YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. The official Manchester United TV channel is shooting a film about Henrikh Mkhitaryan, the Reds said on Facebook.
The movie is a documentary as is being filmed in Armenia.
It will soon be aired on MUTV.
Dear Armenian News readers,
We bring to your attention the following letters we've received.
No statements made in these letters are to be construed as
recommended by Armenian News's Administation or by USC. Nor does Armenian News's
Administation or USC endorse the contents, opinions or information
presented in these letters.
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From: "Moorad Alexanian"
Date: Wed, 08:50:18 -0400
Subject: Letter to the Editor: Don't pander to Turkey
Don't pander to Turkey
EDITOR: The brutal violence by Turkish presidential guards in
front of the Turkish embassy in Washington -- against a peaceful
demonstration of Americans on their own soil -- is consistent with
past experiences with Turkey.
The present purported Turkish war against the Islamic State is a
camouflage to destroy Kurdish freedom fighters.
Let us not be blackmailed into believing that the United States
needs Turkey more than Turkey needs the U.S. Witness Germany,
which accepted the truth of the doings of the Nazi regime and
became better human beings by doing so. We can help the Turks into
civilization by standing on the truth of history -- the truth
about the Armenian genocide.
Let's not give up on morality and truth just because Turkey
provides us the Incirlik Air Base. Recall that many American lives
were lost unnecessarily in the May 2003 invasion of Iraq because
Turkey did not allow us to invade Iraq through the north.
As an Armenian whose grandparents, several uncles and aunts and a
multitude of family friends died at the hands of Ottoman Turks in
the Armenian Genocide of 1915-23, I consider it an abomination
that Turkey still denies the slaughter.
Moorad Alexanian, Wilmington
***************************************************************************
END OF LETTERS
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U.S. Air Force photos by Senior Airman Daniel Phelps
Ankara and Berlin are again in war of words over access to an air base in the south of Turkey.
Germany is out of Turkey after its lawmakers were denied entry to the Incirlik Air Base, which has been used by the anti-IS coalition since 2014 for combat operations against the militant group. The German government said it was considering alternatives in Jordan, Cyprus or Kuwait.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel called Turkey’s ban “unfortunate.” “The Bundeswehr is a parliamentary army and this makes it absolutely necessary for our lawmakers to have access to our soldiers,” Merkel was in German media as saying.
“If it is not possible to work normally at Incirlik… We will have to look for alternatives,” German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel German newspaper,” .
“I can only hope that the Turkish government will change its mind in the coming days. Otherwise, the parliament will no longer let our soldiers go to Turkey,” he added.
Turkey’s Foreign Minister said in response that Germany was welcome to withdraw its troops from Incirlik air base if it desired.
“If they want to leave, let’s just say goodbye,” Mevlut Cavusoglu told broadcaster NTV. “That’s up to them and we won’t beg.”
The dispute is believed to be due to Turkish soldiers seeking asylum in Germany, but the reasons behind the row could be wider.
“Germany has long been critical of Turkey’s policy and its President Erdogan for the pressures inside the country,” says Ruben Safrastyan, an expert of Turkish studies, told Public Radio of Armenia in a phone interview.
“Germany has blamed Erdogan for establishing a one-man rule in the country. The German leadership has said on many occasions that the path Turkey has chosen does not meet European standards,” Ruben Safrastyan added.
The expert recalled a number of other incidents that could also mar relations between the two courtiers. These include the arrest of a reporter of the prominent newspaper Die Welt, Deniz Yucel, in Turkey, Germany’s disapproval of Turkey’s pressure on Kurds, the row over the attempts to campaign among Turkish citizens in Germany ahead of the Turkish constitutional referendum that secured Erdogan near dictatorial powers. “The list could be continued,” he said.
A decision on where and wether to move the troops is likely to be made in the next few weeks, with Jordan seen as a favorite, quotes sources from the Bundestag Defense Committee as saying.
Safrastyan does not believe, however, that Germany will move its units to other locations. “Germany is trying not to station its troops in many places outside the country,” he said.
The expert does not see perspectives of Germany creating a separate base aside from the one at Incirik used by NATO to hit Islamic State forces in Syria. “I don’t think they are ready to do that at this point,” Ruben Safrastyan said.
This is not the first time German lawmakers have called on the German military to pull out of Turkey. Tensions between Germany and Turkey have been ups and downs for a couple of years. Last year Turkey blocked German delegation airbase trip over Armenian genocide row. The lawmakers were allowed to the base only after the German Government hinted the resolution was “not legally binding.”
On June 2, 2016 the German Bundestag adopted a on the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities with an overwhelming majority of the votes. Chancellor Angela Merkel’s Christian Democrats and junior coalition partner Social Democrats, along with the opposition Greens, had prepared the resolution entitled “Remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in 1915 and 1916”, which also carried the word throughout the text.
Turkey to Germany ‘for a brief consultation,’ after the vote, but it was not until October 2016 that to send its envoy back to Berlin, which saw a slight thaw in ties.
Whether Turkey will lift a ban on MPs visiting German troops stationed in the country this time remains to be seen. Ruben Safrastyan believes it depends on relations on the highest level.
“They will allow access if relations between Erdogan and Merkel get warmer,” he concluded.
German media reports claim Chancellor Angela Merkel is expected to raise the Incirlik issue directly with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan at a NATO summit in Brussels next week.
Germany’s deployment at the Incirlik air base forms part of the anti-IS coalition’s reconnaissance and refueling mission.
Since 2015, around 260 German troops, six high-tech Tornado surveillance jets and a tanker aircraft have been stationed in Incirlik Air Base, providing support for anti-IS operations, according to .
Excluding Turkish forces, the US has the most troops deployed at the Incirlik air base, with around 1,500 US military personnel on the ground, followed by the UK, reports.
The Netherlands, Spain, Denmark, Czech Republic, and non-NATO states Saudi Arabia and Qatar also have deployed troops to the base to take part in anti-IS operations.
By Rashid Shirinov
The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs must in the first place follow the updated Madrid principles they prepared, and demand Armenia to withdraw troops from the occupied Azerbaijani territories, said Hikmat Hajiyev, the spokesman for Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry.
He commented on the recent statement by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, who condemned the recent ceasefire violations on the contact line between the Azerbaijani and Armenian troops.
“The OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs must also urge Armenia to continue substantive negotiations to find a political solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the UN Security Council’s resolutions,” Hajiyev told Trend on May 19.
Hajiyev further mentioned that on May 18, the day of the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s occupation of Azerbaijan’s Lachin region, President Serzh Sargsyan made a speech at the Armenian Parliament, where he refuted the updated Madrid principles.
“On the backdrop of this, the standard statement of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, only touching upon the issues of violation of the ceasefire regime, is very symptomatic,” the spokesman added.
Hajiyev stressed that about 80,000 people of the Lachin region, as well as residents of other occupied Azerbaijani territories, have been living as refugees and IDPs for over 25 years. “The fact that the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs didn’t mention this in their statement is an unfair and biased approach.”
“The authors of the statement, which reflects concern only regarding the ceasefire violation, once again turn a blind eye to the illegal presence of the Armenian armed forces’ military equipment and personnel on the sovereign territory of Azerbaijan,” spokesman said.
Hajiyev added that the presence of the Armenian armed forces in the occupied Azerbaijani lands is the main reason why escalation and ceasefire violations remain, and everyone knows this.
Armenia captured Nagorno-Karabakh and seven surrounding regions from Azerbaijan in a war that followed the Soviet breakup in 1991. More than 20,000 Azerbaijanis were killed and nearly 1 million were displaced as a result of the war.
Large-scale hostilities ended with a Russia-brokered ceasefire in 1994 but Armenia continued the occupation in defiance of four UN Security Council resolutions calling for immediate and unconditional withdrawal.
Peace talks mediated by Russia, France and the U.S. within the OSCE Minsk Group have produced no results so far.
Baku continues the gross violations of the trilateral cease-fire agreements in defiance to the consistent calls of the Co-Chair countries and the international community, Armenia’s acting Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said, addressing the 127th Session of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of Europe in Cyprus. Edward Nalbandian’s full speech is provided below:
Mr. Chairman,
Mr. Secretary General,
Dear Colleagues,
Dear Ioannis, dear friend, congratulations for your successful chairmanship of the Committee of Ministers. The priorities of the Cyprus Chairmanship were well placed to address the current challenges that the Europe faces.
Protection of cultural heritage is important for the Armenian people that have suffered immense losses of cultural legacy throughout its history and most recently in Azerbaijan by the hands of its government and in Syria by the terrorist groups. In this regard we welcome the adoption of the Convention on Offences relating to Cultural Property,
Another focus of the Chairmanship on Democracy through Education is an important dimension of fostering inclusive and tolerant societies. The right of people to their memory, their right to teaching and learning history of past tragedies through education and remembrance has a pivotal role in preventing genocides and crimes against humanity.
Dear Colleagues,
It is commendable that in his annual report on the “State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law” the Secretary General has highlighted populism, which is particularly dangerous, when combined with state sponsored hate speech and xenophobia. Free media, education for democratic citizenship and human rights, active civil society are essential in overcoming this phenomenon. Moreover, the notion of “rule of law” represents a concept that is diametrically opposed to “the rule by force” or “use of force”.
We already had an opportunity to share another view of the Secretary General on the concept of “Democratic Security”, according to which democracies are less likely to go to war. Obviously, authoritarian regimes do not face this dilemma.
Such a case was witnessed during new large-scale offensive in April 2016, when Azerbaijan committed gross violations of international humanitarian and human rights law against the people of Nagorno-Karabakh.
Two Summits were convened after the April aggression of Azerbaijan, where agreements were reached aimed at creating conducive conditions for advancement of the peace process. Baku refuses to implement these agreements although their importance has been highlighted on numerous occasions, including during April 28 trilateral mebakueting of ministers of foreign affairs of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan. Moreover, Baku continues the gross violations of the trilateral cease-fire agreements in defiance to the consistent calls of the Co-Chair countries and the international community.
We value the recent initiatives that call on the equal application of the pan-European human rights instruments to the whole continent without distinction, including in the conflict zones. It is the primary goal of Council of Europe to ensure that the common values and individual rights guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights are not dependent on the status of the territory where people live.
Dear Colleagues,
On the April 2nd the parliamentary elections were held in Armenia. They were marked by unprecedented high number of international observers, who stated that the elections were well administered, fundamental freedoms were respected, and the results reflected the will of the population.
Armenia highly appreciates the contribution of international partners to its reforms aimed at consolidating the democratic institutions and the electoral process, in particular the expertise provided by the Council of Europe and the Venice Commission. We look forward to the continuation of fruitful cooperation in this regard.
Regarding the recent institutional crisis and credible reports on corruption in the PACE, we join the calls for full investigation of the situation in order to rectify the damage done to this Organization.
And finally, I want to use the opportunity to wish all the success to the incoming chairmanship of the Czech Republic.
Thank you.
PHOTO: BANWARI UPADHYAY
At least 22 people were killed when a wall collapsed during a wedding party in northern India, the BBC reports.
The guests had taken shelter from heavy rain under a tin shack when a wall collapsed onto it in the storm.
Another 26 people were injured in the accident in Bharatpur, a district in Rajasthan state, 15 of them seriously.
Local media reports say food stalls had been set up along the wall for the wedding.
“The wall and a tin shed attached to it at the marriage venue collapsed due to a storm,” police officer Anil Tank is quoted as saying.
He said the wall was nearly 90ft (27m) long and 12-13ft in height and the collapse trapped many guests.
“The injured were rushed to nearby hospitals immediately and treatment was administered,” he said.
The Spanish city of Villena has officially recognized the Armenian Genocide, the Armenian Embassy in Spain reports.
The City Council voted 11 to 7 with 3 abstentions to pass the bill.
About 30 Spanish countries have now recognized the Armenian Genocide.
Former Obama UN Ambassador Samantha Power on Monday apologized for not using the term “genocide” to describe the Ottoman Turks’ massacre of Armenians, reports.
“I am very sorry that, during our time in office, we in the Obama administration did not recognize the #Armenian Genocide,” Power said in a series of tweets.
I am very sorry that, during our time in office, we in the Obama administration did not recognize the Genocide
— Samantha Power (@SamanthaJPower)
Power, who served as Obama’s UN ambassador from 2013 to 2017, blamed “ongoing Turkish denial” for leaving an “open wound.”
“Almost every Armenian-American family was touched in some way by the genocide,” Power said.
Former President Barack Obama had promised during his campaign to use the label to describe the mass killings by Ottoman forces of the Armenian in the 1910s, but reversed course in office.
To date, Power is the only Obama official to express regret over the decision not to use the term genocide.
India’s Vice President Hamid Ansari will embark on a five-day visit to Armenia and Poland from April 24 during which he will hold talks with the top leaders of the two countries on a wide range of issues, PTI News reports.
On the first leg of his visit, Ansari will be in Armenia till April 26. In Armenian capital Yerevan, Ansari will hold discussions with the President Serzh Sargsyan, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.
“The visit intends to further strengthen the cordial relations between the two countries, further develop cooperation and partnership on a wide range of issues of shared common interest,” Ministry of External Affairs Secretary (East) Preeti Saran told reporters.
Ansari will also address students and faculty of the Yerevan State University.
“This year marks the 25th anniversary of diplomatic relationship with Armenia and such high level visits will further deepn the relationship between the two countries,” Saran said.
Ansari will leave Yerevan for Warsaw on April 26 for a three-day visit to Poland.
Asbarez – The California State Assembly Public Employee, Retirement and Social Security Committee (PERSS) on Wednesday passed AB 1597 by a 5-0 vote, a bill authored by Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian, which calls for divestment by the main state pension funds from Turkey.
Nazarian has championed the issue in recent years, which also enjoyed the support of principal co-author Senator Scott Wilk. Passage by the PERSS Committee is the first step toward enactment of the bill, which if passed by both houses of the state legislature and is signed by the governor, would prohibit new investments or renewal of existing investments in the Turkish government by the pension funds—CalPERS and CalSTRS.
Following an impassioned presentation by Nazarian, and additional testimony by ANCA-WR Chief Legislative Consultant Haig Baghdassarian, the chairman of the committee, Assemblymember Freddie Rodriguez voted in favor of the bill, and was joined by four of his colleagues, Vice-Chair Travis Allen, and Assemblymembers Sabrina Cervantes, Ken Cooley and Patrick O’Donnell.