The official website of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia (NOCA) www.armnoc.am is not working since Wednesday, March 17, when Turkish hackers have disrupted it posting their flag and statements on denial of the Armenian Genocide (1915) there.

On March 17 the President of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan had a telephone talk with the President of the European Parliament Jerzy Buzek on the initiative of the latter.

Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia Kirill is completing today his three-day visit to Armenia during which he and his Armenian counterpart accentuated the strong bonds between the two churches and peoples.

As part of the visit staged at the invitation of the Catholicos of All Armenians, the leader of the Russian Orthodox Church took part in several events, including a visit to Russian soldiers’ memorial, a meeting with Armenia’s Orthodox faithful and honoring the 1915 Armenian Genocide victims at Tsitsernakaberd.

The official visit of His Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia to the Armenian Church commenced on March 16 with a welcoming service (Hrashapar), offered in the Mother Cathedral of Holy Etchmiadzin. Following greetings and remarks by His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians and His Holiness Kirill I, Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia, the two Pontiffs were escorted to the Pontifical Residence by the members of the Brotherhood of Holy Etchmiadzin, where the two held a private meeting.

In a March 16 interview on BBC radio, Prime Minister of Turkey Recep Tayyip Erdogan stated (for the second time) that Armenia needs to shed its “dependence on Diaspora,” and threatened that at any time he has the power to deport Armenian illegal aliens.

Arthur Baghdasaryan, RA National Security Council Secretary, Chairman of Orinats Yerkir (Country of Law) Party (member of coalition) says rumors that he has been forced to change the ministers belonging to his party by a quota, are senseless.

On March 1, Radical opposition Armenian National Congress announced its plan of actions, according to which snap presidential elections would be held this summer in Armenia. Representatives of ANC non-member parties have stated that they do not see any prerequisites for early elections, however, almost all the parties are reshuffling positions, and, generally, they seem to be getting ready for election campaigns.

“Economic issues have seriously affected Armenia, foreign transfers have decreased, Armenia’s economic counter-measures have proved to be neither dynamic nor effective. All those factors can raise public discontent. Foreign political issues, say, Armenia-Turkey negotiations and the Karabakh issue, might be another factor to cause tensions.”

Members of the Public Council, a president-appointed body embracing the country’s leading public figures and intellectuals, say their work in the past year led to addressing some of the most vital concerns of society, but also acknowledge that some important issues still remain unattended.

In its March 13 meeting, the political bureau of Rule of Law (Orinats Yerkir) political party discussed the issue of minister’s positions held by two of its members — Mher Shahgeldyan, Minister of Emergency Situations, and Gurgen Sargsyan, Minister of Transport and Communications. The Bureau decided to recall these two ministers and proposed the candidacy of Armen Yeritsyan and Manuk Vardanyan, respectively, for these positions.

US President Barack Obama’s invitation sent to Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan to visit Washington DC in mid-April is considered by some politicians in Armenia to be another “trap” and another attempt for Obama to avoid using the word genocide in his speech on April 24 -- the Armenian Genocide commemoration day. (Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan is also invited).