Author: Badalian Vardan

Vatican Holds ‘Moment of Reflection’ on Armenian Genocide

14:39, 14 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

The Pontifical Oriental Institute on Thursday held a “moment of
reflection” to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the “Metz Yeghern,
the Great Evil: ter voghormia, Lord have mercy,” Vatican Radio
reports.

Metz Yeghern is the traditional expression used for attacks by the
government against ethnic Armenians in the Ottoman Empire. Between one
and one and a half million people are believed to have been killed
between 1915 and 1918.

Thursday’s event centered on the presentation of the work of Father
George Ryssen, SJ, and on the commemoration of alumni of the
Pontifical Armenian College who were killed during that time. Father
Ruyssen’s work, of which four of a projected seven volumes have been
published, collects all the documents pertaining to the historical
events to be found in the different archives of the Holy See.

The Prefect for the Congregation for the Oriental Churches, Cardinal
Leonardo Sandri – who is also Chancellor of the Institute – attend the
event, and addressed the participants.

In his remarks, Cardinal Sandri said the “moment of reflection” was
not only an academic exercise, but was also “a Christian gesture of
justice and mercy.” The event, he said, shows that we are untiring
seekers after the Truth that is Christ; collaborators [working for]
the coming of the city ‘in which dwells righteousness’; and
supplicants invoking the intercession of the witnesses, the martyroi
of the Armenian people” who made the supreme profession of faith by
shedding their blood.

Cardinal Sandri also noted the gratitude of the Armenian people to the
Pope of the time, Benedict XV. He said the work of Father Ruyssen
“allows us to understand how the Holy See was diligent in attempting
to stay the hands of the executioners, and to bring possible relief
and aid to those who escaped the massacres that took place one hundred
years ago.”

We are still saddened, he continued, for those who rose up to kill
their neighbours, but even more, astonished by the silence of so many
nations and so many powerful people, as we are still astonished to day
on the part of others to speak with objectivity, to arrive at the
longed-for goal of reconciliation, in truth and in justice.”

The mystery of evil, he said, “mysterium iniquitatis, that is able to
flow from the heart of man, and that is made manifest in the
destruction that every sin brings with it, compels us to get down on
our knees, and pray, as we say in the subtitle of our meeting: “Ter
voghormia… Lord have mercy!” Have mercy on man whom you have created,
but who now is wounded, is far from you, poor, a sinner, capable, as
Cain was, of conceiving death for his brother, capable of nourishing
hatred and seeking vengeance.”

Cardinal Sandri concluded his remarks with the words of Benedict XVI
during the former Pope’s visit to the extermination camp at Auschwitz:
“We cannot peer into God’s mysterious plan – we see only piecemeal,
and we would be wrong to set ourselves up as judges of God and
history. Then we would not be defending man, but only contributing to
his downfall. No – when all is said and done, we must continue to cry
out humbly yet insistently to God: Rouse yourself! Do not forget
mankind, your creature! And our cry to God must also be a cry that
pierces our very heart, a cry that awakens within us God’s hidden
presence – so that his power, the power he has planted in our hearts,
will not be buried or choked within us by the mire of selfishness,
pusillanimity, indifference or opportunism. Let us cry out to God,
with all our hearts, at the present hour, when new misfortunes befall
us, when all the forces of darkness seem to issue anew from human
hearts: whether it is the abuse of God’s name as a means of justifying
senseless violence against innocent persons, or the cynicism which
refuses to acknowledge God and ridicules faith in him. Let us cry out
to God, that he may draw men and women to conversion and help them to
see that violence does not bring peace, but only generates more
violence – a morass of devastation in which everyone is ultimately the
loser.”

ARMENIA NEEDS PHASAL STEPS BEFORE ADOPTING EEU COMMON CURRENCY

17:46 * 13.03.15

Before adopting the common currency proposed by the Eurasian
Economic Union (EEU), Armenia needs to implement phasal steps to
avoid a conflict of interests and resulting negative developments,
says an economist.

Speaking to Tert.am, the Control Chamber’s first president, Ashot
Tavadyan, stressed the need of a coordinated monetary-loan policies
and refinance interest rate.

He cited the EEU accession treaty, Article 63 of which says that
price surge in the member states should be less than 5% higher from
the inflation rate of those countries where surge appeared to be
the lowest.

“The treaty of course calls for a coordinated monetary-loan policies.

But in that case, the currency exchange rate too, should be maximum
proportionate,” Tavadyan added.

He said it is also possible to create a special fund which would
compensate social expenses in case of an essential currency change
in any of the countries.

“The changes should be proportionate against the US Dollar, and
the Euro and correspond to the inflation rate in the countries in
question,” he added.

As for the refunding interest, Tavadyan said he finds it too high
compared to the general inflation rate. He said he doesn’t think that
such a rate potentially contributes to economic growth. “A coordinated
monetary-loan policies apply also to currency,” he said, noting that
last year’s double slump in the oil prices slowed down the currency
flow to Russia, raising US Dollar’s price almost all around the globe.

Tavadyan said he expects the common currency plan to lead to a conflict
of interests among the EEU member countries, but added that Armenia can
avoid possible problems in case pf actively protecting its interest.

ICRC REPRESENTATIVES VISIT AZERI NATIONALS IN KARABAKH

16:42, 13 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Representatives of the International Committee of the Red Cross
visited the two Azeri national Shahbaz Guliyev and Dilham Askerov
in Stepanakert. Communication Programs Director of the ICRC Yerevan
Office Zara Amatuni confirmed the news to Public Radio of Armenia.

ICRC representatives conveyed information about their families.

Dilham Askerov and Shahbaz Guliyev are charged under Articles 7 and 5
of the Criminal Code of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. They are accused
of kidnapping and violence against a minor, murder committed by an
organized group motivated by ethnic hatred, espionage, unauthorized
border trespass, carrying artillery weapons.

The Azeri saboteurs crossed the NKR border in July, 2014. The third
commando, Hasan Hasanov, was killed, and his body was handed over
to Baku.

The actions of the subversive group left an underage resident of
Karvachar region and a soldier killed and a woman wounded.

The First Instance Court of General Jurisdiction sentenced Dilham
Askerov to life imprisonment, and Shahbaz Guliyev to 22 years in jail.

The Court of Appeals later upheld the verdict.

BELARUS SAYS READY TO HOST KARABAKH TALKS

10:39, 13 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Belarus is ready to host negotiations on the Nagorno-Karabakh.

Belarusian Foreign Minister Vladimir Makei made the statement during
the meeting with Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group of the Organization
for Security and Cooperation in Europe on 12 March, BelTA reports..

The press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry quoted Vladimir
Makei as saying: “I would like to confirm our readiness to host peace
talks on Nagorno-Karabakh at the time specified by the relevant OSCE
resolutions. If necessary, we could also provide the venue for the
final stage of the negotiation process on working out a comprehensive
peace agreement”.

The Belarusian Foreign Minister also remarked he was glad to welcome
the Minsk Group co-chairs and the personal representative of the
OSCE Chairperson-in-Office on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Vladimir
Makei mentioned their visit to Minsk as historic.

“Belarus resolutely supports OSCE efforts in favor of stepping up
regional security and stability, finding peaceful solutions to resolve
existing and long-drawn conflicts, including the Nagorno-Karabakh one.

We are ready to make our own contribution the way we did within
the framework of the Ukrainian crisis,” stated Vladimir Makei. The
Belarusian Foreign Minister went on saying that Belarus shares
the vision of the Minsk Group co-chairs on ways to resolve the
Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Belarus fully agrees with the idea that as a priority it is now
necessary to reduce tensions along the conflict line in order to avoid
human casualties. “Belarus highly appreciates the incessant effort on
the part of Minsk Group co-chairs and the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

The efforts are of primary importance not only for the sake of
restoring security in the conflict zone but also for enabling favorable
conditions for top-level contacts,” stressed the Minister.

Apart from that, Vladimir Makei stated that Belarus welcomes the
intensification of contacts between leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Belarus maintains close friendly relations with both countries,
including contacts at the level of the heads of state. The fact could
be useful for advancing the peace process.

The press service of the Belarusian Foreign Ministry specified that on
12 March Vladimir Makei met with co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group:
Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United
States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France. They were joined
by personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Andrzej
Kasprzyk. The co-chairs and the personal representative informed the
Belarusian Foreign Minister about the situation in the conflict zone
and the development of the negotiation process. Prospects of future
cooperation were discussed, including Belarus’ possible assistance
with the settlement process.

LYDIAN INTERNATIONAL COMPANY PLANNING TO PROCEED TO AMULSAR MINE CONSTRUCTION STAGE

15:02 March 11, 2015

EcoLur

President and CEO of “Lydian International” Company Howard Stevenson
said that “Lydian International” Company plans to ensure the complete
financing of Amulsar project and to proceed to the mine construction
stage in 2015, as “Geoteam” CJSC informs.

Lydian International presented its Amulsar Project at the World’s
biggest mining conference, the Prospectors’ and Developers’ Association
of Canada (PDAC) trade show and conference from 1-4 March.

“We are glad to be able to continue to present the project and Armenia
in high-profile events like PDAC. At these times of economic volatility
attracting investments is a challenge. We gave a presentation on
Amulsar project as part of the PDAC conference and we are glad that the
interest in the investment potential of Amulsar and Armenia is still
high. As we plan to proceed to the full financing of the project this
year, we look forward to the start of the construction and to building
a world-class mining project in Armenia, beneficial for the country,
the communities and the investors,” Howard Stevenson, President and
CEO of Lydian International said.

Reminder: “Lydian International” Company as represented by its
“Geoteam” subsidiary is going to develop Amulsar gold mine located
in the borderline of Vayots Dzor and Syunik Regions. “Lydian
International” Company shareholders are International Finance
Corporation (IFC) and the European Bank for Reconstruction and
Development (EBRD).

FOUNDING PARLIAMENT TO START ACTING APRIL 24

13:45 | March 13,2015 | Politics

This year we shall get rid of the regime, and we are starting
operations on April 24, Chairman of the Founding Parliament Movement
Garegin Chugaszyan said on March 13.

“There are different methods and tools to choose from but we shall
not reveal them for tactical reasons,” Mr Chugaszyan said adding that
if people are subjected to violence they have to right to revolt –
something that happened on March 1, 2008.

“We shall participation in the events commemorating the Armenian
Genocide Centennial, at the same time we shall fight for justice and
our rights,” he said.

Garegin Chugaszyan says all people who say ‘April 24 is a holy day’
can join their struggle on April 25. He does not exclude new arrests
and violence by April 24.

Founding Parliament, a successor of the Pre-parliament movement,
seeks a regime change in Armenia.

CANADIAN PRIME MINISTER MEETS WITH ARMENIAN CONSERVATIVES

17:36, March 13, 2015

On March 4, members of the Armenian Canadian Conservative Association
(ACCA) met with Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper shortly after
he announced upcoming changes to legislation affecting Canada’s
justice system.

The Prime Minister was accompanied by the Honorable Peter MacKay,
Minister of Justice, and Ms. Roxanne James, the Parliamentary Secretary
to the Minister of Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness.

Approximately twenty ACCA members were present, led by their Chair
Vatche Demirdjian and Vice-Chair Sevan Hajinian, who reiterated to the
Prime Minister the organization’s support for Canada’s Conservative
Government and its governing principles.

After Prime Minister Harper congratulated ACCA members for the founding
of their organization, Ms. Hajinian provided the Prime Minister with
a copy of her book, The Armenian Genocide Denied.

PROSPECTS OF ARTSAKH-EU COOPERATION DISCUSSED IN STEPANAKERT

14:36, 13 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

On March 13, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh
Republic Minister Karen Mirzoyan received delegates of the EU-Armenia
Parliamentary Cooperation Committee of the National Assembly of
Armenia headed by Co-Chairman of the Committee Samvel Farmanyan.

During the meeting, Karen Mirzoyan presented a range of issues on the
NKR foreign policy agenda. The issues related to the current stage
of the peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and
Nagorno Karabakh, as well as the steps taken towards the international
recognition of the NKR were touched upon.

The sides also exchanged views on the opportunities and prospects
for the development of relations between the NKR and the EU,
in particular, implementation of practical programs within the
framework of the parliamentary cooperation. In this context, the
sides stressed the importance of ensuring an unimpeded access to
Artsakh for the EU official representatives and the necessity of
objective and comprehensive presentation of the NKR stance in the
European structures.

ARF ABOUT TURKEY’S VAIN THREATS TO COUNTRIES THAT RECOGNIZED ARMENIAN GENOCIDE

18:10, 12.03.2015

YEREVAN. – Turkey’s threats to countries that have recognized the
Armenian Genocide in vain, ARF Dashnaktsutyun member Artsvik Minasyan
said commenting on Armenian parliament’s trip to Czech Republic.

According to him, in private conversations with Czech politicians,
he mentioned this fact, citing the example of France. When Paris
was going to criminalize denial of the Armenian Genocide, Turkey’s
politicians were threatening to burn their bridges, and now Turkish
firms are advertising goods as before.

“Genocide was recognized by Czech Republic’s neighbors Poland and
Slovakia, and no action by the Turkish side followed. And we see that
our Czech colleagues listened to these arguments,” he emphasized.

NEVADA GOVERNOR ISSUES ARMENIAN GENOCIDE PROCLAMATION

12:59, 12 Mar 2015
Siranush Ghazanchyan

Nevada Governor Brian Sandoval, issued a proclamation commemorating the
Armenian Genocide, declaring April 19-26 as the “Day of Remembrance of
The Armenian Genocide,” reported the Armenian Council of America (ACA).

Spearheaded by the ACA Nevada Chapter, the proclamation condemns the
systematic murder and deportations of 1.5 million Armenians in the
Ottoman Empire, highlighting the plight of the Armenian people and the
refuge they sought in the U.S. during that time, Massis Post reports.

The proclamation also honors the Armenian-American community in Nevada,
citing that the “thriving community is a proud reminder of survival
and determination even in the face of extreme injustice.”

Calling upon the House of Representatives and the President of the
U.S. to recognize the atrocities, the proclamation also reiterates
Turkey’s responsibility “to acknowledge the facts of the Armenian
Genocide.”

A full text of the proclamation can be found below.

WHEREAS, on the night of April 24, 1915, more than 200 leaders in
the Armenian community, in the city known today as Istanbul, were
arrested. Sent to prison, most were executed, beginning a horrible,
systemic killing and forced relocation of the Armenian people that
would last until 1923. During these years, the government of the
Ottoman Empire claimed the lives of 1.5 million Armenians and forced
500,000 more from their homeland. The Armenian Genocide was a terrible
breach of human rights and an event that has outraged the world; and

WHEREAS, the atrocities carried out against the Armenian people
were grave and unimaginable, as they were subjected to deportation,
abduction, torture, starvation, and more. And as with any violent
conflict, Armenian women and children suffered the worst abuses. The
bulk of the Armenian population that was displaced from their homes
was forced to escape to neighboring as well as faraway countries. Many
fled to the United States; and

WHEREAS, today Nevada is honored to be home to a vibrant growing
Armenian-American population. This thriving community is a proud
reminder of survival and determination even in the face of extreme
injustice; and

WHEREAS, as Americans and Nevadans, it is our duty to raise awareness
of the Armenian Genocide and to participate in the remembrance and
mourning of the loss of innocent lives a century ago; and

WHEREAS, as Americans and Nevadans, we call upon Congress and the
President of the United States to recognize the atrocities committed
against the Armenian people, and call upon the Republic of Turkey
to acknowledge the facts of the Armenian Genocide and work toward a
just resolution;

NOW, THEREFORE, I, BRIAN SANDOVAL, GOVERNOR OF THE STATE OF NEVADA,
do hereby proclaim April 19-26, 2015, as

DAYS OF REMEMBRANCE OF THE ARMENIAN GENOCIDE