Information security was in the focus of discussions over the past week. Armenian bloggers have created wiki.hayqpress.com internet resource as an alternative to largest internet encyclopedia – Wikipedia. The created resource provides unbiased and neutral information on Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh.

Armenia is welcoming guests from various countries, with travel agents summing up the results of the first half-year.

On July 2, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan met with OSCE MG Co-chairs, Ambassadors Bernard Fassier of France, Robert Bradtke of the U.S. and Igor Popov of Russia as well as Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk, who arrived in Yerevan after visiting Artsakh Republic. The parties exchanged views on the situation at the line of contact between NKR and Azerbaijani armed forces. Minister Ohanyan hailed the mediators’ endeavors for achievement of a peaceful and acceptable settlement to the conflict.

Weightlifting: Taiwan hosted 2nd World University Weightlifting Championships, where Armenia was represented by three sportsmen. Aghasi Aghasyan (weight class 77kg) won the champion's title, lifting 316kg in snatch, clean and jerk combination and surpassing his nearest competitor Nien-Peng Chiang (Taiwan ) by 33kg. Rubik Mamoyan (weight class 62kg) won a gold medal in snatch, lifting 120kg, but failed in clean & jerk. Meanwhile, Vardan Davtyan (weight class 94kg) won bronze medal, lifting 358kg in snatch, clean and jerk combination.

The widely-advertised policy of the Turkish Foreign Ministry - “zero problems with neighbors” - is, in fact, more applicable to Armenia than to Turkey. Except for the total absence of relations with Azerbaijan, Armenia is in relatively better terms with her neighbors than Iran, Georgia or Turkey. Moreover, Armenia has managed to maintain normal relations with the world powers, which in itself is very important. For such a small country without natural resources and with problematic neighbors, it is difficult to survive, constantly meddling in all regional affairs, as Turkey does.

The 1988 events in Sumgait, Azerbaijan, shocked the entire Armenianhood. Dozens of people were slaughtered, majority of them after tortures and severe beatings. Over 200 apartments were robbed and burnt. Thousands of refugees remained homeless. This year changed the lives of many people. 27-year-old Manvel Yeghiazaryan was not an exception…

Renowned Claudia Cardinale, who co-starred in Henri Verneuil’s Mayrig (Mother) film, will attend the opening ceremony of the festival. The actress will be awarded a silver copy of a thaler made by Sergei Parajanov during the years of his imprisonment.