Author: Kalashian Nyrie

Earlier this year, the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia’s Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute awarded William S. Parsons with the Ambassador Henry Morgenthau Medal on behalf of the government of Armenia, reported the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly).

In a formal ceremony at the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia on the evening of December 10, Armenian Ambassador to the U.S. Tigran Sargsyan presented the award to Parsons for his exceptional service to humankind through education on the Armenian Genocide and the defense of human rights.

William S. Parsons worked at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum (USHMM) for 25 years where he served as chief of staff and director of education. Prior to joining USHMM, he co-founded Facing History and Ourselves, an organization that specializes in training teachers in human rights education in order to help students confront the lessons of genocide and the Holocaust, and learn the value of tolerance. Facing History and Ourselves developed the first national curriculum on the Armenian Genocide in the U.S., which serves as the template for all educators today.

“It was my great honor to participate in the awarding of a longtime friend of the Armenian people,” stated Armenian National Institute (ANI) Director Dr. Rouben Adalian. “Perhaps no other person in the United States has done more and achieved more as a human rights educator than William Parsons,” added Dr. Adalian.

Parsons has reached thousands of teachers across the United States and around the globe. He co-authored the teachers’ resource book Facing History and Ourselves: The Holocaust and Human Behavior. He also co-edited, along with other significant educators, Centuries of Genocide: Essays and Eyewitness Accounts, which has gone into its fourth edition and sold tens of thousands of copies, making it the most popular college textbook on human rights and genocide.

The Secretary of the Republic of Armenia State Commission for the Centennial sent a letter accompanying the award.

“I am very pleased that William Parsons has received this significant award and recognition from the Armenian government for his pioneering efforts in Armenian Genocide and Holocaust education,” stated Assembly Board of Trustees Vice Chairman and Counselor Aram Kaloosdian. “I had the pleasure of serving with him on the ANI Academic Council and will always remember his dedication and perseverance in the fight against denial of the Armenian Genocide,” Kaloosdian said.

At the Armenian Embassy reception, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the U.S. Tigran Sargsyan also honored Maryland entrepreneur Boris Ghazaryan with the Prime Minister’s Medal.

In addition to the award ceremony, Ambassador Sargsyan welcomed the Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR) Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan to the United States. Mirzoyan was visiting Washington as part of a 3-day working trip where he spoke at the annual Nagorno Karabakh/Artsakh independence celebration on Capitol Hill and met with U.S. government officials, Members of Congress, and the Armenian Assembly of America.

Police are attending a shooting at a social services facility for disabled people in California, the BBC reports.

Fire officials in San Bernardino said it was responding to a “20 victim shooting incident” and it was working to clear the scene.

ABC News reports that there are 12 people dead but police have not confirmed that number.

It is still a “very active scene” and police are trying to secure the building, said a police spokeswoman.

There may be up to three gunmen, she said, and they were heavily armed and possibly wearing body armour.

 

 

 

The aggravation of Russian-Turkish relations will not go too deep, expert of oriental studies Suren Manukyan, Deputy Director of the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute, told reporters today.

He advises not to rejoice over the possible Russian-Turkish war, as it will be dangerous for Armenia.

The expert believes that the recent developments have already earned dividends for Armenia and advises to judge soberly and not to expect more.

Manukyan welcoms Armenia’s correct stance of voicing no opinion about the tension in Russian-Turkish relations.

The expert says “what’s more dangerous is Neo-Ottomanism, which Ankara has made a primary direction in the recent period.

As for the bill envisaging accountability for the Armenian Genocide denial submitted to the Russian State Duma, the expert says “it’s conditioned by the political situation.”

“The Armenian Genocide is a political issue, and every country that has acknowledged the fact has done that out of its political interests at the time,” Suren Manukyan  said.

Barev dzez: Armenian MP Garo Paylan greeted his colleagues at the Turkish Parliament in Armenians, Ermenihaber.am reports, quoting the Turkish Milliyet.

Addressing the Parliament, Paylan from the opposition Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) referred to the killing of Kurdish lawyer and human rights activist Tahir Elci in Diyarbakir. He compared Elci with Armenian journalist Hrant Dink, calling him a “dove of peace.”

The Armenian MP strongly criticized the authorities. “There is dust on the state ‘three fingers thick.’ Our duty is to clean the dust, instead of hiding it.  We covered the murder of Hrant Dink, which led to the reoccurrence of the crime. Another “dove of peace” – Tahir Elci was killed,” Paylan said.

“Like Hrant Dink, Elci was committed to fighting for the sake of to peace, brotherhood and democracy. Both were killed. And this is the result of the dust that has covered the state,” he said.

 

About 60 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night.

The rival used artillery weapons of different caliber and 60mm mortars as it fired more than 800 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army confidently continue with their military duty all along the line of contact and resort to retaliatory actions if necessary.

President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting today with the President of the European People’s Party (EPP), Joseph Daul, in Madrid. At the outset, Serzh Sargsyan congratulated Joseph Daul on being reelected as President during the EPP congress on 21 October and wished him success, expressing the hope that under the leadership of Mr. Daul, the EPP, as the most influential political force of Europe, will continue to fulfil its mission and meet the expectations of European voters.

The interlocutors discussed issues pertaining to the further promotion of cooperation with the EPP, the prospects of RA-EU relations, the strengthening of ties between the RPA and EPP, Armenia’s collaboration with its EPP partners in international platforms, as well as to common issues and challenges which will also be touched upon during today’s broadened summit of the EPP. The RA president and the EPP president reflected upon the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process within the frames of the OSCE Minsk Group and upon the existing problems. The interlocutors also exchanged views on the situation in the Middle East and on the refugee crisis.

Armenia’s president presented to Joseph Daul the process of RA constitutional amendments and the importance of making amendments to the fundamental law for our country.

President Serzh Sargsyan noted that he warmly recalls Mr. Daul’s visit to Armenia in April this year and his participation in the events to commemorate the Armenian Genocide Centennial, by which, Armenia’s president was certain, the EPP president reiterated his and his party’s loyalty to the universal values that underlie European integration. Stressing the importance of the resolution “The Armenian Genocide and European Values” adopted by the EPP Political Assembly, the president thanked the party leader and those EPP members of the PACE who endorsed that statement.

The RA president will also take part in the EPP broadened summit in Madrid.

The Azerbaijani side kept violating the ceasefire regime over the weekend, the NKR Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The rival violated the truce about 300 times at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, firing more than 5,000 shots from weapons of different caliber, including 60 and 82mm mortars. TR-107 reactive rocket launchers were also used.

The Front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the line of contact and resort to retaliatory measures if necessary.

FIFA has provisionally suspended its president Sepp Blatter, secretary general Jerome Valcke and vice-president Michel Platini for 90 days, the BBC reports.

Former FIFA vice-president Chung Mong-joon has been banned for six years and fined 100,000 Swiss Francs.

The punishments were handed out by the ethics committee of football’s world governing body.

Blatter, Valcke and UEFA president Platini are being investigated by the committee over corruption allegations.

“The grounds for these decisions are the investigations that are being carried out by the investigatory chamber of the ethics committee,” it said in a statement.

The three are banned from any football activity in the interim. They deny any wrongdoing.