an Armenian opposition activist who helped to organize an anti-government demonstration more than four years ago.

The plaintiff, Armen Mkrtchian, was detained by the police along with several other members of the radical opposition Hanrapetutyun (Republic) party after actively participating in an unsanctioned rally in Yerevan on May 14, 2002. He was released after being fined a largely symbolic 500 drams ($1.5) under Armenia’s Soviet-era Administrative Code.

Mkrtchian took his case to the Strasbourg-based court in November 2002...A panel of seven European Court judges, among them Armenian Alvina Gyulumian, unanimously accepted the 35-year-old oppositionist’s arguments, ruling that his brief detention violated a key article of the European Convention on Human Rights which takes precedence over all Armenian laws and government directives.

The Armenian authorities used the Administrative Code to arrest hundreds of opposition supporters and activists during the presidential elections of February-March 2003 and the April-May 2004 opposition campaign of street protests against President Robert Kocharian.

With elections just around the corner, it is important for the international community to look back to previous such instances and make sure they never happen again. We can't call ourselves a republic if the expression of free speech is nonexistent.

Source: ArmeniaLiberty

Iran May Give Europe Electricity Through Armenia

Iran's recent closeness with Armenia could have an important purpose.

Iran's electricity network company manager, Masoud Hojjat informed that connection with Europe's electricity network was possible via Russia and Turkey. "Actually this could be done via Azerbaijan Republic and Georgia through Armenia as the mediator side," he stated.

Maybe this will potentially help to solve the problem with Armenia's electricity needs, especially as it concerns the nuclear plant in Metsamor.

Source: Iranian