Author: Arbi Tashjian

Photo: Reuters 

Israel and Turkey have normalised relations, ending a six-year rift over the killing by Israeli troops of 10 Turkish activists on a Gaza-bound ship, the BBC reports.

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said it was an important step that would boost his country’s economy.

Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan expressed hope it would help improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.

The deal will allow Turkey to deliver aid to the Palestinian territory and carry out infrastructure projects.

Israel will also pay $20m into a compensation fund for the dead activists’ families.

The agreement, which will be signed on Tuesday, was formally announced by Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim and Mr Netanyahu in separate speeches in Ankara and Rome on Monday.

Israel and Turkey were close allies before Israeli commandos intercepted the Turkish-owned ship Mavi Marmara, which was part of a flotilla attempting to breach Israel’s blockade of Gaza, on 31 May 2010.

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II, CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS, DURING THE PRAYER OF PEACE, ON THE OCCASION OF THE VISIT OF THE PONTIFF OF ROME, POPE FRANCIS

(June 25, 2016 Yerevan, Republic Square)

“Blessed are the peacemakers,
for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9)
Your Holiness, beloved brother in Christ,
Your Excellency, President of the Republic of Armenia,
Graceful spiritual brothers and dear faithful,

With the praise of the holy name of God Most High on our lips, today in the center of the capital Yerevan, under the blessed gaze of the biblical Mount Ararat, we have gathered together for a joint prayer. From the land of Noah from which God emanated the rainbow of peace, we raised our plea towards heaven together with Our beloved brother in Christ, Pope Francis, for establishment of peace in the world and for a secure and prosperous life. We reflect with emotion that praying with us in this square are also victims of wars, terrorism, and violence who are refugees from Azerbaijan as well as from Syria, and Iraq. With hope in God they wait for peaceful days to arrive in their native lands.

Indeed, one and a half decades ago we were greeting the third millennium with the hope that it would be the beginning of coexistence in solidarity among nations and good cooperation among countries for the sake of creating a peaceful and just world. Yet every day we hear troubling news of increased activities of war and acts of terror, unspeakable human suffering, and irreplaceable losses. Children, teenagers, women, and elderly in different corners of the world, of different nationalities, religions and confessions, become the victims of weapons of death and brutal violence, or they choose the path of refugees, overcoming inexplicable difficulties in order to find a haven of safety.

Exactly a century ago our nation was walking on this same path, finding herself in a grave situation, where because of the Armenian Genocide she had lost the majority of the homeland, and having one and a half million innocent martyrs, was fighting for the right of her existence. Today as well our nation lives under the difficult situation of an undeclared war, protecting peace within the borders of our country at a heavy price and the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in freedom in their maternal cradle. In response to our people’s peaceful aspirations, Azerbaijan violated the ceasefire and began military operations on the borders of the Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh in the month of April. Armenian villages were bombarded and destroyed, soldiers who were protecting the peace as well as school-aged children were killed and wounded, peaceful and unarmed civilians were tortured.

By confronting these difficulties our people also feel empathy, for the ruins and losses which are continuing in the Near East, for the acts of terror that have occurred in major European cities, in Russia, the United States, Asia and Africa, and for the religious and cultural heritages which are unsparingly being destroyed in the conflict zones. How many sacred sites were desecrated and valuable artifacts destroyed in Syria, Iraq, and in the countries of the East and Africa? How many cross stones were destroyed in Azerbaijan? Buried under the wreckage, pain of loss and need, are the values and emotions of human souls.

In such situations, the mission of the Christian churches and religious leaders cannot only be confined to helping the victims, consoling them, and giving pastoral care. More practical steps must be taken on the road to searching for peace by consolidating our efforts in preventing evil, by fostering the spirit of love, solidarity and cooperation in the societies through ecumenical and interfaith dialogue, according to God’s command, “Blessed are the peacemakers, for they will be called children of God” (Matthew 5:9).

Your Holiness, it is evident that your pastoral service is truly reflecting your wholehearted dedication to the God-bestowed commandment of peace in the world and reconciliation among nations. One of the testimonies of this was your solemn mass, celebrated last year in the Basilica of St. Peter on the occasion of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide in memory of our innocent victims, when in your message you voiced the urgency of reestablishment of justice and stated; “Concealing and denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it!”

Led by the same principle, in the last year new countries and organizations, once and for all condemned the Armenian Genocide, including Germany which was an ally of Turkey during the First World War, who in recent days recognized the Genocide committed against the Armenians.

Our people are grateful to Your Holiness and to all who advocate for and protect justice, and anticipate that Turkey, following Your message and the plea of many countries as well as international institutions, will demonstrate enough bravery to face their history, to end the illegal blockade of Armenia and to cease from supporting Azerbaijan’s militaristic provocations targeted against the right of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh to live in freedom and peace.

Indeed, peace cannot be realized without justice, human lives cannot become the subject of speculations and cannot be neglected. As the apostle says, “God shows no partiality, but in every nation anyone who fears him and does what is right is acceptable to him.” (Acts 10:34-35). Only justice that is rooted in the protection of rights of individuals and nations, can become a strong foundation for prevention of crimes committed against humanity, and the most successful path towards comprehensive conflict resolution.

It is with an eager heart that we beseech God for the realization of this objective, so that He may hear our prayers and by abundantly pouring the graces of the Holy Spirit, He may crown the brotherly love and cooperation of the Churches with fruitful results. May our merciful Lord cleanse the world from the tragedies of evil and grant peace and protection, and as the prophetic words state, they shall beat their swords into plowshares, their spears into pruning hooks, nation shall not lift up sword against nation, neither shall they learn war any more. (Isaiah 2:4).

Having in our hearts the spiritual joy of our meeting, which is grated to us by our benevolent God, we beseech our Lord and Savior for His grace and peace for us all, and invite You, Our beloved Brother in Christ, to deliver Your message and convey Your abundant blessings to the thousands of faithful gathered here.

Photo: TASS

Russia plans to maintain strategic partnership with Armenia, Russian Defense Minister Sergey Shoigu said on Wednesday at a meeting with his Armenian counterpart Seyran Ohanyan, TASS reports.

“We would like to maintain our strategic partnership further,” Shoigu said.

The Russian minister said that the bilateral military and military-technical cooperation is regulated and supported by more than 50 treaties and agreements.

“The tempo and intensity of our cooperation satisfy us. We cooperate in all spheres, I’d like to separately note the education sphere,” the defense minister said.

He recalled that many Armenian military are trained in Russian military academies, and this year Armenia filed an application for the training of more than 200 officers. “We are ready to support it”, Shoigu added.

Ohanyan said for his part that he was glad to have the opportunity to meet his Russian colleague and “compare notes” on certain issues of defense cooperation with Russia. “I think our regular bilateral meetings and joint events have become a tradition and demonstrate once again that our relations are at a very high level, and our cooperation in the defense sector is developing dynamically”, the Armenian defense minister said, adding that Russia’s assistance to Yerevan is a proof off such cooperation.

Iran’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Company has provided bandwidth transit from Iraq to Armenia (Pilote) with the capacity of 200Gbps under a project called ‘Ouj,’ reports. 

Ankara called back its ambassador to Berlin in protest after German MPs voted through a resolution to call the killing of Armenians by the Ottoman Empire a genocide on Thursday.

The Turkish government has described the Bundestag’s approval of the Armenian genocide bill “null and void,” the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“The fact that the German Parliament approved distorted and baseless claims as genocide is a historic mistake. The German Parliament’s approval of this bill is not a decision in line with friendly relations between Turkey and Germany. This decision is null and void for Turkey,” Deputy Prime Minister Numan Kurtulmus said.

“This is an issue that scientists and historians need to reach a conclusion on, not politicians or parliaments. As Turkey, we will surely give the necessary response to this decision in all platforms,” he added.

Meanwhile, Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Hüseyin Avni Karslıoglu has been recalled toAnkara for consultations over the decision.

Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuşoglu took to Twitter to criticize the vote.

“The way to close dark pages in [Germany’s] own history is not to defame the history of other countries with irresponsible and baseless parliament decisions,” Cavuşoğlu tweeted.

“Integration unions can only succeed and develop in a secure environment. Security is the key basis for the development and prosperity of our states,” Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said, addressing the extended session of the Supreme Council of the Eurasian Economic Union.

“The fact that the countries forming the EEU are also members of the CSTO, an organization that aims to ensure comprehensive security in the region, is extremely important. The escalation of the situation at the Karabakh line of contact and the Armenian border by Azerbaijan in early April became a serious challenge to the security of the EEU region,” President Sargsyan said.

“The danger is obvious. The EEU will either be views by our foreign partners as a zone of economic development, stability and security, where one can make investments and initiate long-term programs, or everyone will get used to this complex situation and will be guided by the circumstance that there are hearths of permanent tension and split here. I don’t think the second scenario meets our interests,” the President added.

“Armenia cannot stay aside in case of aggressive actions against Nagorno Karabakh on the part of Azerbaijan. Of course, the self-defense forces of Nagorno Karabakh were quick to restore the situation, taking it under control. An important role here is reserved to Russia, which Azerbaijan addressed with a request to re-establish the ceasefire,” the President of Armenia stated.

Referring to the Vienna meeting mediated by the Minsk Group, President Sargsyan said “an agreement was reached on the confidence building measures, including the implementation of monitoring and investigation mechanisms.”

“Armenia intends to work consistently towards implementation of those agreements and continue to seek ways for a peaceful settlement, which should be primarily based on the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination. Armenia agrees with the Minsk Group Co-Chairs that this principle forms the basis of settlement, along with the principles of the use of force or the threat of force and territorial integrity,” President Sargsyan concluded.

Jose Mourinho has been officially confirmed as Manchester United manager and has signed a three-year contract, the BBC reports.

He replaces Dutchman Louis van Van Gaal, who was dismissed on Monday, two days after the club’s FA Cup win.

“Jose is quite simply the best manager in the game today,” said United executive vice-chairman Ed Woodward.

Mourinho, 53, said: “To become Manchester United manager is a special honour in the game. It is a club known and admired throughout the world.”

He said he had always “felt an affinity with Old Trafford” and claimed he has “always enjoyed a rapport with the United fans”.

He added: “I’m looking forward to being their manager and enjoying their magnificent support in the coming years.

“There is a mystique and a romance about it which no other club can match.”

Mourinho has been out of work since being sacked as boss of Premier League rivals Chelsea in December.

President Serzh Sargsyan had a phone talk with US Vice-President Joe Biden at the initiative of the American side.

Issues related to the current stage of settlement of the Karabakh conflict were discussed.

The parties attached importance to the full and effective implementation of the agreements reached at the Vienna meeting held on May 16 at the initiative of the Foreign Ministers of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries.

The interlocutors agreed that the settlement of the issue is possible only in a peaceful way within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship.

A massive search is continuing for a second day for an EgyptAir plane that disappeared over the Mediterranean, the BBC reports.

Greek, Egyptian, French and UK military units are taking part in the operation near Greece’s Karpathos island.

Flight MS804 was en route from Paris to Cairo with 66 passengers and crew when it vanished early on Thursday.

Greece said radar showed the Airbus A320 had made two sharp turns and dropped more than 7,620m before plunging into the sea.

Egypt says the plane was more likely to have been brought down by a terrorist act than a technical fault.

Most of the people on board Flight MS804 were from Egypt and France. A Briton was also among the passengers.

So far, no wreckage or debris from the aircraft has been found.