Armenian media outlets are actively discussing the names of possible candidates who would represent Armenia at the Eurovision 2012 in Baku. Among the possible candidates are Lucia Moon and Dorians rock band. The final decision will be made by the council of the public television to be voiced ahead of March 18. Lucia Moon who currently lives in Los Angeles expressed...

French state aircraft and warships are no longer using Turkish airspace and territorial waters after permission requests in three different cases were rejected by the Turkish government, France’s top diplomat in Ankara said, amid the ongoing spat over the French bill penalizing the Armenian Genocide denial. “Our requests [for an aircraft and two warships] have been rejected, so we are no longer issuing such requests.

A celebratory event, devoted to the 20th anniversary of Armenia’s Armed Forces, was held on February 1 at the US Central Command. The event brought together high-ranking officers and civilian officials from more than sixty countries. Lieutenant Colonel A. Mkrtchyan, Armenian Armed Forces representative for US Central Command, delivered opening remarks and presented the Armenian army’s history.

On a tip from the Haynews.am news site regarding illegal tree felling in the village of Garni, the Kotayk Regional Prosecutor directed local police to investigate. Cops discovered 77 cases of illegal felling and estimated the damage to worth around 2.4 million AMD. They have sent their findings to the Kotayk Investigative Unit for review.

Several Swedish MPs have applied to the Nobel Peace Committee with the proposal to give the 2012 Nobel Peace Prize to famous Turkish human rights defender Ragip Zarakolu. As the Turkish Evrensel website informs, the Swedish MPs mentioned in their proposal that Zarakolu published materials on the Armenian Genocide and the Kurdish issue which are taboos in Turkey. He has been sentenced for those...

French President Nilocas Sarkozy and his Foreign Minister Alain Juppe differ on the genocide denial bill that recently passed the French Senate. As CNN Turk reported, citing French media, Sarkozy criticized Juppe for his position, making the latter keep silent on the matter. On January 23, the French Senate passed the bill criminalizing the Armenian Genocide denial with 127 votes for and 86 against.