Author: Ani Tigranian

Photo: Reuters

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan sent a message to a religious ceremony held in the Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul on April 24 to commemorate the victims of the “1915 killings of Armenians under Ottoman rule”, addressing Patriarch Aram Ateşyan, general vicar of the Armenian patriarch of Turkey, and citizens of Armenian origin, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“This year, I once again pay our respects to the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives under the harsh conditions of the First World War and convey my condolences to their descendants,” Erdogan said in the message.

“Turks and Armenians, as two ancient nations of this region, have shared a common history and culture in this geography, where they lived side by side for a thousand years,” he said.

The Armenian community made great contributions to the Ottoman Empire, as well as to the modern republic, the president said.

“Armenians, as equal and free citizens, have important roles in the social, political and commercial life of our country today, as they did in the past,” he said.

It is our common objective for these two peoples, who have shared the grief and happiness of centuries, to heal the wounds of the past and strengthen people to people ties.

Turkey has taken steps “to heal the wounds of the past” and strengthen the ties between the two peoples, Erdogan said.

“We are determined to advance our efforts and preserve the memory of the Ottoman Armenians and the Armenian cultural heritage in the future,” he said.

“On this occasion, I would like to emphasize that the peace, security and happiness of our Armenian community are of special importance to us. We have no tolerance for the alienation and exclusion of our Armenian citizens and for a single Armenian citizen to feel second-class,” he said.

“I convey my hope for the speedy conclusion of the election of the Armenian Patriarch of Turkey and wish you success in this endeavor,” he said.

“With these thoughts, I once again pay tribute to the memories of the Ottoman Armenians who lost their lives at the beginning of the 20th century. May millions of Ottoman citizens deceased under the difficult conditions of the First World War rest in peace,” Erdoğan said.

French presidential candidate François Fillon pledges to commemorate April 24^th if elected. “It is important not to forget the thousands of victims,” he said in an interview with .

“The French of Armenian origin and the Armenian community of France constitute an example of integration, of success, of patriotism. Everyone loves France but all also have a bit of their heart in Armenia. With the law of January 29, 2001, France publicly acknowledged the Armenian genocide of 1915. By recognizing the existence of the first genocide of the twentieth century, the French Republic symbolically gave the Armenian drama a place in the collective memory of mankind,” he said.

“Turkey is very wrong not to look at its past. Every nation has its share of shadow and gains by recognizing it,” Fillon said.

“The French Republic has a duty to protect all its citizens, including our citizens who have found asylum, homeland and freedom in France. It is up to the justice of the Republic to act to ensure respect for its citizens. An important legislative work had to be carried out in order to draw all the legal consequences of this recognition, that is to say, the penalization of denial,” he said.

As for Turkey’s accession to the European Union, François Fillon said: “I have always been consistent. I have never changed my opinion: Turkey’s accession to the European Union is neither possible nor desirable. I regret that France and Europe do not have the courage to say it sincerely to the Turkish authorities.”

“There is no alternative to finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the Karabakh conflict,” François Fillon said.

“In April 2016, for six days, the Southern Caucasus once again flamed. Confirmed by international indifference, Azerbaijan tried to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force. This murderous offensive ended with a precarious ceasefire. Today our French citizens of Armenian origin are worried and I am also worried because the Nagorno-Karabakh. Let us not forget that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is due to Stalin, who arbitrarily detached it from Armenia and gave to Azerbaijan in 1921. Now there is no choice but to find a Peaceful and lasting solution through the United Nations,” Fillon stated.

On April 16, the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church solemnly celebrated the Feast of the Glorious Resurrection of Jesus Christ.

On the occasion of the Feast, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; celebrated Divine Liturgy in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin.

Escorted by the Ecclesiastical procession, and under the singing of the “Hrashapar” hymn, the Catholicos of All Armenians; Mr. Serzh Sargsyan, President of the Republic of Armenia and Mrs. Rita Sargsyan; Mr. Bako Sahakyan, President of the Arstakh Republic, processed to the Mother Cathedral, where they were met by students of the Eurnekian public school; members of the AGBU Yerevan Scout Group and numerous pilgrims.

The Pontifical Canopy Bearers were: Colonel Artyom Gevorkyan; Sergeant Schooley Hakobyan; Junior Sergeant Razmik Gasparyan and Private Soldier Harutyun Badalyan. Assisting His Holiness during the Divine Liturgy were His Eminence Archbishop Nathan Hovhannisyan, Director of the External relations and Protocol Department of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and His Grace Bishop Gevork Saroyan, Dean of the Spiritual- Educational Institutions of the Mother See.

Attending the solemn Divine Liturgy were Mr. Galust Sahakyan, President of the RA National Assembly; members of the RA Government; members of the Supreme Spiritual Council; benefactors of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin; heads and representatives of diplomatic missions and international organizations; members of the AGBU; education and cultural figures.

During the service, His Holiness addressed his message to faithful Armenians throughout the world on the occasion of Holy Easter offering his Pontifical blessings and proclaiming the good news, “Christ is Risen from the dead! Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.”

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY RESURRECTION
OF JESUS CHRIST
Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, April 16, 2017

In the Name of the Father, and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

“God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son”.
1 John 5:11

Dear Faithful People,

Today, through the Lenten mystery and reflections, with compassion for the sufferings and crucifixion of our Lord Jesus Christ, we have reached the luminous day of the glorious Resurrection of our Savior, which we celebrate with joyfulness and jubilation in our souls. Truly, the happiness in our hearts today is boundless, for death was shattered through the Resurrection, and mankind was granted the gift of eternal life and the heavenly kingdom. “God gave us eternal life, and this life is in his Son”. Through these words of John the Evangelist, we extend our message to you, beloved faithful, who are gathered in this Cathedral, and to our entire nation in the homeland and in the diaspora.

The curtains of the holy altars of our churches are already open, signifying that the gates to eternity are open. The good news of the Resurrection of the Savior resounds, annunciating that whosoever has the desire, the hunger, and thirst of the heavenly kingdom, can inherit it through perceiving the life that is in Christ Himself.

Through the Resurrection of Christ, mankind has received the power of the resurrected life, the ability to drive out sin and evil, to fill earthly life with heavenly blessings and graces through love and compassion towards fellow human beings, and to establish the image of the heavenly kingdom in the world where justice and truth reign, and there is an increase of peace and joy. In the resurrected life which Christ has granted, there are no trepidations, no violence and wars, poverty and adversity, there are no various vices which cause pain and suffering to people and alienates them from each other, polarizes societies and create disasters. All these, however, continue to remain in the life of the world, for the human hearts, often devoid of love, immersed in pride and selfishness, remains unanswered to the call of a resurrected new life. In the meantime, the path towards crowning crucifixions with resurrection, conquering difficulties and tribulations, sorrows and afflictions; is the Christ-centered life, which, as it is stated by the apostle, leads to eternity through the spirit of peacemaking, righteous works, and following a pious path: “God has given us eternal life, and this life is in his Son.”

Dear faithful people, the current earthly life is granted to us at an opportune period of time, so that we may spread the witness of the redeeming will of God, to realize His commandments and admonitions in our reality, in our families, country and in the world which surrounds us. Our life gains value and content, in the light of the mystery of Christ’s death and resurrection. The apostle Paul teaches us by saying, “And he died for all, that those who live should no longer live for themselves but for him who died for them and was raised again” ( 2 Corinthians 5:15 ). To live through Christ and for the sake of Christ – this is the saving path of our life, the foundation, the condition and guarantee, as an individual and as a collective society, for our spiritual growth and enhancement, as well as for the prosperity and development of our homeland and for the wellbeing and bright future for our people spread around the world.

Today our country is facing numerous problems. The peace at our borders is unstable, we have yet to overcome poverty and unemployment, the prevention of emigration and the return of the sons and daughters of our nation to their homeland is imperative. In the face of these challenges, our people have noble qualities such as patriotism, perseverance, dedication to family, love towards parents, and commitment to make sacrifices for the sake of our sacred values. We are able to keep our borders impregnable, make our country prosperous and thriving, and eliminate all fears and turmoil from our national life. The course of our life, our lifestyle, must not enervate and divide us, but unite us, in order to combine our efforts to withstand all the challenges and troubles of our life and to bring to life our visions for our nation. Our faith that Christ is risen transforms hopelessness into hope, weakness into strength, apathy into zealousness, greed into charity, and it also interweaves spirit of dedication and commitment with service and work. We are called to this transformation, only through which can we secure our country and national life from elimination, as well as to gain victories in the struggle for the prosperity and enhancement of our nation and homeland. Now, dear faithful, let us all, official, laborer, soldier, entrepreneur, scholar, and clergyman, with a renewed Christian spirit, walk with reinforced hope in the direction, live with the truth, and accept the life, which is Christ our resurrected Lord Himself, so that the life of our nation around the world may be illuminated with works worthy of being written down, and be filled with divine rewards and heavenly blessings. Encouraged by the salvific faith which is bestowed to us by our Lord, and filled with warm enthusiasm for good works, let us proclaim in certainty with the apostle, “We know also that the Son of God has come and has given us understanding, so that we may know him who is true. And we are in him who is true by being in his Son Jesus Christ. He is the true God and eternal life” (1 John 5:20).

With the joyful tidings of the glorious Resurrection of our Lord Jesus Christ, we greet our spiritual brothers, the incumbents of the hierarchal Sees; His Holiness, Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; the Armenian Patriarch of Jerusalem, Archbishop Nurhan Manoogian; the Locum Tenens of the Armenian Patriarchate of Constantinople, Archbishop Karekin Bekchian; and the heads of our Sister Churches, and all the clergy of our Holy Church.

With pontifical blessings, we greet the President of Armenia, His Excellency Serzh Sargsyan and the first lady present here today for the Divine Liturgy. We extend our greetings to President Bako Sahakyan of the Republic of Artsakh; Armenia’s state officials, and to all the newly-elected members of the parliament. It is our wish that the Lord may keep them strengthened in the love for their nation and the homeland, and with nation-spirited achievements be productive in their raesponsible and lofty mission. We greet with blessings and best wishes the heads and representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia. We bring our pontifical love and blessings to all our faithful people, in Armenia and in the Diaspora.

We extend prayers and pleas to our Lord, Jesus Christ, so that the graces of His glorious Resurrection may illuminate human lives, so that peace may dominate over the entire world, and so that peace may be established at our borders. It is our prayer that our homeland may be enhanced through the good results of the devoted activities of our people, our Holy Church may always remain in prosperity, and that our nation, spread all over the world, may be guided in a steady pace towards salvation and eternity, now and always. Amen.

Christ is Risen from the dead.
Blessed is the Resurrection of Christ.

Russia has reacted angrily after the US launched a missile strike on a Syrian government air base, the BBC reports.

US officials said the base had been used to launch a chemical weapons attack in north-western Syria that left dozens of civilians dead on Tuesday.

But Russia, which backs President Bashar al-Assad, condemned the US strike and suspended a deal designed to avoid mid-air collisions over Syria.

It is the first direct US military action against Syria’s government.

At least six people are reported to have been killed.

It comes just days after some 80 civilians, including many children, died in the suspected nerve gas attack in the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun in Idlib province.

The Syrian opposition and Western powers say the Syrian government launched the attack but Syria denies this.

When asked if he preferred Armenia or Lebanon, the Lebanese Minister of Tourism chose Armenia. Evidently, this resulted in quite the outrage among the Lebanese people, reports.

The Minister, Avedis Guidanian, is also the deputy chairman of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Dashnaktsutyun.

During the interview on Al Jadeed’s “Talk of the Town” show where the host, Mona Abou Hamze, asked him questions to which he could only choose between 2 options.

Among the questions, he was asked to choose between Israel and Turkey – which he refused to answer.

Then when he was asked to choose between Armenia and Lebanon, he quickly chose Armenia.

Understandably, Armenia is his mother country and he is a member of one of the main Armenian parties. Lebanon and Armenia have close relations – especially due to the fact that we both faced persecution from the same oppressor – the Ottoman (modern day Turkey). Lebanon became a safe haven for many Armenians fleeing the genocide.

Following his response, the audience applauded him and the host commended him on choosing his “motherland.”

Many people didn’t like his response. Following the outcry, he issued a statement saying the following:

“Let’s make things clear, I am a Lebanese with Armenian roots, Lebanon is my home country.”

There was an outcry among Turkish people – calling him racist – for his comments towards Turkey.

“I would not promote anything related to Turkey, none of their products, or establish relations with them. I cannot prevent Turks from coming to Lebanon and I do not want to welcome them at an airport,” he said.

The series of questions start at the 21-minute mark but this is the full interview:

Watch the latest video at

Actor Dean Cain, who recently visited Armenia, has talked to Fox News about Armenia’s support for Syrian refugees, Armenia as the first Christian nation, and the Armenian Genocide.

The situation was relatively calm at the line of contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan last night.

The rival used firearms of different caliber as it fired violated the ceasefire about 40 times, firing over 450 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army mostly refrained from response actions and confidently continued with their military duty.

“In defiance to the calls of the international community, the demands of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to strictly adhere to the 1994-1995 ceasefire agreements and to refrain from the use of force and threat of use of force, last night the incursion attempt by the Azerbaijani side on the Line of Contact between Azerbaijan and Artsakh, is Baku’s another blow to the efforts by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries exerted towards the peaceful settlement,” the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“While continuing attempts to undermine the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg on creation of conditions conducive to the advancement of the negotiation process, Baku intentionally escalates situation, initiates new provocations,” the statement reads.

“We once again draw the attention of the international community, and first and foremost, the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries to the strict necessity to sober up Baku and to bring it to the reality,” the Ministry said.

Contract serviceman of the Artakh Defense Army Gor Khudinyan (born in 1991) was fatally wounded under unknown conditions at one of the military unites located in the northern direction of the Defense Army, Artsakh Defense Ministry reports.

Probe into the details of the incident is under way.

The Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses support to the serviceman’s family and friends.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan attended today the annual meeting of the European Business Association. Attending the event were the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski, Ambassadors of EU member states and companies represented in the Association.

Greeting the participants of the meeting, PM Karen Karapetyan noted that “the Armenian Government is interested in the expansion of relations with the European business.

“We want all of you to feel safe in Armenia, make investments, create jobs, pay taxes and get wealthier. We are ready to discuss all issues of concern to you, listen to your proposals and initiatives,” the Prime Minister said.

The Head of the EU delegation to Armenia Piotr Switalski thanked the Prime Minister for his open policy and for being open to business. The Ambassador stressed that the Armenian Government has adopted different decisions that will help attract investments.

According to him, the European Union and the business community are willing to maintain cooperation with Armenia.