Author: Kanayan Tamar

Turkish press: Erdoğan: Turkey will protect cultural heritage of Hagia Sophia as predecessors did

Kanayan Tamar
 ISTANBUL POLITICS 
JUL 14, 2020 7:30 PM GMT+3
President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan speaks to press members after chairing a cabinet meeting, Ankara, . (AA Photo)

Bringing it back to its roots, Turkey will protect Hagia Sophia cultural heritage like its predecessors did, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Tuesday, amid the iconic structure’s recent reversion to a mosque.

“While making Hagia Sophia suitable for its foundation again, we will preserve its cultural heritage feature just as our forebears did,” Erdoğan said following a Cabinet meeting in the capital Ankara.

“We turned Hagia Sophia into a museum (in 1934) with a mistaken decision, and we are returning it to a mosque again,” the president added.

“I would like to underline once again that Hagia Sophia has been reverted not from a church to a mosque but from a museum to a mosque. No one should worry, we will protect the cultural heritage of Hagia Sophia,” he noted.

Turkey’s top administrative court on Friday annulled the 1934 government decree that turned Hagia Sophia into a museum. This verdict by the country’s Council of State paved the way for its use again as a mosque after an 85-year hiatus.

Upon the court’s ruling, Erdoğan signed a presidential decree to hand over Hagia Sophia to Turkey’s Presidency of Religious Affairs and open it for worship. Erdogan said the historical complex will be ready for worship with Friday prayers on July 24.

One of the world’s most important historical and cultural heritage sites, Hagia Sophia was built in the sixth century during the reign of the Byzantine Empire and served as the seat of the Greek Orthodox Church. It was converted into an imperial mosque with the Ottoman conquest of Istanbul in 1453.

The structure was converted into a museum in 1935, but there had recently been a public push to revert it to a mosque.

Turkey has blasted outside attempts to judge its decision on Hagia Sophia, saying they are attempts to violate its sovereignty and that the monument’s status is an internal matter.

Eroğan also stressed that there are four to five times more places of worship in Turkey for non-Muslims than Europe has for Muslims.

“There is on average one place of sanctuary for 460 non-Muslims, while there is on average one place of sanctuary for 2,000 Muslims in Europe,” he said.

Azerbaijan-Armenia conflict

The president also condemned the Armenian attack on the northwestern Tovuz district of Azerbaijan.

“We strongly condemn the attack by Armenia against friend and brother Azerbaijan,” he said.

At least seven Azerbaijani military personnel, including one general and a colonel, were killed in fresh border clashes with Armenia in the Tovuz region Tuesday.

That brought the total number of Azerbaijani deaths to 11 since border clashes on Sunday reignited the simmering Azerbaijan-Armenia territorial conflict.

Erdoğan stressed Turkey’s concern over the tension that has been going on since the invasion of Upper Karabakh turning into conflict with Armenia’s “reckless and systematic attacks.”

Upper Karabakh is the internationally-recognized territory of Azerbaijan and has been illegally occupied with Armenian military aggression since 1991.

Erdoğan underlined that the attack carried out on the borders of the two states with heavy weapons shows that it was a deliberate attack on Azerbaijan.

“This attack goes beyond the diameter of Armenia. The aim is both to block the solution in the Upper Karabakh and to reveal new conflict areas.”

“Turkey will not hesitate to stand against any kind of attacks against Azerbaijan’s rights, law and soil,” Erdoğan added.

Bomb threat to Megamall Armenia shopping center prove to be hoax

Kanayan Tamar
Panorama, Armenia
July 6 2020

Bomb threats to Megamall Armenia, a big shopping center in Yerevan, have proved to be hoax, with no explosive devices found after a check, the ministry of emergency situations reported.

As reported earlier, Armenian police evacuated the shopping center, after a bomb threat received by the law enforcement. Police officers urged all shoppers and employees to leave the area and drive their cars out of the mall yard.

According to the source, the rescuers blocked off the scene and carried out an evacuation of more than 350 citizens.

The rescuers alongside with the police and local security officers carried out an inspection: no bomb was found, the source said. 

Azerbaijani press: Political analyst: Sovereignty of Karabakh is out of the question

Kanayan Tamar
  • 06 Jul 2020 20:12

    •  

  • 124

    •  

  • ANALYTICS

As we all remember, from the very beginning of the premiership, Nikol Pashinyan introduced, as one of his fundamental theses, a statement that Karabakh is supposedly a completely sovereign territory and therefore its representatives should participate fully in the negotiations to resolve the conflict. And that the Armenian leadership in no case can interfere in the affairs of Karabakh, Russian political scientist Grigory Trofimchuk told News.az commenting on the visit of the Armenian Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan to the occupied territories of Azerbaijan.

“At the same time, all the representatives of the Armenian authorities, as in this case with the visit of Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan, are not just visiting this region, but by all means demonstrating direct interference in its “sovereign” affairs, and even already conducting some kind of negotiations “to discuss the conflict”. How is that? Already without the Azerbaijani side, or what? That is, Pashinyan himself violates what he has so snobbishly proclaimed and what he still insists on,” he said.

The expert noted that once Pashinyan declared to the whole world, including the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs, such a thesis about “sovereignty”, as it seems to all of us, he should follow his own logic: “However, in practice, we see that Pashinyan himself directly coordinated the elections of the leadership in this enclave, and the two Security Councils held joint meetings there – that is, no sovereignty can be discussed here at all”.

Thus, says the political scientist, Nikol Pashinyan is just mocking the common sense and those politicians who participate in the negotiations.

“Including, of course, all co-chairs, who apparently have not yet understood it,” he summed up.

Newspaper: Armenia has problem not only with Russia but also with NATO

Kanayan Tamar
News.am, Armenia

08:59, 10.07.2020
                  

Kim Kardashian calls for support to small businesses in Armenia affected by COVID-19

Kanayan Tamar

Save

Share

 11:09, 7 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. American-Armenian reality TV superstar Kim Kardashian West calls on to join the fundraising of the Armenia Support Fund to help small businesses in Armenia affected by the novel coronavirus (COVID-19).

“Armenia Support Fund has launched a fundraising effort to help small businesses in Armenia struggling as a result of COVID-19. Access to financial aid is not always available and many small, family-owned businesses have reported having to cut production up to 90% in addition to having to let staff go. Consider donating to Armenia Support Fun to help provide grants to these struggling businesses”, Kim Kardashian said in a Facebook post, using  hashtag.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Song against COVID-19: Little Singers of Armenia present new video clip

Kanayan Tamar

Save

Share

 15:36, 7 July, 2020

YEREVAN, JULY 7, ARMENPRESS. The Little Singers of Armenia joined the anti-coronavirus fight with the song “Sing and COVID will go”.

The video clip of the song is already available on YouTube.

The choir said on Facebook that the rehearsals are now prohibited, for that purpose the choir recorded the song “Sing” by the Pentatonics band individually, later combining it with sound equipment.

“The lyrics of the song were changed and renamed “Sing and COVID will go”, thus joining the fight against COVID-19. The video has been recorded and edited by kids”, the choir said.

Editing and Translating by Aneta Harutyunyan

Democratic changes in Armenia are threat for Azerbaijani authorities – MFA Armenia

Kanayan Tamar

Save

Share

 20:41, 26 June, 2020

YEREVAN, JUNE 26, ARMENPRESS.  Spokesperson of the Foreign Ministry of Armenia Anna Naghdalyan commented on the remarks of Azerbaijani president during the opening ceremony of a military regiment. As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia, Anna Naghdalyan said,

“The remarks by the President of Azerbaijan during the opening of the N military unity clearly indicates that the authorities of that country view the ongoing democratic changes in Armenia as a threat to their power. 

It is obvious, the decades-long power of single family, which will be remembered in the history by bring Azerbaijan to the leading positions in the global index on corruption, the infamous case of laundromat, oppression of freedom of speech and other freedoms of its own people, has all grounds to demonstrate strong prejudice towards the democratic changes in Armenia.

We believe that the Aliyev dynasty, which seeks its legitimacy in manipulating the conflict and promoting enmity between the peoples, instead of revealing its class antagonism towards the Armenian authorities formed as a result of democratic processes, should at least accept that Azerbaijani people also deserve democracy.

We are convinced that not the authorities who inherited power, but those formed by people and accountable before the people can contribute towards the reconciliation, regional peace and stability”.

Editing and translating by Tigran Sirekanyan

Armenia parliament majority: We don’t disagree with Venice Commission conclusion’s key, conceptual parts

Kanayan Tamar
News.am, Armenia

16:07, 24.06.2020
                          

YEREVAN. – If we are talking about the opinion of international partners, then, represented by the conclusion of the Venice Commission, I believe everything is more than clear in that conclusion. Lilit Makunts, head of the majority My Step faction, on Wednesday stated this in a talk with journalists in the National Assembly (NA), referring to the issue of how the international partners of Armenia will react to the fact that the NA discussed the issue of the Constitutional Court exclusively among the ruling majority, and the opposition factions in parliament were not in attendance to these debates.

“We don’t have a disagreement with the on the key and conceptual part of the conclusion of the Venice Commission. And in terms of the other details, we have chosen the path that we believe can weaken and resolve this tense situation. I would also like to remind that the opinion of the Venice Commission is advisory and is not binding,” she added.

As for the fact that only the ruling majority faction took part in the voting in the NA, Makunts said. “First of all, it is the right of the opposition whether or not to participate in the NA sittings; here the majority does not make a decision. On the other hand, the Constitution and the NA Rules of Procedure clearly define how the decisions of the NA are adopted. The fact that at this moment the political majority is also the constitutional majority in the parliament does not in any way prevent from carrying out any action and holding voting according to our belief.”

Court rejects motion on Gagik Tsarukyan’s arrest

Kanayan Tamar
Public Radio of Armenia

<img width=”1623″ height=”1080″ src=””https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/xMHM0136758-scaled.jpg.pagespeed.ic.lkIUOEAIEh.jpg” class=”attachment-full size-full wp-post-image” alt=”” srcset=”https://en.armradio.am/wp-content/uploads/2020/06/xMHM0136758-scaled.jpg.pagespeed.ic.lkIUOEAIEh.jpg 1623w, 300w, 1024w, 768w, 1536w” sizes=”(max-width: 1623px) 100vw, 1623px”/>

The Court of General Jurisdiction today rejected a motion on the arrest of Prosperous Armenia Party leader Gagik Tsarukyan.

The National Security Service sent a motion to the court after the National Assembly voted on Monday to deprive him of parliamentary immunity and sanction his arrest.

Tsarukyan is charged with vote-buying during the 2017 parliamentary elections. He denies any wrongdoing and insists that the actions are politically motivated.

Armenian PM tells Putin he won’t be able to attend Victory Parade in Moscow over pandemic

Kanayan Tamar
TASS, Russia
Nikol Pashinyan said he hoped that he would soon be able to meet with the Russian leader and discuss the issues of the two countries’ allied relations

YEREVAN, June 19. /TASS/. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan told Russian President Vladimir Putin he would be unable to attend the Victory Parade in Moscow over the tense coronavirus situation in the republic, according to Pashinyan’s letter published by his press office on Friday.

“Mr. President, I am telling you with regret that I won’t be able to attend the events devoted to the 75th anniversary of the Victory in the Great Patriotic War,” the letter reads.

“You know that I accepted with great love your invitation to take part in the celebrations. However, as it turned out later, the current epidemiological situation in Armenia does not allow me to make this trip,” Pashinyan said.

The Armenian PM said it would have been a great honor for him to attend the jubilee parade in Moscow.

“I am confident that millions of residents of our countries will watch the festivities, mentally travelling to 1945 when our grandfathers proudly marched on Red Square,” the Armenian premier said, calling the Soviet Union’s victory over Nazi Germany in the 1941-1945 Great Patriotic War the common heritage, the memory about which unites peoples.

Pashinyan said he hoped that he would soon be able to meet with the Russian leader and discuss the issues of the two countries’ allied relations.

The Armenian premier’s trip to the Victory celebrations in Moscow was initially called into question after he and his family members contracted the coronavirus. However, Pashinyan said in early June he had fully recovered from the illness and his press office confirmed he would attend the military parade in Moscow.

At the invitation of Russia’s Defense Ministry, 75 Armenian troops will take part in the Victory Parade in Moscow on June 24. They have already arrived in the Russian capital.

Russia postponed its military parade traditionally held on Moscow’s Red Square on May 9 for a later date due to the coronavirus pandemic.

At a video conference with Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu on May 26, Russian President Vladimir Putin announced that the anticipated Victory Parade would be held on Moscow’s Red Square on June 24.

The head of state explained he had chosen this date because June 24 was the day when in 1945 the legendary historic parade of victors took place, when soldiers, who fought for Moscow and defended Leningrad, who stood their ground for Stalingrad, liberated Europe and stormed Berlin, marched on Red Square.

The Russian president instructed the defense chief to make sure that there weren’t any risks to the health of the military parade’s participants.