The Danish Parliament is expected to consider a resolution on Armenian Genocide recognition at a plenary session today.
The issue has been brought to the agenda by Nikolaj Villumsen (EL) , Rasmus Nordqvist (ALT), according to the Danish Parliament’s official website.
On 16 January President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree, according to which serviceman of the NKR Defense Army’s N division Garik Vardanyan was posthumously awarded with the “For Service in Battle” medal for bravery shown during the defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic state border.
Private of the NKR Defense Army Garik Artashes Vardanyan, born in 1996, succumbed to wounds at the military hospital in Yerevan on January 15.
The NKR Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses its condolences to Garik Vardanyan’s family and friends.
As the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met to consider President-Elect Donald Trump’s Secretary of State Nominee Mr. Rex Tillerson, former ExxonMobil CEO, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) highlighted key policy issues in a letter sent to Chairman Bob Corker (R-TN) and Ranking Member Ben Cardin (D-MD).
“We need a Secretary of State committed to strengthening the permanent bonds between Armenia and the United States, two countries that share common values and beliefs, and who will see in Armenia, which remains an island of stability, a vital ally in the region,” Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian said in their letter to the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. “United States-Armenia relations have been consistently characterized by friendship and reciprocity and an active Armenian American community strongly supports further expanding the United States partnership with the Republic of Armenia,” they added.
Assembly Co-Chairs highlighted several areas of concern, including Azerbaijan’s flagrant violations of the 1994/5 cease-fire agreement with respect to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, intentionally escalating the violence as pressure for Armenian concessions and launching a 4-day war last April.
“Such behavior makes it clear that Azerbaijan cannot be trusted to honor its commitments and must be held accountable for its egregious human rights violations,” the Co-Chairs said in the letter. “All Americans should be deeply troubled by…reports of Azerbaijan’s ISIS-inspired mutilations of civilians and beheadings of soldiers.”
“Now is the time to strengthen the OSCE process and ensure vigorous U.S. engagement to bring about a lasting and durable settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict that is agreeable to all parties, and based upon America’s founding commitment to the principles of democracy, rule of law, and self-determination,” they continued.
Barsamian and Krikorian also noted the Assembly’s concerns with respect to Turkey’s more than 20-year blockade of Armenia and its ongoing campaign of genocide denial. “Within Turkey, its treatment of minority communities, repression of basic freedoms, ties to ISIS, and its ongoing failure to return confiscated Armenian churches as well as its continued denial of the Armenian Genocide remain troubling trends,” Co-Chairs Barsamian and Krikorian stated.
In his opening statement, Secretary of State Nominee Tillerson said that “Our approach to human rights begins by acknowledging that American leadership requires moral clarity. We do not face an ‘either or’ choice on defending global human rights. Our values are our interests when it comes to human rights and humanitarian assistance…But our leadership demands action specifically focused on improving the conditions of people the world over, utilizing both aid and economic sanctions as instruments of foreign policy when appropriate.”
Both Azerbaijan and Turkey have a history of human rights abuses, especially in recent reports by international organizations such as Human Rights Watch and the U.S. Helsinki Commission. America and its next Secretary of State need to uphold America’s core values and protect fundamental freedoms and human rights.
As the confirmation process continues, the Assembly will continue to advance key priorities and look for ways to further expand U.S.-Armenia relations.
“The world is facing a growing threat of proliferation and use of the weapons of mass destruction by non-state actors, which is a serious challenge to global security,” Armenia’s Permannet Representative to the UN, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan said at the UN Security Council open debate on stopping the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction by non-State actors.
“The globalization has facilitated the opportunities of acquisition and use of chemical, biological, radioactive and nuclear weapons by non-state actors – terrorists and criminal groups. Although the existing technical barriers still prevent the production of contemporary means of their delivery, even small-scale attacks can lead to disastrous results,” Ambassador Mnatsakanyan said.
“Today’s imperative is to work out a national control and non-proliferation mechanism accompanied by international cooperation, to prevent the proliferation and use of those weapons by non-state actors – terrorists and other criminal groups,” Zohrab Mnatsakanyan added.
According to the Ambassador, Armenia attaches great importance to issues of nuclear security on domestic and international levels by working out corresponding internal legislation, ratifying and applying international legal agreements.
Zohrab Mnatsakanyan reminded about the 2015 decision of the Armenian government on the reinforcement of security of the physical and nuclear facilities of Metsamor Nuclear Power Plant. He added that “Armenia’s 2015-2020 program of national actions envisages concrete steps targeted at the review of current measures and elaboration of future actions.”
“We are actively involved in a number of programs aimed at preventing the proliferation of weapons. The Armenian Government keeps working in bilateral and multilateral formats against the smuggling of nuclear materials,” Amb. Mnatsakanyan said.
Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in a meeting of the CSTO Foreign Ministers held on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg.
The Ministers discussed the process of implementation of the decisions made at the CSTO session held in Yerevan in October 2016.
During the meeting the participants exchanged views on issues on the agenda of the OSCE Ministerial Council. Reference was made to the global and regional challenges, countering terrorism, the processes in the Middle East, namely Syria.
The CSTO Foreign Ministers discussed the process of preparation for the CSTO Security Council meeting to be held in Saint Petersburg later in this month. They also exchanged views on the activity of the CSTO statutory bodies.
On 1 December 2016 the Council adopted a mandate that will allow the Commission to start negotiations on a comprehensive air transport agreement with Armenia.
Comprehensive EU-level aviation agreements aim to increase Europe’s international connectivity, ensure a high-quality service and more choice for the passengers, and boost the international competitiveness of the EU’s aviation industry.
The agreement with Armenia will take the form of a Common Aviation Area Agreement, since Armenia is one of the countries with which the EU is creating closer ties under its neighbourhood policy.
“Nowadays, we can hardly imagine travel without aviation. Aviation agreements are great means to enable Europe to tap into the growth markets elsewhere and to connect the EU directly to other regions. I warmly welcome the Council´s green light today to open negotiations with Armenia. Once negotiated, the agreement will promote a vibrant exchange of travellers, lower prices and ensure new business opportunities for our companies. It will be a great example of cooperation between the EU and Armenia in the context of the Eastern Partnership,” said Arpád Érsek, Slovak Minister for Transport, Construction and Regional Development and Chair of the Council.
The Commission will carry out these negotiations on behalf of the EU and its member states.
ArmHiTec-2016 first international exhibition of Arms and Defense Technologies opened in Yerevan today.
The exposition features advanced weapons and military technical equipment, security systems, special police equipment, including armored vehicles, missile armament and equipment, military aircraft, small arms and ammunition, unmanned aerial vehicles and systems, communications, automated command and control systems and robotic systems, means of protection and personal protective equipment, laser, information and telecommunication technologies, information protection systems, outfit, equipage medical support plus some more.
“Drones and three types of unmanned planes have been developed, constructed and are being used by the Military Aviation Institute. They are competitive on the international market and are no worse than other similar products,” Daniel Balasanyan, Head of the Military Aviation Institute, said at the opening of the exhibition.
“The Armenian military production industry has enough novelties and all opportunities of becoming a locomotive in the field of high technologies,” Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan said in his opening remarks. He urged all local producers, representatives of the scientific field, leading students of local and foreign higher educational establishments to spare no effort to outline the framework of their involvement in the army-society link.
The Defense Minister hopes the exhibition will contribute to the expansion of international military-technical cooperation and the development of the military production potential of the participating countries.
President Serzh Sargsyan visited today the DigiTech Expo-2016 annual technological exhibition opened at the Yerevan Expo Exhibition Complex of the Yerevan Scientific and Research Institute of Mathematical Machines.
The main goal of the Exhibition, which will be held September 30-October 2 under the title A Feast for the Technological Armenians, is to create a favorable communication environment for the companies, customers and the public engaged in the technological sphere as well as to present the real situation with the Armenian information and telecommunication technologies, achievements, and prospects.
The President of Armenia toured the exhibition hall, familiarized with the products and services presented by the companies, conversed with the representatives of the companies about their work and future development programs. Among over 120 companies participating this year at the DigiTech-2016 besides the prominent local companies, there are leading firms from the Russian Federation, US, China, and India.
At a separate hall of the Yerevan Expo the organizers and responsible officials of the exhibition presented to Serzh Sargsyan the process of implementation of the innovative technologies in the military equipment production, reported on the results of this stage of the cooperation established by the Presidential directive between the companies engaged in the military production and companies producing information technologies, forthcoming plans aimed at the full utilization of the potential existing in the area of information technologies for the benefit of development of the military industry of Armenia.
The Raoul Wallenberg Foundation presents the ebook an English version of the original in Spanish by the Argentinian author Sulim Granovsky.
Edited and published by the foundation in 2010 (Spanish ebook format), the research focuses on the tragic events that took place in 1915. As all the works that comprise the RWF Digital Library, this new ebook is freely accessible to all.
Sulim Granovsky comments on his creation in his own words: “Six hundred years of peaceful coexistence had elapsed within the empire, where Armenians shared in managing finance, business and the exports. Most of the buildings in Constantinople were built by Armenian architects. The main mosques were also the work of Armenian architects. Armenian officials advised the Turkish hierarchy. However, it was a false peace, because a series of vicissitudes anticipated the end of the precarious harmony, prior to the 1915 Genocide. In just a couple of years since 1895 Abdul Hamid, the Red Sultan, named after his bloodthirsty intentions, unleashed the annihilation of 300,000 Armenians. During the Hamidian era “any Muslim had permission to test the sharpness of his sword on the neck of an Armenian Christian.” Hamid’s murderous instinct was somewhat selective: he ordered the massacre of the Armenians in Anatolia, particularly if they had links to political parties and religious missions that could pose a threat to his regime because of the strong influence they had over the people. Truth is that in 1908 the rising movement of the Young Turks had overthrown Hamid, generating the support of the Armenians. However, the charm did not last long, because in the course of secret meetings of the Union and Progress Party, the Young Turks resolved that the Armenians were internal enemies of the Turkification process and should be persecuted and annihilated. The Interior Minister, Talaat Pasha, considered that, since the Armenians “had lost the right to life in the Ottoman Empire”, not a single bullet should be wasted in a holy war and, therefore, they should be killed with knives or drowned in the Euphrates. And this was what was done.”
This edition in English, commissioned to prestigious translator Elizabeth Birks, excels not only as a splendid translation, but also as a model of rhetorical precision.
Massis Post – The co-mayors of Bitlis and Mutki just paid a courtesy visit to St. Sarkis Armenian Church in Kensington, London. Huseyin Olan (Bitlis) and Ozcan Birlik (Mutki), who are on a working visit to London, met with the Prelate of the Armenian Apostolic church in Great Britain, bishop Hovakim Manukyan, to discuss improving contacts between the Armenian diaspora and Kurdish communities in south-eastern Turkey. The meeting included Ali Gul Ozbek, the mayor of Haringey, as well as others.
Both Olan and Birlik are longstanding champions of better Kurdish Armenian relations and are well aware of the history of Armenians. Over the years they have hosted Armenian guests in their cities, supported exhibitions on Ottoman Armenians, and even a conference on the Armenian Genocide. The city of Bitlis even renamed a street after William Saroyan. These are all ongoing practical steps aimed at addressing Armenian issues and paving the way to a better future.
On the occasion of their visit to St. Sarkis, the co-mayors issued a formal statement inviting Armenians to reengage with their ancestral lands in Turkey, including Bitlis and Mutki
Statement Dated 11 September 2016
Today we are visiting our Armenian brothers and sisters at St. Sarkis Armenian church in London. It is good to see this fine church and members of its congregation in one of the great capitals of the world. There used to be many such Armenian communities in the Ottoman Empire, within the borders of modern Turkey. They lived on their ancestral lands alongside other communities, until 1915, when they were subjected to the first genocide of the modern era. Over a million Armenians were killed by their own government. Modern Turkey still bears the scars of those days, including in Bitlis and Mutki, where we come from. The Turkish republic still denies what happened to Armenians.
We can never reverse the terrible legacy of 1915 but, as the mayors of Bitlis and Mutki, we can express our sorrow and extend our hands of friendship to all Armenians. We want to build new bridges with you, to replace those that were destroyed in the past. The future is in our hands and we can still imagine better days ahead. We hope to see you again in Bitlis and Mutki.