Author: Dabaghian Diana

On July 8, President Serzh Sargsyan will conduct a working visit to the Republic of Poland where he will participate at the meeting of the Heads of State and Government of the NATO member and non-member states related to the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan. The meeting will be held in framework of the NATO Summit. In Warsaw, the President of Armenia will also hold bilateral meetings.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today Herbert Salber, the EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.

The interlocutors discussed the steps towards implementation of the agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits on Nagorno Karabakh.

Minister Nalbandian stressed the importance of unconditional implementation of the agreements in order to further the peace process.

Herbert Salber noted, in turn, that there is no alternative to a peaceful settlement and reiterated the EU support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs.

On 29 June Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan met with chairman of the Children of Armenia Fund (COAF) Garo Armen and adviser to the fund’s Board of Directors, former US ambassador to Armenia John Evans.

Issues related to the realization of various programs in Artsakh were on the agenda of the meeting.

President Sahakyan noted that the COAF’s activity substantially contributed to children’s patriotic upbringing as well as development of the countryside adding that Artsakh was interested in expanding cooperation with the organization.

Borussia Dortmund chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted that they will come to a decision over Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s future soon, the reports.

Manchester United are closing in on the Armenian midfielder and Watzke confirmed that a new, improved, bid had arrived.

Dortmund were desperate to keep hold of the 27-year-old but an offer in the region of £33m looks like it has convinced them to sell.

They wanted him to stay and see out the last 12 months of his contract but agent Mino Raiola went into overdrive in a bid to get him out.

Watzke told German paper : “The situation is now different.

“Manchester have made a much improved offer.

“In situations like this there are always a lot of different things to consider and in the end at one point we have to make a decision.

“And as we are back in training on Monday we will decide at the weekend.

“I have contacted the relevant people and we will weigh things up at the weekend. And then the board will make the decision, definitely at the weekened.”

Global displacement figures remain at highest levels since the end of the Second World War, giving an alarming picture on the state of our world and indicate as to failures in conflict resolution and prevention efforts and advancing human rights protection. Over 60 million people are presently forcibly displaced. The conflict in Syria, only one of many present global trouble spots, has impacted and still impacts on Armenia. It has passed its 5^th year and despite renewed and enhanced efforts of the international community peace is not in sight. To the contrary recent fighting in Aleppo resulted in renewed suffering and many victims including among civilians. Flight from the Syrian conflict zones continue albeit refugees are facing more and more challenges in accessing safety and a harsher protection environment.  NGO partners report that about 550 destitute Syrian Armenians have registered with them seeking support in traveling to Armenia. UNHCR and its partners are ready and willing to offer initial humanitarian assistance, including by way of provision of temporary rental subsidies, upon arrival.

The escalation of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in early April 2016 has also caused renewed destruction, human suffering and displacement, including into Armenia. The overwhelming majority of the displaced population consists of women, children and elderly most of whom originate from the most affected villages close to the line of contact such as Talish and Mataghis villages of Martakert region and many of them have specific needs, such as pregnant and lactating women or persons suffering from sickness or disability. Most of the displaced families are presently hosted by relatives or family friends often themselves belonging to the poorer segments of the society. UNHCR was impressed by the high level of hospitality and support extended to the displaced by the host communities and likes to expresses its sincere gratitude to all those who assisted and still continue to help.

UNHCR in close cooperation with the State Migration Service and the Social Protection Units,  who worked on identification and registration and also involving local authorities, local NGO-s and volunteers, quickly developed a small assistance programme, through which a modest cash assistance was offered to over 400 families (1429 persons) with a view to address their most urgent needs. It is observed that an increasing number of the displaced have returned or are considering return, but UNHCR would like to emphasise that the voluntary nature of return must be respected and returned. UNHCR closely liaises with our ICRC colleagues as to assistance to be offered after return to Nagrono-Karabakh.

UNHCR is pleased to note that since WRD 2015 some significant progress has been made in improving the Armenian refugee legislation. Important amendments to the Law on Refugees and Asylum entered into force in January 2016. It is now crucial to move swiftly in adopting the necessary by-laws. UNHCR is pleased to share with you that the State Migration Service has engaged in drafting an Integration Strategy. It is crucial that the draft strategy will be discussed and finalised with the involvement of all relevant government, international organisations and civil society stakeholders with a view to ensure broad ownership for the strategy, harmonise approaches, utilise synergies and to gain donor support. UNHCR has supported the initiative from its outset and is ready to support the consultation and finalisation process. UNHCR notes with concern that understandable attention to the difficult security environment of the country has led to case of prolonged detention of asylum-seekers of non-Christian background. UNHCR calls upon the authorities to address legitimate security concerns in a manner compatible with international refugee law and regional and international human rights law.

On the occasion of World Refugee Day the UNHCR Representative in Armenia, Mr. Christoph Bierwirth emphasised: “Refugees need understanding for their plight, solidarity and support everywhere in the world, so in Armenia.”  He noted in particular the integration challenges faced by refugees of non-Armenian background, in particular of those of African descent.

This year’s motto of world refugee day brings it well to the point: “We stand together with Refugees”. He added that: “ways to assist, to express solidarity ‘to stand together with refugees’ are manifold. They include: The family who hosts some displaced relatives from Nagorno-Karabakh, the neighbor who offers a helping hand when a refugee family from Syria or elsewhere moves in next door, the who offers an apartment for free or at a reduced, social rent, the student who leads his Syrian Armenian colleague through the ‘’labyrinth’’ of Armenian academic institutions, NGO activists, school teachers and directors who accelerate access to schooling,  all those who offer small or bigger donations to the many NGOs who care. Mr. Bierwirth thanked those engaged, called for ongoing humanitarian engagement “by everyone on his own way and with his own available means”, noting that creativity should not be limited.

The importance of media in creating an environment of understanding, conducive for integration cannot be underestimated. While laws and procedures and assistance mechanism are important it is the receptivity of the host society which makes a refugee feel welcome, which allows him or her to find a new home.

Hovhannes Aivazovsky’s “The Survivor” has been auctioned for £499.000 at MacDougall’s, RIA Novosti reports.

The painting is dedicated to a survival from a shipwreck –one of Aivazovski’s favoriute topics.

The picture of the Syrian city of Palmira was auctioned for £461.800

A cloth with a drop of papal blood has gone missing from the Cologne Cathedral, German police said. A churchgoer noticed the theft and alerted officials, who urged the thieves to return the relic,  reports.

The perpetrators dislodged a glass container holding the blood of John Paul II from the base of the pope’s statue, police said on Sunday. The theft took place during the previous night.

“Although the material value is low, the spiritual value is a lot bigger,” the cathedral’s provost Gerd Bachner said, according to the police statement.

The theft was first noticed by a visitor who alerted the cathedral usher on Sunday.

The Cologne Cathedral has housed the cloth since 2013, honoring the late pontiff who visited the church in 1980. The relic was placed in the container so believers could touch it.

The German Bundestag is holding a debate on the Armenian Genocide.

Christopher Berdner CDU /CSU

The term genocide is not a legal formulation, we use it to correctly describe the essence of the tragedy. Besides, we need a definite formulation to accept our complicity.

Dietmar Nietan CDU /CSU

Genocide remains genocide and we bow before the memory of the victims. Listen to your heart during the vote. Please, don’t believe all you read in our textbooks and what is being said here in the Bundestag.

When you utter the word genocide, don’t think it’s an offense to Turkey. It’s necessary first of all for strengthening our democracy.

Cem Ozdemir, Alliance ’90/The Greens

Thank you to the coalition for keeping the promise to work out a joint resolution. We tell our colleagues that this is an issue of moral responsibility. This genocide awaits correct presentation in pages of history.  We express our high respect to those Turks who received the order to kill Armenians, but did not obey it.

The story of my Cherkez parents also awaits being called genocide. What’s the most painful is that calling a person “an Armenian” is still seen as an offence in Turkey. I don’t mind being called Armenian.

“When I go home tonight I won’t be arrested or beaten. This isn’t true for my colleagues in Turkey fighting for Armenians.”

Franz Josef Jung, CDU /CSU

We not only accept that it was genocide, but also acknowledge our responsibility for it. We have to differentiate between the guilt of the Young Turk Government and today’s Turkey.

Today’s Turkey is one of our main partners, which have a number of joint programs with. That’s why it’s important to correctly describe the events of the past in order to build a better future.

We demand to provide scholarships and funding to scholars for joint Armenian-Turkish research works, for the creation of a new commission of historians that will contribute to the opening of the borders.

Norbert Lammert

Addressing the lawmakers, President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert first stressed that the Parliament is not a court, not even a commission of historians.

“We, the Germans, are better informed of the dark pages of our history than others, and we have to confess the truth no matter how painful it is. We have to demonstrate a frank and self-criticizing approach. Acknowledgement of the German complicity is very important,” Lammert said.

“Today’s Turkish authorities are not guilty of what happened, but bear responsibility for the events of 100 years ago. This debate is accompanied by protests and rallies. We’re open for any criticism, and take it into consideration, but any attempts to restrict the freedom of speech in the Bundestag are unacceptable. We accept our complicity, this is a fact,” Lammert said.

Researchers and students across Georgia and Armenia are now able to participate in collaborative work with their peers in Europe and other parts of the world thanks to two direct Internet links to the pan-European GÉANT network recently implemented through the EU-funded EaPConnect project.

EaPConnect aims to create a world-class regional research and education (R&E) network in Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, and connect it to the European network. It is in line with the recently revised European Neighbourhood policy that aims for increased interconnectivity and economic development for the European Union and its neighbours.

“The project will further contribute to Europe being a hub for global research and education collaboration”, said DG NEAR Director for Neighbourhood East Lawrence Meredith. “EaPConnect is bridging the digital divide and bringing people together. We are proud to support the integration of Armenia and Georgia into the global landscape”.

“Armenia has a long history of achievements in scientific research. Connecting to the GÉANT network will bring positive outcomes to our pool of talents and projects while contributing to advance European and global science,’’ said Dr Hrachya Astsatryan, head of the Center for Scientific Computing at the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia.

Steve Cotter, CEO of GÉANT, commented: “We are proud to welcome two new members to the European research and education community and expand to over 40 connected local networks. GRENA and ASNET-AM are already established partners of global scientific institutions such as CERN in nuclear research and physics and the European research community looks forward to extending their collaboration with their Georgian and Armenian colleagues.’’

“The Georgian research community has a strong interest in European Technologies and scientific values. I believe that scientists working in high-energy physics, medicine, meteorology, climate change, seismology and computational biology will greatly benefit from the established network and implemented service,’’ said Dr Ramaz Kvatadze, Executive Director of GRENA.