Treaty of Sèvres was signed on August 10, 1920, becoming over time one of the most persistent Armenian myths. Speaking about the treaty, nearly everyone mentions the provisions according to which Western Armenia was to be granted independence, but for some reason no one speaks about the inefficiency of this treaty. By the way, it is exactly what should have been spoken about first, so that not to have misled the people, majority of whom still believe that they have certain rights over historic Armenia by the provisions of Sevres.

President Emeritus of the International Forum of Travel and Tourism Advocates John Downes said that Armenia has great tourist opportunities, and one can say that it is among undisclosed tourist secrets of Europe. “It is necessary to diversify the country’s tourist sector and increase the level of provided services to disclose this secret. Legislative amendments, on which works are carried out now, will contribute to this,” said John Downs during an unofficial meeting to discuss key issues of the legislation regulating the tourism sphere of Armenia.

An Armenian singer won New Wave song contest for the first time in nine years of its existence. Armenia was represented by Sona Shahgeldyan this year, as she passed through a selection round in April 2010. People had been talking about wonderful vocal of Sona and her unusual timbre for a long time. However, almost all representatives of Armenia were notable for their powerful vocal at the contest. Jury was traditionally delighted with Armenian artists, but each time they lacked several or even one point to win the contest. This refers also to Razmik Amyan, who participated in the contest in 2006, when everyone was speaking with admiration about the singer’s unique voice, but a representative of the U.S. won the contest. Almost the same thing happened to Mher, who participated in New Wave in 2008. He received the People’s Choice Award, but has not won the contest.

Hague court verdict on Kosovo independence is a moral and juridical assessment of the situation which may have an influence on Karabakh conflict settlement, according to Orinats Yerkir deputy chairman Mher Shahgeldyan. As he told July 24 news conference in Yerevan, Kosovo precedent consolidates juridical and diplomatic position of Armenian side in peace talks for Karabakh conflict settlement. “The ICJ ruling is legitimate and acceptable to international community. Kosovo verdict gives de jure confirmation of de facto situation with Karabakh, as well as other conflict zones.”

GNC Alfa has completed the first stage of IP/MPLS network construction with 10Gbps network capacity. Networks in Yerevan and 16 Armenian towns have been put into operation. Coverage of 29 towns is envisaged till yearend. GNC-Alfa is a telecommunications network services operator in Armenia. The Company owns a fiber-optic network passing along the Armenia-Iran gas pipeline. GNC-Alfa network, built on technologies of American Juniper Networks, is designed to provide wholesale transport network services to fixed and mobile operators and ISPs, as well as transit services via Armenia.

Wrestling: on July 21, Armenia’s Greco-Roman wrestler Arthur Alexanyan (weight class 84kg) won the champion’s title at Junior World Wrestling Championships in Budapest, Hungary. Earlier, Armenia’s Alexan Mikaelyan (weight class 60kg) won bronze.

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…