Ottawa – Soghomon Soghomonyan, known by Armenians as Gomidas Vartabed, was an Armenian priest, composer, choir leader, singer, music ethnologist, music pedagogue and musicologist. He is regarded as the founder of modern Armenian classical music. Gomidas suffered mentally after witnessing the 1915 Armenian Genocide and is ranked among the Armenian martyrs of genocide.

Ottawa – Eighteen years have passed since the February 26 Khojalou alleged massacres. Today, Baku tries to use those events to conceal the pogroms that took place in Sumgait during February 1988.

Ottawa – Armenian communities in Turkey and the rest of the world held memorial services for the third anniversary of the death of Hrant Dink, a journalist and editor-in-chief of Agos, a bilingual Turkish-Armenian newspaper published in Istanbul, Turkey. Dink was a Turkish citizen of Armenian descent, an advocate of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by Turkey. He was prosecuted under article 301 of the Turkish penal code, and his life was constantly under threat by Turkish ultra-nationalists who openly condemn any discussion of the Armenian Genocide and carry on the mission of the Turkish Deep State.

Ottawa – The President of Sudan, Omar Hassan al-Bashir, cancelled his visit to Turkey to attend the scheduled meeting of Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC) in Istanbul on Monday November 9. On Sunday November 8, 2009 Turkish Prime Minister, Recep Tayyip Erdogan, defended al-Bashir who is wanted by the International Criminal Court (ICC) for trial on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity in the western region of Darfur and has issued an international arrest warrant. Erdogan questioned the charges against al-Bashir and said that “No Muslim could perpetrate a genocide”.

Ottawa – On October 10 2009, a few hours before the signing of the Turkey-Armenia protocols in Zurich, Switzerland, the President of the Republic of Armenia, Serj Sarkissian addressed the nation. In his introduction, he clearly stated that “let no one ignore the fact that, contrary to any slogans, the Armenian nation is united in its goals and is strong with its sons and daughters. And let no one try to split Armenia and our brothers and sisters in the Diaspora in presenting their concern over the future of Armenia as an attempt to impose something on the Republic Armenia.”

Ottawa – The ANCC expresses dismay and deep concern for the signing of the Turkey-Armenia protocols in Zurich today, 10^th of October 2009. In the opinion of the ANCC, as well as the vast majority of the Armenian Diaspora, this agreement was the result of immense and undue pressure on landlocked and blockaded Armenia by leading powers within the international community, and in full disregard of historical facts, human rights and justice, and self-determination rights.

Ottawa – The Canadian-Armenian communities of Montreal and Toronto will hold two protest rallies this Friday and Saturday and a public gathering to express their frustration and opposition to the signing of “so-called” protocols that will guide the establishment and development of relations between Turkey and Armenia, which was jointly announced on August 31 2009 by the foreign ministers of Armenia, Turkey and Switzerland.

Ottawa – On August 31^st, 2009, the foreign ministers of Armenia, Turkey and Switzerland issued a joint announcement outlining the protocols that will guide the establishment and development of relations between Turkey and Armenia. The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) would like to express its serious concerns regarding this recent development.

Ottawa – The Armenian National Committee of Canada (ANCC) would like to inform that Mr. Aris Babikian, who has been the Executive Director of ANCC in Ottawa since 2006, has submitted his resignation to assume a new position in the Ministry of Citizenship and Immigration Canada. Mr. Roupen Kouyoumdjian will be temporarily in charge of the operations for our Ottawa office.

Ottawa – Following the G-8 summit in L’Aquila last week, the presidents of France, Russia, and the United States -the three countries that jointly co-chair the OSCE Minsk Group- urged the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan to come to an agreement based on the preliminary version of the Basic Principles for a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which was presented in November 2007 in Madrid.

Toronto-- The launch of Peter Balakian's "Armenian Golgotha" in Toronto on May 29 was a rousing success as copies of the 500-plus-page book were sold out soon after the author's speech at the Armening Youth Centre. The event, which was attended by some 250 people, was MC-ed by Antranik Ohannessian.

Ottawa – Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan of Turkey criticized Turkish nationalism at the Annual Congress of his Justice and Development Party (AKP) in Duzce, North-western Turkey. In his speech, on May 23, Mr. Erdogan called the Kemalist foundation of Turkey “fascist” because of the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian, Greek, Jewish, Kurdish, Assyrian and other minorities by the Turkish Government. 

Ottawa – On May 23 2009, during a congress of Turkey’s ruling Party (Justice and Development Party) in Duzce, Eastern Turkey, Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan made an important announcement. He criticized Turkish nationalism and called the Kemalist foundation of the Republic of Turkey “fascist” because of the ethnic cleansing of the Armenian and Greek minorities.

Ottawa - Two Ministers, four Parliamentary Secretaries, thirty-nine members of the House of Commons and seven Senators attended the reception, on April 28, celebrating the 5^th anniversary of the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the House of Commons.

Ottawa –TVO, the Ontario public television network, will telecast on April 24 "The Agenda with Steve Paikin", with an hour-long segment on the Armenian Genocide. The program will include interviews with representatives from the Canadian-Armenian and Canadian-Turkish communities. The program will air at 8:00 p.m. and will be repeated at 11:00 later in the evening.

 Ottawa-The Armenian community of Canada and Canadians at large will commemorate the 94^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide starting on April 24.

Ottawa – Turkey withdrew its ambassador to Canada on Wednesday April 22^nd 2009, as a measure of political protest against the declarations made by the Canadian government recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

Ottawa- Canadians are dismayed by the Turkish Government decision to temporarily withdraw its ambassador from Canada because of the Canadian Government's and politicians' decision to uphold their principles and honour the victims of the Armenian Genocide this week.  This blatant interference of the Turkish Government in the internal affairs of Canada has been already condemned by a large number of Canadians.

 Ottawa – The Canadian-Armenian community and Armenians around the world are commemorating the death of 1.5 million Armenians, exterminated during the first genocide of the 20th century by Ottoman Turkey.

CAMBRIDGE, Friday, April 17, 2009 – The Armenian National Committee of Cambridge and the Armenian Community Centre hosted a reception today for the three local Members of Parliament--Dr. Harold Albrecht, Peter Braid and Stephen Woodworth.