Month: November 2016

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) has issued a statement condemning the arrests of opposition MPs in Turkey:

The European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) condemns in the strongest terms the illegal and targeted arrest of Peoples’ Democratic Party’s (Halklarin Demokratik Partisi, HDP) deputies, including the co-chairs of the party, Figen Yüksekdağ and Selahattin Demirtaş. Under the pretext of fighting terrorism, Turkish president Erdogan and his party, the AKP, have embarked on a very dangerous path, dragging Turkey into polarization and ethnic and social divisions.

Since the Turkish parliamentary elections of June 2015, where HDP was trusted by a large segment of voters in Turkey and abroad and went ahead to win  80 seats, Erdogan and his circle started political and military persecutions against all those opposing AKP’s authoritarian grip on power.

European Armenian Federation is deeply concerned with what’s happening in Turkey, and continues following the proceedings very closely and as long as Turkey refuses to accept its past and continues to try to be mono-ethnically governed, these issues will continue to deepen. Minorities and all segments of society shall have their rights respected and accepted.

“The International and European partners of Turkey must stop treating Erdogan as the democratically elected president of Turkey and face him as he really is: the authoritarian ruler of a country, playing with fire and endangering a whole, already volatile region,” said Karampetian.

“We welcome the Brussels court decision to recognize that a war is going on in Turkey and that the allegations of the Turkish state, that Kurds are terrorists, is false. In this context, it is about time, that the European Union and NATO see Erdogan’s Turkey in face value, a state sponsoring terrorism at home and abroad,” concluded Karampetian.

Earlier in the day, a representation from the Armenian National Committee of Belgium and European Armenian Federation partook in the demonstration held in Brussels, in front of the European Parliament, organized by Kurdish organizations in Belgium.

PHOTO: KYODO/REUTERS

 

A giant sinkhole swallowed a five-lane street in the centre of one of Japan’s biggest cities on Tuesday morning, the reports.

The collapse began at around 05:00 local time (20:00 GMT Monday) near Hakata Station, the busiest in Fukuoka city in the southern island of Kyushu.

It began with two smaller holes that grew steadily until they formed one huge depression around 30m (98ft) wide.

There were no reports of serious injuries but it disrupted power, water, gas and transport links in the area.

Broadcaster NHK reported that an elderly lady slipped on some stairs because of the power cut.

Engineering work to extend a nearby underground train line may be related to the sinkhole’s sudden appearance, city officials said.

Australia’s former Defence Minister, Joel Fitzgibbon has risen in Federal Parliament and urged the Australian government to stop “playing word games” about the Armenian Genocide while paying tribute to Armenia on the occasion of the Republic’s 25th Anniversary, reported the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia).

Fitzgibbon, currently the Shadow Minister for Agriculture, told the House of Representatives: “I have come to the conclusion our community of nation spends too much time playing word games, arguing about whether what the Armenian people suffered in 1915 was or was not genocide. Rather, we should collectively spend more time recognising that between 1915 and 1923 hundreds of thousands of Armenians had their lives cut short for no other reason than their ethnicity.”

Congratulating Armenia on 25 years of Independence, the Member for Hunter added: “The Armenian genocide and seven decades of Soviet rule would be enough to break the spirit of any culture or community, but Armenians are resilient and tough. They are also smart, sophisticated and enterprising. They hold a deep commitment to the wellbeing of their fellow man. Today I pay tribute to them and celebrate their anniversary with them.”

Fitzgibbon also paid tribute to all Armenian-Australians, including former Treasurer of Australia, Joe Hockey and Honorary Chairman of ANC Australia, Greg Soghomonian.

He said: “I honour all Australians of Armenian descent. The contributions of Australian Armenians to our country have been significant. I think of our own Joe Hockey—not of my political party but a significant achiever and contributor. I think of Greg Soghomonian, chair of the Armenian National Committee of Australia, who has been recognised for his leadership in diaspora communities. To mark the 25th anniversary Mr Soghomonian was awarded the Medal of Gratitude by the President of the republic at an awards ceremony in Yerevan, Armenia’s capital.”

ANC Australia is currently in Canberra as part of its annual Advocacy Week, meeting Members of Parliament and Senators, including Fitzgibbon, with their international guest of honour, ANC America Chairman Raffi Hamparian.

Managing Director of ANC Australia, Vache Kahramanian remarked: “Mr. Fitzgibbon has been a long-time supporter of Armenian Genocide recognition and a close friend of the Armenian-Australian community. We thank him for his statement in Federal Parliament and look forward to working with him and his fellow Parliamentarians on securing Armenian Genocide recognition by the Commonwealth government of Australia.”

Photo: EPA/MAURIZIO BRAMBATTI

Italy plans to focus on frozen conflicts during its chairmanship in the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) in 2017, Italian Foreign Minister Paolo Gentiloni said on Monday after talks with his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar Mammadyarov, TASS reports.

“In the period of its chairmanship in the OSCE and non-permanent membership in the United Nations Security Council, we will focus on frozen conflicts,” he told a news conference. In his words, Italy can make a contribution to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Mammadyarov, in turn, said that the meeting between Azerbaijani and Armenian top diplomats is scheduled for early December in Germany’s Hamburg within the framework of an OSCE Ministerial Council meeting. “The Azerbaijani side gave its consent for this meeting,” he said.

Hillary Clinton and Donald Trump have been criss-crossing America in a final push for votes before election day, the BBC reports.

Both have been holding rallies in the battleground states of North Carolina, Pennsylvania and Michigan.

Mrs Clinton urged voters to back a “hopeful, inclusive, big-hearted America” while Mr Trump told supporters they had a “magnificent chance to beat the corrupt system”.

Polls give Democrat Mrs Clinton a four-point lead over Republican Mr Trump.

A record number of Americans – more than 46m – have voted early by post or at polling stations.

There are signs of a high turnout among Hispanic voters, which is believed to favour Mrs Clinton.

On November 2 and 3, the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan hosted a two-day workshop that brought together Armenian government officials, representatives of Armenian banks, and U.S. government experts in order to raise awareness of financial sector controls that can help prevent the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.

The workshop gave 39 representatives from Armenian banking institutions the opportunity to discuss shared challenges with representatives from the U.S. Departments of State, Treasury and Justice, as well as from the FBI. Participants learned new ways to ensure sanctioned countries do not bypass international sanctions by using financial loopholes. They focused on areas such as strengthening institutional capacities, developing interagency mechanisms, and coordinating law enforcement efforts to combat proliferation financing.

The participants learned the important role that awareness plays in preventing financing of weapons proliferation. “This workshop allowed qualified and knowledgeable officials to enhance their ability to prevent and detect illicit financial activities, an area in which national authorities play a key role,” said Jason Ray, FBI Assistant Legal Attaché.

The workshop was organized by the U.S. Embassy’s Export Control and Related Border Security Program (EXBS), which helps to harmonize national export control systems with international standards. Administered by the U.S. Department of State, EXBS operates in more than 65 countries, and is designed to strengthen a country’s export control system by providing legal and regulatory advice, training of licensing officials, enforcement and interdiction equipment, and industry to government outreach. Better export control systems help to fight against the proliferation of mass destruction, their delivery systems, conventional weapons, and related materials.

Three Armenian companies are participating in the WTM 2016 international tourism fair in London November 7-9 with the support of the Development Foundation of Armenia.

The World Travel Market is the second largest tourism fair in the world, where the Armenian booth presents the country’s tourism opportunities, introduces the directions for pilgrimage to the first Christian nation.

The Armenian companies have left for London to meet partners, establish new ties and sign new contracts.

“By participating in international tourism exhibitions we help raise awareness about our country on the international market. In particular, the London fair will allow to present the attractive tourism destinations in Armenia and Artsakh to more than 180 tourism organizations of the world, agents and visitors,” Executive Director of the Armenian Development Foundation Karen Mkrtichian said.

The London travel show, held for  the 37th time, has brought together more than 5,000 companies and 50,000 visitors over the past years.

Armenia international and Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be appointed UNICEF Goodwill Ambassador for Armenia. The official ceremony will take place at the Football Academy on November 9.

For more than half a century Goodwill Ambassadors have been helping children and women all over the world to protect their rights and improve their lives.

By raising awareness about children’s issues and helping raise funds, famous persons send a clear message that children are the priority.

Argentine Armenian tennis player, former World No.3 David Nalbandian has somehow walked away from a spectacular crash during a rally car event in Argentina, according to Yahoo Sport.

Nalbandian was taking part in the Copa Maxi Rally when he lost control of his car after it hit a cross-road in the track.

The Chevrolet Agile vaulted into the air and into a series of potentially deadly flips.

Nalbandian, the 2002 Wimbledon runner up to Lleyton Hewitt, and his co-driver were helped from the wreckage by spectators and managed to escape injury.

“As you know, we had an accident in the Rally of Entre Ríos. Both my co-driver and I, are perfectly well. Thank you for concern,” the 2002 Wimbledon runner-up wrote on Twitter.

Nalbandian has previously said his foray into motorsport was just a “hobby.”

“I don’t have pressure here,” Nalbandian said.

“I am learning and trying to do my best but not as a professional.”

He retired from professional tennis in 2013.

Photo:  REUTERS/Vincent Kessler

 

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu accused Berlin on Tuesday of allowing the Kurdish militant PKK and far-leftist DHKP-C, both of which have carried out armed attacks in Turkey, to operate on German soil with impunity, reports.

“The DHKP-C and PKK are carrying out activities in Germany, but they support those because they are against Turkey. Germany is the country that supports terrorist organizations against Turkey the most,” Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara.

“Germany thinks that they are a first class country, a first class democracy, and that Turkey is second class. We want them to treat us as equal partners,” he said.