''Azg'' ( hy, Ազգ, "Nation") is a daily newspaper published in

Yerevan Yerevan ( , , hy, Երևան , sometimes spelled Erevan) is the capital and largest city of Armenia and one of the world's oldest continuously inhabited cities. Situated along the Hrazdan River, Yerevan is the administrative, cultural, and i ...

, Armenia since 1991. Its founder and editor-in-chief was the veteran Lebanese-born Ramkavar activist Hakob Avedikian. who in the 1980s had served as the editor-in-chief of the Ramgavar party's '' Zartonk'' daily in Lebanon. ''Azg'' was prominent during the 1990s. Published by the

Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia The Democratic Liberal Party of Armenia (ADLA) (), was an Armenian political party established following the declaration of State Sovereignty of Armenia in July 1991. The party launched unification talks with the Armenakan-Democratic Liberal Pa ...

(Ramkavar-Azatakan) Party—financed from the

Armenian diaspora The Armenian diaspora refers to the communities of Armenians outside Armenia and other locations where Armenians are considered an indigenous population. Since antiquity, Armenians have established communities in many regions throughout the world. ...

party ADL—its circulation regularly exceeded 30,000 by 1993, that increased to 42,000 the following year. According to Edik Baghdasaryan, ''Azg'' served as "a good school for many journalists" during this period. In 1996, the newspaper was temporarily suspended by the government of

Levon Ter-Petrosyan Levon Hakobi Ter-Petrosyan ( hy, Լևոն Հակոբի Տեր-Պետրոսյան; born 9 January 1945), also known by his initials LTP, is an Armenian politician who served as the first president of Armenia from 1991 until his resignation in 1998 ...

. Its office was ransacked, and editors and journalists were beaten. The ownership of the newspaper was transferred to a newly split pro-government branch of the Ramkavar Party called Mission of the Ramgavar-Azatakan Party (MRAP), which was formed after a split in the ranks of the opposition Ramgavar-Azatakan Party. The founders of "Azg", who also own and publish the newspaper, consequently found themselves completely cut off from the newspaper. As well, the Ministry ordered the state-run printing house, Parberakan, to stop printing ''Azg'' until told otherwise. On 27 April 1996, a new eight-page newspaper, using the name and logo of ''Azg'', was printed by Parberakan, but without the participation of ''Azg'' editors, who disassociated themselves from the new version. After Ter-Petrosyan's resignation as president, the newspaper was supportive of

Robert Kocharyan Robert Sedraki Kocharyan ( hy, Ռոբերտ Սեդրակի Քոչարյան ; born 31 August 1954) is an Armenian politician. He served as the President of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic from 1994 to 1997 and Prime Minister of Nagorno-Karabakh fro ...

who became president in 1998. In 1999, it was described as Armenia's "most authoritative daily." The circulation of ''Azg'' dropped to 10,000 copies and later on to only 3,000 in 2003 and remained the same as of 2009. Since 1999 ''Azg'' was available online at various times in six languages: Armenian, Russian, English, Turkish, Arabic and Persian. ''Azg'' also published a periodical cultural supplement called ''Azg-Mshaguyt'' (in

Armenian Armenian may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to Armenia, a country in the South Caucasus region of Eurasia * Armenians, the national people of Armenia, or people of Armenian descent ** Armenian Diaspora, Armenian communities across the ...

Ազգ-Մշակույթ)

References

{{Reflist, 2

External links

Official website
Armenian Democratic Liberal Party Newspapers published in Armenia Armenian-language newspapers 1991 establishments in Armenia

See also

References

External links