Archbishop Choloyan offers opening prayer for U.S. House of RepresentativesApril 22, 2010 - 11:23 AMT PanARMENIAN.Net - The U.S. House of Representatives opened on April 21 with a prayer by His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan, Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of the Eastern United States, in which he invoked the memory of the Armenian Genocide and prayed that such barbarity never again be inflicted upon any of God's creatures, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA). Archbishop Choloyan service as the guest chaplain of the House of Representatives came at the request of New York Congresswoman Carolyn Maloney (D-NY), a long-time friend and supporter of the Armenian American community. Following the opening prayer, Representative Maloney offered brief remarks of her own, praising the spiritual leadership of Archbishop Choloyan and joining with him in marking the 95th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The Armenian Genocide The Armenian Genocide (1915-23) was the deliberate and systematic destruction of the Armenian population of the Ottoman Empire during and just after World War I. It was characterized by massacres and deportations, involving forced marches under conditions designed to lead to the death of the deportees, with the total number of deaths reaching 1.5 million. Top stories Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev arrived in Moscow on April 22 to hold talks with Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin. Authorities said a total of 192 Azerbaijani troops were killed and 511 were wounded during Azerbaijan’s offensive. In 2023, the Azerbaijani government will increase the country’s defense budget by more than 1.1 billion manats ($650 million). The bill, published on Monday, is designed to "eliminate the shortcomings of an unreasonably broad interpretation of the key concept of "compatriot". Partner news | Iran’s Red Crescent sends aid to Armenia’s flood-hit regions The Iranian Red Crescent Society has sent humanitarian aid to the victims of deadly floods that hit northern Armenia on May 25-26. Putin congratulates Pashinyan’s birthday Russian President Vladimir Putin congratulated Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on his birthday on June 1. Opposition motorcade en route to Gyumri for large rally A motorcade of protesters headed by Archbishop Bagrat Galstanyan is heading to the city of Gyumri. Ruling MPs, Foreign Minister talk Armenia-Azerbaijan processes MOs from the ruling Civil Contract party met with the Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan in the Armenian parliament. |