Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Israel and Turkey have reached a preliminary agreement on normalising relations, an Israeli official said, the BBC reports.

Ties broke down after the Israeli navy raided a flotilla trying to break Israel’s blockade of Gaza in 2010. Ten Turkish activists were killed.

The deal will see Israel compensate families of those killed while Turkey will drop all claims against Israel, the unnamed official said.

There has been no official confirmation yet from either side.

The agreement is reported to have been reached at a meeting between senior Israeli and Turkish officials in Switzerland.

According to the official, the deal will also see the renewed exchange of ambassadors.

Talks will also begin on laying down a natural gas pipeline from Israel to Turkey, the official added.

We strongly condemn the unprecedented aggravation of the situation at the line of contact, which led to a number of human losses on the threshold of the meeting of the Armenian and Azerbaijani Presidents scheduled for December 19, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said.

“We express our deep condolences to the relatives of the killed soldiers of the NKR Defense Army,” Minister Nalbandian said.

“The rise of tensions ahead of every high-level meeting has become usual. Baku cherishes the illusion that it can negotiate with the power of weapons. Despite the calls of the co-chairing countries to exclude the use of force, Azerbaijan resorts to new adventurism. Baku is thus trying to divert the negotiation process away from the goals of establishment of peace and settlement of the conflict,” Minister Nalbandian said in comments to Radio Liberty.

“In this situation the steps targeted at easing tension proposed by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs are a must,” the Foreign Minister said, adding that the proposals include creation of a mechanism for investigation of border incidents, reinforcement of the mission of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, the increase of the number of his Field Assistants.

“We expect the co-chairing countries to take practical steps in that direction,” Edward Nalbandian concluded.

The 22nd Armenian armed forces contingent, assigned to Multinational Battle Group-East’s Southern Command Post, said farewell to their multinational partners and welcomed the 23rd Armenian contingent to Kosovo during a transfer of authority ceremony, Dec. 12 at Camp Bondsteel, Kosovo, according to .

The 22nd Armenian contingent completed a six-month deployment in support of NATO’s Kosovo Force peace support mission, which maintains a safe and secure environment and freedom of movement for the citizens of Kosovo.

U.S. Army Maj. Stephan Nowakowski, the executive officer for MNBG-E’S SCP and the Connecticut National Guard’s 1st Battalion, 169th Aviation Regiment, spoke to the incoming and outgoing contingents during the ceremony.

“Thank you for all the hard work you’ve done on this rotation,” said Nowakowski, in reference to the missions the contingent conducted to support KFOR and Kosovo’s law enforcement institutions. “This contingent has performed exceptionally well during your assignment here, and you have helped strengthen the entire MNBG-E by performing perimeter reaction force missions.”

“The outgoing contingent has been an important part of the SCP team,” Nowakowski said. “For those that have arrived in Kosovo, I welcome you to the KFOR mission and I know you will do extremely well.”

In their final remarks, senior leaders from the 22nd Armenian contingent thanked the MNBG-E command for their support throughout the deployment.

“It was a great experience working with our multinational partners. We learned a lot working with the multinational forces here, and most of all we admire and respect the professionalism presented here,” said. Maj. Karen Davtyan, commander of the outgoing Armenian contingent.

U.S. Army Col. Vernon Simpson, commander of the North Carolina National Guard’s 30th Armored Brigade Combat Team, and MNBG-E, was present at the ceremony, where he praised the outgoing contingent’s hard work and welcomed their replacements to the KFOR mission.

“Today marks the culmination of a very successful deployment for the 22nd Armenian contingent,” Simpson said. “Your presence as the perimeter reaction force at Camp Bondsteel has given me comfort and allowed me to focus in other areas.”

The soldiers in this unit were well-trained, prepared for the mission, and led by top-quality officers and noncommissioned officers, Simpson said.

Simpson welcomed the new contingent to MNBG-E at the close of his remarks by saying they have arrived in Kosovo at a critical point in history, and that he is confident that MNBG-E will continue to carry out its mission successfully with the help of Armenia’s 23rd contingent and all of KFOR’s multinational forces.

On December 9 Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan had a phone conversation with Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Issues related to the situation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan were discussed.

The Armenian Defense Minister informed Ambassador Kasprzyk about the provocations incited by the Azerbaijani side and the retaliatory measures taken by the Armenian side during the referendum on Constitutional amendments and the following days.

Mr. Ohanyan expressed his concern over the continuous attempts of the rival to destabilize the situation, emphasizing that on the eve the Azerbaijani side used a tank to fire in the direction of the Armenian positions, which threatens to raise the tension to a new level.

The Armenian Defense Minister stressed the importance of the targeted reaction of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for keeping Azerbaijan within the limits of the logic of the negotiation process.

Ambassador Kasprzyk, in turn, voiced concern over the current situation and pledged to take relevant steps.

Photos: Dioceses of Dublin & Glendalough

 

A Khachker – a traditional Armenian cross made from volcanic stone – has been erected in the grounds of Christ Church Cathedral in

Dublin in a service attended by Christian leaders from across the denominations in Ireland as a memorial to the estimated 1.5 million Armenian Christians who were systematically and brutally murdered by the Ottoman regime in the Medz Yeghern – the Great Crime – which took place 100 years ago, beginning in April 1915, the reports.

The Anglican Archbishop of Dublin, the Most Revd Dr Michael Jackson, was joined by the Roman Catholic Archbishop, the Most Revd Diarmuid Martin, the President of the Methodist Church in Ireland, the Revd Brian Anderson and representatives of other denominations for a service on Saturday at which the stone cross was dedicated by Bishop Hovakin Manukyan, the Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church of UK and Ireland,

“Christ Church Cathedral lies at the spiritual heart of Dublin. It is the mother church of the Dioceses of Dublin and Glendalough,” the Very Revd Dermot Dunne, Dean of the Cathedral, said. “The Armenian Church and community are very close to the dioceses and it felt fitting that the Khachkar should be located here both as a memorial to the victims of the genocide and as a visible sign of the link between our two Churches”.

“The dedication of the Armenian Cross-Stone in the capital of the Republic of Ireland on the occasion of the centennial of the genocide is an expression of the long lasting connection between our church communities,” Bishop Manukyan said. “The Cross-Stone will remain here as a reminder of our friendship and our commitment to peace as well as a memory to those who suffered in genocide and in war.”

In a sermon, Archbishop Micheal Jackson spoke of the “route towards expression and recognition of the Armenian Genocide” that the Armenian people had taken over the past 100

“It has brought us today to the point of articulation and expression of immeasurable national suffering and incalculable individual nobility around a long journey involving children, women and men who are the faces and the voices of the Armenian Genocide,” Archbishop Jackson said. “Once the long journey of killing, grieving, rejection and enforced emigration began – every step of the route became precious, every wind in the road became unforgettable and every life lost became irreplaceable.”

The Khachkar is part of the Armenian Christian identity and are are generally carved from volcanic stone. The Khachkar which now stands in the grounds of the cathedral was designed by Aram Hakhumvan, who lives in Ireland and carved in Armenia by Arta Hambardzumvan.

It features a Celtic Cross with an Armenian Cross standing out of it and the rest of the stone has many Irish and Armenian details including shamrocks and grapes. It is the 167th memorial to the Armenian Genocide located in 52 countries around the world.

A local court in Ankara has fined Armenian-origin columnist Hayko Bağdat 1,160 Turkish Liras for “insulting” Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek via his Twitter account, after Gökçek complained that he had used the words “Armenian” and “disgusting” to describe him, the reports.

In his defense, Bağdat said Gökçek repeatedly asks his critics on social media whether they are “Armenian,” adding that the Ankara mayor is “disgusting” for using the term “Armenian” to describe people he dislikes. He demanded his acquittal and told the court that he did not deliberately intend to “insult” Gökçek.

Ali Deniz Ceylan, Bağdat’s lawyer, also told the court that Gökçek, who is well-known in Turkey as a prolific Twitter user, has tweeted many derogatory statements against which his client has responded.

However, Judge Süleyman Köksaldı sentenced Bağdat to a fine of 1,160 liras, while also delaying a compensation lawsuit opened by Gökçek against Bağdat.

Shortly after the ruling, Bağdat slammed the decision via his Twitter account on Dec. 7.

“My last words on this issue: Gökçek is committing a hate crime by calling anyone he dislikes ‘Armenian.’ This is disgusting behavior. Also, Gökçek himself is an Armenian,” he tweeted.

Back on Sept. 28, Bağdat told reporters that he faced a jail term after calling Gökçek “Armenian.”

“Ankara Mayor Melih Gökçek has opened a court case [because] I called him ‘Armenian.’ Let me say why I called him ‘Armenian.’ Whenever he grabs a microphone or takes the keyboard in his hands, he calls his political rivals, the voters of his political rivals … journalists, and anyone he is angry with, ‘Armenian.’ He constantly says they are traitors because they are ‘Armenians’ or they have ‘Armenian’ roots, as if all elements making trouble for this country must somehow have a relationship to ‘Armenianness,’” he said.

Germany-based Armenian professional boxer, WBO Middleweight Champion Arthur Abraham has received the Champion of Berlin Award for the fourth time in a row.

Photos from Arthur Abraham’s Facebook page

Iraq has threatened to go to the UN if Turkey does not withdraw soldiers it sent to areas near the northern Iraqi city of Mosul within 48 hours, the BBC reports.

Baghdad said the deployment was done without consultation and was a violation of national sovereignty.

Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu defended the move as routine troop rotation at a pre-established camp.

Mosul has been under the control of militants from the so-called Islamic State group since last year.

Turkey deployed hundreds of its forces to the town of Bashiqa to train Iraqi Kurdish forces fighting IS.

“Iraq has the right to use all available options, including resorting to the UN Security Council if these forces are not withdrawn within 48 hours,” Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi said in a statement.

Mr Davutoglu wrote to Mr Abadi promising not to send further troops but stopped short of agreeing to a withdrawal.

On November 25, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, received Bratislav Gašić, Defence Minister of Serbia.

Minister Nalbandian emphasized the dynamically developing relations between Armenia and Serbia during the recent years and outlined the need for additional steps towards further development of cooperation. In this context, Edward Nalbandian attached importance to the developing cooperation between the Defense Ministries of Armenia and Serbia.

Minister Gašić thanked for the reception and ensured that Serbia considers Armenia a friendly country and is interested in the further development and enlargement of relations with the Republic of Armenia. He expressed gratitude for Armenia’s principled stance on the Kosovo issue, which has recently been reflected also by the vote on Kosovo’s membership in UNESCO.

Edward Nalbandian presented the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs for the exclusively peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Russian cruiser Moskva which has a maritime analogue of S-300 systems in Latakia is able to destroy any potentially dangerous target in the air, Russian Defense Minister Shoigu said, Sputnik News reports.