Author: Chatinian Lara

100 years after Germany gave up its colonial rule in Southwest Africa, there have been fresh calls for the German government to admit that genocide was committed against the Hereros and Nama in what is now Namibia, reports.

Representatives of six German NGOs and a Namibian politician personally handed in a petition to the residence of Germany’s president, Joachim Gauck, calling for the German government to admit culpability for genocide in an early 20th century war in Germany’s former colony of Southwest Africa, today’s Namibia. While the German president did not receive the group, the president of Germany’s parliament, the Bundestag, Norbert Lammert, expressed agreement with them that the acts amounted to genocide.

“Just as the Turkish government carries responsibility for the way in which it deals with the genocide against the Armenians, we are also responsible for addressing this history [with Namibia],” Lammert wrote in an opinion piece published on Wednesday in the German newspaper “Die Zeit.”

NGOs responded cautiously to the news and reiterated their demands in the face of what appears to be a change in government policy.

“We are asking that the government recognize the colonial war against the Nama and Herero as genocide,” Christian Kopp of NGO Berlin Postkolonial told DW. “We are also demanding an apology from the highest levels of government – the president, the chancellor’s office, ideally the Bundestag, as well as the return of all human remains.”

The human remains issue has become highly emotive. During the war, which took place from 1904-1908, German eugenics researchers requested that colonial troops collect and send to Berlin skulls and other human remains of several thousand of the 80,000 vanquished Nama and Herero peoples. Some of the remains were used in research while others were sold as collectors’ items throughout Europe.

Cristiano Ronaldo is being considered as one of the three over-23 players for Portugal at the 2016 Olympic Games, reports.

The Real Madrid forward, 30, has enjoyed a glittering career at club level but silverware on the international scene has eluded him, with a runners-up medal at Euro 2004 the closest he’s come to winning a trophy with the Seleccao.

Portugal booked their spot in next summer’s Olympics due to the Under-21 side reaching the last four of June’s European Championship finals and, on Tuesday, they could win the tournament with a victory over Sweden’s Under-21s.

Portugal Football Association (FPF) president Fernando Gomes says that planning for Rio 2016 is still in the early stages but admitted Ronaldo could feature at the Games.

“It’s a possibility,” Gomes told Globo Esporte when asked about Ronaldo being involved in the Olympics.

“We can take three players aged over 23. Ronaldo is one of our current options but we have not thought too much about it yet.”

Sixteen teams will compete for the gold medal in the men’s football event in Rio, with the three other European entrants confirmed as Germany, Sweden and Denmark.

Should Ronaldo still be at the Santiago Bernabeu heading into the 2016-17 campaign, Madrid are likely to heavily object to Ronaldo’s participation in the Olympics due to the close proximity to La Liga’s start date in August.

Barring injury, Ronaldo is also likely to be involved in the Euro 2016 finals, assuming Portugal remain in the top two teams of their qualification group.

Portugal currently sit top of Group I with half of their matches played, ahead of Denmark, Albania, Serbia and Armenia.

Save the Children in partnership with the British Embassy in Armenia will organize a photo exhibition on the occasion of the World Refugee Day on June 20, 2015, at 11:00 AM, at Sargis Muradyan Gallery in Yerevan.

The event will be attended by the UK Ambassador in Armenia Katherine Leach, Representatives of the Ministry of Diaspora, Ministry of Emergency Situations and Local Self Government, Members of Armenian Parliament, Yerevan Municipality, other government agencies, Syrian refugees and civil society representatives.

The world we live in today has more people displaced by conflict than any time since the Second World War. According to UNHCR, there are more than 50 million refugees around the world, half of which are women and children. With this event, we aim to build empathy by reminding the public about who refugees are and why they need our help.

The exhibition will tell the story of inclusiveness, humanitarian aid, spirit of volunteerism and tolerance. The photos will share the memories and results of Save the Children’s assistance to refugees in Armenia. The cornerstone of the exhibition will be archive photos of Save the Children support provided to Armenian refugees in Syria (who fled Turkey) after World War I, and the assistance that is currently provided to their fourth generation who has taken refuge from Syria to Armenia.

This historical perspective has become possible with the support of the British Embassy in Armenia and the London-based Centre for Armenian Information & Advice Hayashen, who kindly provided the archive photos.

“In May 1919 Save the Children was set up by two extraordinary British sisters, who felt that they could not stand by while refugee children were left destitute and starving after WW1.  Their determination and fundraising efforts saved the lives of thousands of children, including many Armenian children in Syria and the Soviet Union.  I’m delighted we can tell this story today – and highlight the vital work Save the Children is still doing in Armenia and across the world as a global champion of children’s rights,” says Kathy Leach, the British Ambassador to Armenia.

“This event is not only about the forced journey of the Armenian nation, but also about the evolution of Save the Children to become a helping hand for children in 120 countries of the world,” says Arsen Stepanyan, Save the Children Armenia Country Director.

Massis Post – This year marks the 100th anniversary of the Martyrdom of the 20 Social Democrat Huchakian party leaders who were hanged by the Young Turk dictatorship on June, 15, 1915 in Ottoman Turkey.

On the occasion of the 100th anniversary, on June 18, 2015, the Central Committee of Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, has conveyed the following demand to the Mayor of Istanbul.

“Mr. Mayor,

On June 15, 1915, 20 Armenian revolutionaries, leaders and members of the Social Democrat Hunchakian party, were hung at the Sultan Bayazid Square in Istanbul.

They were; Matteos Sarkissian, Hagop Basmajian, Smpat Kelejian, Roupen Garabedian, Bedros Torosian, Armenag Hampartsoumian, Apraham Mouradian, Aram Achekbashian, Hrand Yegavian, Karekin Boghosian, Boghos Boghosian, Mourad Zakarian, Tovmas Tovmasian, Yeremia Manoukian, Mgrdich Yeretsian, Kegham Vanigian, Yervant Topuzian, Hovhannes Der-Ghazarian, Karnig Boyajian, and Kapriel Keshishian, and were buried collectively at the Edirne Gabui Armenian cemetery.

The Social Democratic Hunchaking Party Central Committee, desires to transport the remains of our comrades out of Turkey. Therefore, we demand that you facilitate the lawful ways of accomplishing this undertaking.”

During his speech marking the 100th anniversary in Los Angeles on June 14, 2015, the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party Central Committee Chairman Mr. Hagop Dikranian stated that the Party will formally demand from Turkey the return the remains of 20 Hunchakian Martyrs.

Mr. Dikranian stated, “Today on this stage, on behalf of the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party, I announce that we will soon be submitting an official demand to the relevant authorities in Turkey, to first identify and then surrender the Hunchakian twenty martyrs’ remains to us.”

Stressing that the party is committed and determined to accomplish this undertaking Mr. Dikranian further stated that, “The return of the Twenty Hunchakian Martyrs and their burial in Yerablur national cemetery in Armenia is a moral issue and a matter of principle for the Social Democrat Hunchakian Party.”

A new approach to teaching kids using technology in Armenia has educators from the Middle East, Europe and the US looking to replicate the programme, according to  

The after-school curriculum run by the Tumo Center for Creative Technologies lets students pick areas of interest and acquire skills at their own pace.

“What we’re trying to do is to create an environment where teenagers will be able to reach their full potential,” Marie Lou Papazian, the centre’s director, says.

“We want to give them the opportunity to learn as much as possible, to experiment as much as possible, to be self-confident of what they can do, and never be afraid to jump and take big leaps.”

More than 6,000 students between the ages of 12 and 18 are enrolled free-of-charge at the centre, which was set up with a $20m grant from the US-based Simonian Education Foundation.

Students use a workspace called a Tumo-mobile, which can be moved around for students to work individually or in groups, and they log into a special learning interface called Tumo World.

The proprietary software guides the students through a learning programme in English or Armenian, allowing them to focus on animation, digital media, game design and game development.

“Computer science or programming is a skill that is essential to everyone of the focus areas,” says Papazian.

“You cannot not know or not be familiar with computer programming today. You have to understand how programs work, where you can use them.”

“Even if you’re not a programmer and you’re an artist, you need to know those skills.”

Teachers at the centre include experienced professionals from the world’s leading companies, notably Disney and Pixar; renowned musicians including Serj Tankian, frontman of System of a Down; and film-makers of the calibre of Oscar-nominated Atom Egoyan.

Liz Artinian, a New York animation art director and background designer, volunteers her time to teach at Tumo a few weeks of the year.

“I tell them it’s an arts school, where arts meet technology. It’s a free school for kids to get a good foundation for arts and technology,” says Artinian.

“What I like is that it’s not just old art practices. It’s trying to find the new way and new programmes.”

The centre costs about $1.5m a year to run and its programmes have attracted the attention of educators from around the world, including the US, Russia, Germany, Lebanon, and Egypt.

Nearly a dozen countries are looking to replicate Tumo’s blueprint for learning centres.

“Someone came from MIT Media Lab, and I told them, this is not a school,” says Papazian.

“He said, ‘This is a school and you have to take it very seriously, because this is the future of the school system.’”

On the Initiative of the EU Armenia Friendship Group in the European Parliament and the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) a panel discussion entitled “Conflicts and the right to self-determination” took place in the European Parliament on Wednesday, June 3. The panel discussion focused on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, its structure, historic and legal aspects with a special emphasis on the right to self-determination.

EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian opened the panel discussionhostinga number of politicians and distinguished guests from academia. He thanked Eleni Theocharous, MEP, President of EU- Armenia Friendship Group in the European Parliament for making this panel discussion possible, he expressed his satisfaction over the high profile speakers and the number of guests from various countries; he stressed, that such discussions are an important step for Nagorno-Karabakh’s international recognition.

HE Tatoul Markarian, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Belgium, Head of Mission of Armenia to the European Union was represented by Mnatsakan Safaryan – counsellor of the Mission of the Republic of Armenia to the European Union. On behalf of the Ambassador he said the following: ‘The activities of the European Parliament in this matter, hearings like this, visits to the region and discussions, help to further increase the awareness within the European Parliament and European institutions and keep the Nagorno Karabakh issue in the limelight of the international community thus signaling to Azerbaijan to stop its warmongering and focus on the peaceful settlement’.

MEP Dr. Eleni Theocharous was the key-note speaker of the panel discussion. Prof. Dr.  Andrzej Zieba from the JagellonianUniversityof Krakow Poland, Dr. OhannesGeukjianfrom theAmerican UniversityofBeirut Lebanon, Dr. YiannosCharalambides from Cyprus, XavierFollebouckt from Louvainla Neuve University, Belgium were the participants of the panel. The discussion was moderated by Giro Manoyan, Director of the International Secretariat ARF Dashnaktsutyun, Armenia.

MEP Dr. Eleni Theocharous drew parallels between the conflict in Cyprus and Nagorno-Karabakh: “Currently, we are experiencing and living a similar struggle through the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh who are fighting to exercise their right to self-determination in order to achieve their freedom and thereby, define their own future and their destiny.” “The right to self-determination is enshrined within Article 1, Paragraph 2 of the UN Charter, it is the cornerstone for freedom and the symbol by which people all over the world, are inspired and encouraged to take their lives into their own hands,” said Dr. Theocharous.

Prof. Dr.  Andrzej Zieba’s contribution focused on the historic aspects of the conflict:“The necessity to deal with the crisis of political setting was the main reason for conflict in Nagorno-Karabakh. Caucasus was a conflict-trigger itself, but so was the case for any other region in the world. The presence and simultaneous unsteadiness of outside powers in South Caucasus impaired the effect of historical state-building processes and did not allow consolidation of the local hierarchy of political structures. It was the historical aspect which renews the military rivalry for territory until this day,” said Dr. Zieba.

Dr. YiannosCharalambides , political analyst from Cyprus, elaborated on thestructureoftheconflict andtheright to self-determination. He stressed the necessity to find out the causes triggering a conflict, in order to resolve it. He further raised the question if  the right to self-determination is a source of conflict or a fundamental legal and political basis for a solution. Dr. YiannosCharalambides further stated: “The people of Nagorno-Karabakh meet all the relevant criteria set out by the international law. The Armenians living there constitute an indigenous population carrying on their backs a vast civilization, while at the same time they had not settled in the region as conquerors of other nations. In accordance with the international law, Artsakh is their ancestral land. Certainly ethical reasons and the clauses of the international law are not, on their own, adequate factors for a solution to a problem. The art of diplomacy is the skill of coupling legal rights and clauses with national strength.”

Analyzing the current state of affairs XavierFollebouckt from theLouvainla Neuve University, Belgium said:  “It will be hard to achieve peace. But peace will always be worth the effort, worth the unavoidable compromises. Because peace will not only put an end to the violence and the instability on the ground; it will allow societies on both sides of the frontline to reach across this divide, to look towards the future and start building their nations on solid foundations, rather than on historical grievances. “

Elaborating on the legal aspects of the conflict Dr. OhannesGeukjianfrom theAmerican UniverisityofBeirut, Lebanon concluded: “My argument maintains that if Nagorno-Karabakh can perform the requisite political functions, the existing state has no jutification for its nonconsensual coercion. In other words, when a nation is sufficiently large, ecnomomically sustainable, politically organized and territorially contiguous (like Nagorno-Karabakh), it can secede and thereby enhance its national self-determination without jeoperdizing political stability.”

On 26-27 May, a final conference of the Asylum Systems Quality Initiative in Eastern Europe and South Caucasus Project gathers migration officials from ten countries in Kyiv to discuss achieved results and plans for future collaboration. Enhanced training for government asylum officers, the creation of a research database in Russian and the development of quality assurance tools are key achievements of the regional project that has improved the refugee system in Armenia.

The two and a half year project, funded by the European Union and co-funded and implemented by United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees, was designed to strengthen the protection of asylum-seekers and refugees in six countries in the EU’s eastern neighbourhood: Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine. The participants benefited from active engagement with four EU Member States: Germany, Poland, Romania and Sweden. With a 2.5 million euro budget, the project focused on improvement of the quality, fairness and efficiency of asylum decision-making in the participating countries.

Following a joint survey of the national asylum system, Armenia has committed to build on existing strengths, to bridge gaps and to develop quality assurance mechanisms. “The progress in Armenia since the gap analysis report was prepared is notable. In particular, the authorities have developed draft legislative amendments to close gaps in the legal framework; have with UNHCR support adopted 7  Standard Operation Procedures to ensure procedures are consistently applied in line with international standards and have introduced a new staff position to undertake country of origin information research,” said Mr. Christoph Bierwirth, UNHCR Representative in Armenia.

Through more than 100 regional conferences, joint trainings, study visits and individualized training events, the project helped the participating countries to address the most important weaknesses and enhance practical cooperation on asylum matters. The EU Member States have provided good practice advice and shared their vast experience with the relatively new asylum systems in the region. Migration officials from Eastern Europe received access to several training modules developed for EU Member States by the European Asylum Support Office. Translated into the Russian language, these capacity building tools can be easily accessed and used by new staff and other countries.

The Head of the Migration Agency of the Ministry of Territorial Administration of the Republic of Armenia, Mr.  Gagik Yeganyan, highly appreciated the international engagement in the regional project: ‘’The international experience and support have been crucial in the future development of the asylum system in Armenia’’, he said.

A rare bird may become extinct in Syria because of the capture of Palmyra by Islamic State, experts say, reports.

A tiny breeding colony of the northern bald ibis was found near the city in 2002.

Three birds held in captivity were abandoned last week after their guards fled the fighting. Their fate is unknown.

Officials have offered a reward of $1,000 (£646) for information about the whereabouts of a fourth bird.

The Society for the Protection of Nature in Lebanon told the BBC that finding the missing female, called Zenobia, is crucial.

She is the only bird who knows the migration routes to wintering grounds in Ethiopia and without her other captive birds cannot be released.

Then the species could go extinct in the wild in Syria, said ornithologists.

“Culture and nature they go hand in hand, and war stops, but nobody can bring back a species from extinction,” said head of the society Asaad Serhal.

Toronto City Council has passed an Armenian Genocide Recognition Motion, Horizon Weekly reports.

Motion MM6.7 reads: “City Council recognizes the 100th Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide to honor the memory of the men, women and children who died.”

The motion was brought forward by Councillor Jim Karygiannis (Ward 39) and, through strong support from longtime friends of the Armenian community, achieved the two-thirds majority required for a procedural motion to avoid being referred to the Executive Committee.

At that point, Councillor Giorgio Mammoliti, who was the recipient of a fundraising campaign during the 2014 municipal election by deniers of the Armenian Genocide, put a hold on the item to prevent it from going straight to a vote.  The item was brought up later in the Council meeting where Councillor John Campbell tried to kibosh the motion by moving “receipt” instead of adopting the recommendation.  The attempt failed and the motion ultimately passed 26-4 with Councillors Campbell, Mammoliti, Berardinetti, and Shiner voting against.

The U.S. Ambassador to Armenia, Richard M. Mills, Jr., visited the Microsoft Innovation Center to highlight World Intellectual Property Day, a day celebrated annually to mark the founding of the World Intellectual Property Organization, otherwise known as WIPO, in 1970. In addition to touring the center and the Armenian National Engineering Lab (ANEL), the Ambassador spoke with a group of IT startups and students and delivered remarks.

In his remarks, Ambassador Mills highlighted the importance of public/private partnerships such as the one between Microsoft, USAID and the Government of Armenia. “In addition to contributing greatly to developing innovative solutions and technologies, Microsoft in Armenia also contributes to the protection of intellectual property rights (IPR). These types of partnerships unite all the stakeholders and act as an effective platform for addressing such challenges as protection of intellectual property rights, in addition to designing and implementing common IPR strategies that will be beneficial for all the parties involved,” he stated.

While annual monitoring by the Business Software Alliance (BSA) shows that the piracy rate in Armenia has been slowly decreasing, it remains very high – 86% as of 2013.  An increased commitment to the protection of IPR across all sectors – the government, businesses and private consumers – is essential to enable Armenian entrepreneurs to better capitalize on the potential of their intellectual property, and thus help grow Armenia’s economy.