Author: Aram Torosian

The Islamic State (IS) militant group has destroyed part of what’s considered the most important temple at the ancient Syrian site of Palmyra, activists and witnesses say, the BBC reports.

The extent of the damage to the 2,000-year-old Temple of Bel is not clear but local residents have described being shaken by a large explosion.

The reports come a week after IS blew up another temple at the ancient city.

The militants seized control of Palmyra in May, sparking fears for the site.

The world-famous Greco-Roman ruins are in the desert north-east of the Syrian capital, Damascus.

A gunman killed a reporter and videographer for a CBS affiliate in Virginia in a shooting that was broadcast live Wednesday morning.

Alison Parker and Adam Ward, a reporter and cameraman for CBS Roanoke affiliate WDBJ-TV, died in the shooting, Parker’s mother confirmed to CBS News.

that deputies from Franklin County and Bedford County were on the scene.

The shooting happened at Bridgewater Plaza in Moneta, Virginia.

A gunman has opened fire at a cinema in the US state of Louisiana, killing two people and injuring several others before shooting himself, officials say, the BBC reports.

Police said the attacker was a 58-year-old white male armed with a handgun but did not release any further details.

Witnesses said the man opened fire about 20 minutes into a screening of a film at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette.

Police chief Jim Craft said officers responded to reports of a shooting at about 19:30 local time.

Mr Craft said seven other people were taken to a local hospital with injuries ranging from critical to non-life threatening.

The gunman’s identity is known to police, Mr Craft added, but is not being released at this time.

The police chief said that the gunman did have a criminal history but that it was “pretty old”.

Toshiba’s chief executive and president Hisao Tanaka is to resign after the company said it had overstated its profits for the past six years.

He will be succeeded by chairman Masashi Muromachi, with vice-chairman Norio Sasaki also stepping down.

On Monday, an independent panel appointed by Toshiba said the firm had overstated its operating profit by a total of 151.8bn yen ($1.22bn), the BBC reports.

The overstatement was roughly triple an initial Toshiba estimate.

The finance minister, Taro Aso, said the case could undermine confidence in corporate governance in Japan.

He added the accounting irregularities at Toshiba were “very regrettable”,.

Japan’s government has been trying to regain global investors’ confidence with better corporate governance after Olympus, was found to have covered up $1.7bn in losses in late 2011, in what was until now Japan’s worst corporate governance scandal.

Foreign Minister of the Czech Republic Lubomír Zaorálek visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.

Accompanied by Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute Hayk Demoyan, the Czech Foreign Minister toured the museum and planted a fir tree in the Memory Alley.

“Pleased to plant a Czech tree at the Memorial to the victims of Armenian Genocide in Yerevan today,” Lubomír Zaorálek said in a Twitter post.

Pleased to plant a Czech tree at the Memorial to the victims of Armenian Genocide in Yerevan today.

— Lubomír Zaorálek (@ZaoralekL)

The Islamic State fighters have destroyed two ancient Muslim mausoleums in the historic Syrian city of Palmyra, the country’s antiquities director said June 23, AFP reports.
Maamoun Abdulkarim said ISIS jihadists blew up the tombs of Mohammed bin Ali, a descendant of the Prophet Mohammed’s cousin, and Nizar Abu Bahaaeddine, a religious figure from Palmyra, three days ago.
Bin Ali’s burial place is located in a mountainous region four kilometres north of Palmyra, in central Syria.

Abu Bahaaeddine’s tomb, nestled in a leafy oasis about 500 metres (yards) from Palmyra’s ancient ruins, is said to be more than five centuries old.

ISIS has destroyed at least 50 mausoleums dating between 100-200 years old in the regions under its control in north and east Syria, the antiquities director said.

“They consider these Islamic mausoleums to be against their beliefs, and they ban all visits to these sites,” Abulkarim said.

Armenia is ranked 91st among 162 countries in the Global Peace Index 2015.

Armenia’s neighbors in the region are placed as follows: Georgia – 79^th, Azerbaiajn 132^nd, Turkey – 135^th, Iran – 138^th.

As for Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union, Russia is 152^nd, Belarus is 110^th, Kazakhstan is 87^th and Kyrgyzstan is 121^st.

The Global Peace Index measures the state of peace in 162 countries according to 23 indicators that gauge the absence of violence or the fear of violence. It is produced annually by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

The 2015 Global Peace Index shows that the world is becoming increasingly divided with some countries enjoying unprecedented levels of peace and prosperity while others spiral further into violence and conflict.

This year the results show that globally, levels of peace remained stable over the last year, however are still lower than in 2008.

The most peaceful countries are Iceland, Denmark and Austria.

The country that suffered the most severe deterioration in peace was Libya, which now ranks 149th of 162 countries. Ukraine suffered the second largest deterioration, falling to 150^th position.

Syria remains the world’s least peaceful country, followed by Iraq and Afghanistan.

On the evening of June 6, President Serzh Sargsyan took part in the Midem Gala Supper in Cannes, where he delivered a speech.

Prior to it, the video clip titled “We are Armenians” had been displayed. The five-minute video clip “We are Armenians” presents about 50 well-known diaspora Armenians who have become world-famous for their achievements.

There took place an award ceremony during the event. On the occasion of Republic Day, the Armenian president awarded Rosy Khurshudi Hovannisian (Rosy Armen) the Order of Honor for making a significant contribution to the preservation of national identity and to the strengthening of cultural ties between the homeland and the diaspora. Film director and actor Robert Guédiguian was also awarded the Order of Honor for contributing to the development of cultural ties between Armenia and France and to the preservation of national identity.

On June 7, Serzh Sargsyan attended the concert of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia in Cannes.

Remarks by President Serzh Sargsyan at the Midem international music festival

Dear friends,

Distinguished attendees,

It is a great honor to greet and welcome you at the world-famed MIDEM music festival. It has been for half a century that Côte d’Azur annually unites people of global fame and youth that just entered their careers in culture, for whom it is an honor to perform in this amazing city and its prestigious stages that could be of vital importance for establishing them professionally.

Armenia is the country honored this year by the MIDEM international music festival. It is a great opportunity for our country to deliver its own culture to the world and to get acquainted with the others’ achievements. Armenia’s history and culture is among the most ancient, and our nation has been creating, building and establishing values for centuries.

Unfortunately, the early preceding century imprinted its darkest pages in the history of our ancient nation: the Ottoman Empire planned and perpetrated the Armenian Genocide. 1915 is a black wedge driven into our memory, thinking and lives. That was the calamity to which French writer Anatole France reacted at the beginning of the previous century: “We have finally realized that it was our sister dying in the East, who perished for being our sister and for the crime of sharing our feelings, for having liked what we liked, for having thought what we thought, for having believed in what we believed in, for appreciating wisdom, justice, poetry and arts as we did.”

Indeed, it was a ruthless extermination of the people that appreciated, cultivated and promoted arts and culture. There had been numerous vivid examples in the very area of music. In Constantinople Armenians had established the first orchestras, musical magazine, opera and operetta theatres. The Turkish press of the time had written: “Tigran Tchoukhadjian is the first composer that attempts to connect the Turkish music to the European one.” Unfortunately, the Armenian ideas and talents had not gone unnoticed, and those were the first targets for annihilation.

It took place at the beginning of the previous century. Today, however, as one hundred years passed since the carnage in the Ottoman Empire was perpetrated, in this utmost symbolic year, when the Armenian Genocide Centennial is being commemorated, we unambiguously register that no brutality could have been able to murder virtues of civilization and morale in the Armenian spirit, its longing to live and create, as well as its spiritual and cultural progress. Both ups and downs have given a potent impetus to our progress. This very outstanding power impelled Armenians to cut churches in the rock, to save books and manuscripts instead of precious gems and golden jewelry while barely surviving the Turkish yataghan, to throw themselves into the fight against fascism while the nation was still recovering from the Genocide, and to go on living and creating.

That outstanding power is first and foremost about passion of spirit that awakes when we got a shared dream, which we would like to make true. That is the same outstanding power that enables us to present ourselves to the world as a nation that embodies values, a nation that lives at the cross-section of cultures and connects freely and confidently, without any hesitation, to the two worlds of East and West.

These are all qualities undoubtedly build around our culture, which has become the ends and means to assert Armenian existence and identity. Wherever there is an Armenian, he/she does not shy away from keeping up with modernity, does not stagger in this greater world, but assert his/her continued presence and valuable contribution.

It was yet a century ago that the distinguished Armenian composer Komitas presented himself and our national vocal arts and tradition to France. And he was enthusiastically received in France; moreover, the great French composer Claude Debussy kneeled in front of him, and another great Frenchman, Romain Rolland, wrote after attending the performance by Komitas: “The Armenian is profound, tragic and virile even in his dreams… What a wonderful music! Sooner or later the European art will be exposed to the impact of that art.” Therefore, it is highly symbolic that tomorrow in this very exquisite city, under the auspices of this globally most important music event, in the music hall named after Debussy music works by Komitas will be performed.

There have been numerous instances of the Armenian cultural and spiritual perseverance. Many people that prove our perseverance are now present in this hall. The boats that reached and anchored in Marseille brought many Armenians, whose descendants today adorn the French culture – Charles Aznavour, Rosy Armen, Alain Terzian, Alexander Siranosian, Mr. and Mrs. Robert Guédiguian. These individuals are full-fledged and distinguished French citizens, but they, meanwhile, cultivate their Armenian heritage, history, faith and culture. The memories of their past and reminiscences of their origin imbue with peculiar allure the works they created, make those works Armenian and, simultaneously, global and universal.

Dear friends,

Today the French soil consolidated us around music, which is the most lucid, most human, most perspicuous and most affecting perhaps of all arts. Today we present ourselves here through a comprehensive language that is speechless. This is exactly the case that renders words unnecessary. This is exactly the case that makes art to emanate from heart and reach other hearts.

That had been the instance from the medieval poet and composer Nerses the Gracious to Komitas, Alexander Spendiarian and Armen Tigranian, and then to Aram Khachaturian and Avet Terterian. And that will go on eternally. There are gifted people in the current Armenian music culture too. Some of them are here with us, present in this same hall – Hovhannes Chekidjian, Robert Amirkhanian, Aram Satian, Arthur Grigorian. Their talents are with us, and talents will proliferate since their art is infinite, it cherishes and nourishes us.

On coming days, when you will listen to the Armenian music presented in various genres, I believe, you will conceive that our art is inherently national and, simultaneously, boundless and universal. I strongly believe that the national tunes that generated and emanated from the Armenian soil will muffle the sadness, appeal to the ears and hearts, and fill the spirits of the listeners with harmony.

Thank you.

In an open letter to the American Jewish Committee Executive Director David Harris, Rimma Varzhapetyan-Feller, President of the Jewish Community of Armenia, reveals the bias in articles inciting and propagating hatred towards Armenia and the Armenian people regularly published in the Israeli newspapers. The letter published by the reads: 

Dear Mr. Harris,

I am making this appeal to you in an open letter to draw your attention to the fact that during the recent months articles inciting and propagating hatred towards Armenia and the Armenian people, and to me, as the leader of the Jewish community of Armenia, are published regularly in Israeli newspapers by a number of so called analysts – Arye Gut,  Alexander Murinson, Maxime Gauin (e.g. Baku to the future: Azerbaijan, not Armenia, is Israel’s true ally , Anti-Semitism in Armenia.)

Biographies of the aforementioned authors and the content of the articles prove that they try hard to set public opinion and, particularly, the Jews, against the Armenian people, casting shadow on the centuries-old friendship of the two peoples.

Especially worth mentioning is Arye Gut’s latest brainchild – an article built on overtly false facts and attempts of manipulation.

A former citizen of Azerbaijan (he is Jew, not an Azeri), Gut, whose Facebook account provides ample evidence of his attempts to ensure the approval of the Azerbaijani authorities, speculates and manipulates data, positioning himself as allegedly “impartial” analyst.

In this article Gut yet again endeavors to convince the readers of the existence of anti-Semitism in Armenia and Diaspora. It is worth mentioning that Gut, Murinson and Gauin have already written nearly a dozen of articles, trying to provide proof of supposedly numerous cases of anti-Semitism in Armenia. Nevertheless, the examples they cite are either false or distorted. No representative of any political force, political party or NGO in Armenia has ever uttered any anti-Semitic remarks.

Rights of the Jewish community have never been questioned here. The Armenian people always have respected the Jews and admired the rich history of our people. Since time immemorial the Jewish community of Armenia has found favourable environment for free existence and enrichment of their culture on this land of rich culture.

The evidence of the Jewish presence in Armenia is a medieval Jewish settlement and cemetery, both preserved due to Armenian government’s and people’s care for it.

Not only does Arye Gut ignore it all, but also dares to voice poignantly indecent expressions addressed to me and the Jewish community of Armenia which is nothing but an example of anti-Semitism in itself.

As Michael Chlenow, Vice-President of the World Jewish Congress, stressed during the recent Global Forum “Against the Crime of Genocide” held in Yerevan a couple of weeks ago, “Even if the Jewish community of Armenia is small, it is well-organized and proud, and through its activity contributes to both enrichment of the Jewish culture and strengthening of centuries-old friendship of the two peoples.”

Armenia has never denied the Holocaust. This year on the International Holocaust Remembrance Day President Serzh Sargsyan addressed the Jewish community in a statement. During his visit to the USA in May, the President of Armenia also visited the Holocaust Memorial Museum.

Armenia is the only country in the region where school curriculum includes direct reference to the Holocaust; moreover, according to various assessments, from the point of view of the awareness of the Holocaust, the Armenians are amongst the best-informed people in the world.

In his article Gut once again tries to use to his advantage the fact of cooperation between some representatives of the Armenian Diaspora and the Nazis during WWII. It is a historical fact that the Armenian legion did not take part in the combat operations and was stationed in the rear – mainly in France, Holland and Poland. The Nazi leadership never trusted the Armenian legion. On December 12, 1942 Hitler said that “…In spite of all declarations from Rosenberg and the military, I don’t trust the Armenians”. The members of the Armenian Legion never missed a chance to revolt against the Nazis and join the resistance groups. The Armenian POWs played important role in the liberation of South France, while another group of Armenian POWs revolted in Holland.

Most probably, Arye Gut is also aware that the Azerbaijani legion in the German Armed Forces was four times larger than the Armenian one. The Azerbaijani legion participated in a range of massacres of the Polish and the Jews (particularly, 40.000 people were annihilated during Volyn massacre). The former President of the Democratic Republic of Azerbaijan (1918-1920) Mamed Rasulzade, who nowadays is glorified in Azerbaijan, spared no effort to recruit the Azerbaijani prisoners of war to the ranks of the Nazi army.

As for the Armenians, they fought against the Nazis in the frontlines of the Red Army, as well as in Diaspora. More than half a million Armenians fought in WWII, and only half of them returned home. Armenian soldiers fought in all the bloody battles, liberating from the Nazi yoke numerous peoples, including Jews.

As if following a the long-standing tradition, Gut’s article ‘circulates’ the theses of Azerbaijani-Turkish anti-Armenian propaganda, i.e. the blatant denial of the Armenian Genocide and the repetition of the official Baku’s assessment of events in Khojaly in 1992. What is more, all this is by no means done in a professional manner. In reality, Mr. Gut would rather quote the then President of Azerbaijan Mutalibov on the events in Khojaly, who inadvertently exposed the masterminds and those who even today use these clichés for propaganda purposes.

I was raised in a Jewish family. From the very first days of war my father joined up and reached Berlin. He was given numerous military awards and decorations. Together with her parents and my elder brother, my mother was evacuated three times. My husband’s ancestors, Armenians, suffered the Genocide in the Ottoman Empire and a considerable part of the family was annihilated.

My family spares no effort to strengthen the friendly ties between Armenia and Israel. We wish peace and prosperity to the two countries, and, of course, all the people on Earth. Unfortunately, shameless liars and provocateurs like Mr. Gut accuse me of “complicity in Nazism, Fascism and anti-Semitism”.

They must have forgotten that people should think twice before they utter such remarks – one could be detained for that.

It is inconceivable that leading newspapers and journals publish rubbish, without thinking of their own reputation.

Dear Mr. Harris, your organization has always emphasized the importance of strengthening of tolerance between peoples and fight against hate speech.

Authors of articles, pointed out by me, try to manipulate the Jewish media and the Jewish community in their dirty and unacceptable propaganda stunts.

I am grateful to you and proud that for years I have been invited to participate in the American Jewish Committee Annual Forums, which always pay a great deal of attention to strengthening of tolerance and fight against inter-ethnic hatred.

I am full of hope that you will share my concern and together we will be able to exert joint efforts to resist such provocative behavior.

Sincerely,

Rimma Varzhapetyan-Feller,

President of the Jewish Community of Armenia

“On May 3, 2015, the sixth regular parliamentary elections were held in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) with over 70% turnout. The elections were held in a free and competitive atmosphere and in full compliance with the international standards, as assessed by more than 100 international observers from around 30 countries,” the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“The parliamentary elections have reaffirmed the fact that elections, as a key element for the functioning of any democratic system, have become an integral part of the political culture of Artsakh. Free, fair, transparent and competitive elections, being an inalienable mechanism of political processes in the NKR, are aimed at organizing the public life of the republic and forming the government by democratic means, which, in turn, serves as a basis for promoting human rights, fundamental freedoms and the rule of law,” the statement reads.

“The elections, as an expression of will of the people of Artsakh, whose role in deciding its future was unequivocally emphasized in the statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on 30 April 2015, are also essential for maintaining the stability in the region as well as for the just and peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh,” the Ministry said.