Author: Khondkarian Raffi

Armenia mourns the victims of the terrorist acts in Paris that claimed the lives of at least 127.

People have been laying flowers in front of the building of the Embassy of France in Armenia since early morning.

Photo by Reuters    

There are no Armenians among those killed and injured as a result of twin blasts in Beirut, Lebanon, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

“According to the information obtained by the Armenian Embassy to Lebanon, there are no citizens of the Republic of Armenia or ethnic Armenians among the victims of the blasts in Beirut,” the Foreign Ministry said in a Facebook post.

 last night, leaving at least 41 killed, many injured.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan issued an address to the participants of the international symposium “The Armenian Genocide-100: From Recognition to Reparation” taht kicked off in Yerevan today. The message reads:

Dear participants of the symposium,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I heartily welcome you on the occasion of the opening of the international symposium titled “The Armenian Genocide-100: From Recognition to Reparation.”

Back in 1916, great French writer and humanitarian Anatole France wrote: “Armenia is dying, but it will survive. The little blood that is left is precious blood that will give birth to a heroic generation. A nation that does not want to die does not die”. Yes, our nation survived, revived, rebuilt its statehood and today presents itself as a claimant that claims for justice, and this supposes a serious preparatory, including an exploratory work.

It is no accident that scientific research conferences occupy a unique place in the list of numerous events to mark the Armenian Genocide Centennial. I think today’s symposium differs in a sense that along with bearing the subheading “From Recognition to Reparation” and being devoted to conducting further in-depth research on a wide range of Armenian Genocide issues, it also lays special emphasis on the issues of eliminating the effects of that gravest crime and on the reparation thereof.

I would like to once again greet the organizers of this important symposium, the National Academy of Sciences of the Republic of Armenia and Yerevan State University, and wish the participants fruitful work.

The Armenian office of the Institute for War & Peace Reporting, in cooperationwith the Public Journalism Club and the Media Center, will hold a discussion on the position of Iraqi Yezidi refugees in Armenia on September 30.

Three Yezidi families from Iraq have obtained refugee status in Armenia so far, but community representatives are expecting the government to do more. For instance, the Sinjar Yezidi National Union Sinjar has previously asked the Armenian foreign ministry to work with its Georgian counterpart to facilitate travel from Turkey. The ministry has said this will be a long process since the National Security Service will need to check each individual separately.

Yezidis are the largest minority in Armenia. According to the 2011 census, there were more than 35,000 of them, accounting for about one per cent of the population. Many Yezidis began settling here during the Russian-Turkish wars of the 19th century, and more fled the Ottoman Empire alongside with Armenians during the massacres of 1915.

Pope Francis has begun his tour of the US, where he is expected to greet millions of American Catholics and address thorny issues like climate change and income inequality, the BBC reports.

US President Barack Obama welcomed the pope as he landed on Tuesday – a rare honour for a foreign dignitary.

The pontiff will visit Washington DC, New York and Philadelphia.

Before he departed Cuba on Tuesday, he called on its people to live a “revolution of tenderness”.

In the final Mass of his four-day visit to the island, with President Raul Castro attending, he urged thousands of Cubans to serve one another and not an ideology.

Horizon Weeky – Canadan Prime Minister Stephen Harper today issued the following statement to mark the Republic of Armenia’s Independence Day:

“I am pleased to extend my best wishes to the Armenian community in Canada and around the world celebrating the 24th anniversary of the Republic of Armenia’s independence.

“In a referendum held on September 21, 1991, Armenians voted in favour of full independence from the Soviet Union. Canada was among the first Western nations to recognize Armenia as an independent state.

“Since that time, Canada and Armenia have enjoyed strong bilateral relations and strong people-to-people ties, supported by Canada’s Armenian community, which has contributed significantly to the economic, cultural and social fabric of our great nation.

“In recognition of this, we were proud to announce last week that a re-elected Conservative government will establish a new Trade and Consular office in Armenia.

“Moreover, this past April, the Honourable Chris Alexander travelled to Yerevan, Armenia to participate in events commemorating the Armenian Genocide Centennial on behalf of our Conservative government, which coincided with our government’s initiative to designate April as ‘Genocide Remembrance, Condemnation and Prevention Month.’

“Once again, I wish all Armenian citizens and people around the world of Armenian heritage a happy Independence Day.”

The seventh International Hrant Dink Award was presented on Tuesday, September 15th with an award ceremony held at the Istanbul Congress Center. This year’s awards were granted to women’s rights activist Samar Badawi from Saudi Arabia and to Kaos GL, an initiative that works for LGBT rights in Turkey. Badawi stands out as a leading voice for advocating women’s rights and for raising international awareness about the oppression of human rights defenders in her country, while Kaos GL was recognised for its persistent and efficient struggle for LGBT rights in Turkey, where violence against lesbians, gays, bisexuals and trans individuals continues to increase.

The award ceremony was opened with Ceylan Ertem’s performance of Bülent Ortaçgil’s widely-acclaimed song, Bu Su Hiç Durmaz (This Water Will Never Stop Flowing). In his keynote address, historian Taner Akçam reminded that the conception of the legal terms ‘‘humanitarian law’’ and ‘‘crime against humanity’’ and the concomitant crime of genocide is directly related to Turkey’s past. He stressed the importance of facing the past to be able to give back the massacred people their dignity, to restore justice and conscience, and to overcome enmity, atrocity, and conflicts. He emphasized that confronting the Armenian Genocide in its centenary was one of the preconditions for the co-existence of peoples of Turkey. Akçam pointed out the fact that, in these lands, ethnocentric politics have only caused catastrophe and devastation, and that the real solution could be achieved through co-existence, which is, in fact, much easier than militarization and murder. He also stressed the importance of keeping Hrant Dink alive as a civil rights leader for the pursuit of co-existence. Following Akçam’s address, Eileen Khatchadourian from Beirut took the stage for her musical performance.

As part of the ceremony, two videos, “Inspirations 1915” and “Inspirations 2015,” were screened. The first video commemorated individuals such as the Aleppo governor Celal Bey, Kastamonu Gendarmerie Commander İzzet Bey, the Ambassador of the United States Henry Morgenthau, who witnessed, recorded, raised their voices against, and, at the expense of their lives, strived to prevent massacres during the Genocide that was committed 100 years ago in Anatolia. The second video saluted the people and organisations from Turkey and from around the world, who raise hope for the future with their actions. Among the Insipirations of 2015 were India’s Robin Hood Army for gathering left-over food from restaurants and wedding parties, and for distributing them to orphans and the homeless; the White Helmetgroup in Syria for rescuing people from buildings that were burned or destroyed during the war; Kurdish MP Vyan Daxil for being the first politician to speak out about the Yazidi Massacre in the Iraqi Parliament; Electric Yerevan for protesting the raised electricity prices in Armenia; Black Lives Matter for drawing attention to and for shaping the public opinion about the police murders of black people committed by police and civilians; Camp Armen for demanding the the unconditional return of the Armenian children’s camp in Tuzla, Istanbul to the Armenian people; the young people who lost their lives in a suicide bombing during their press conference in Suruç, Urfa, where they were setting out to give hope, take toys and build a library for the children in Kobani whose lives have been devastated by the war.

The laureates of 2015 International Hrant Dink Award were announced at the end of the ceremony. As Samar Badawi could not attend the award ceremony due to a travel ban, her colleague Elsa Saade received the statue on her behalf from the President of Hrant Dink Foundation Rakel Dink and 2014 International Hrant Dink Award laureate Şebnem Korur Fincancı. In her speech, Saade explained how Samar Badawi put her life in danger to fight for the fundamental human rights, and how she became an inspiration for thousands of Saudi women with her dreams and her struggle for making them true. She also emphasized that in regions where power is dictated by the abuse of sectarianism, religion, and economic interests, we need people like Samar Badawi to voice out human concerns. Saade also stressed that such awards and messages of solidarity did extend a cord of hope to those who feel afraid and sometimes forgotten in the most challenging parts of the world.

Kaos GL received its award statue from Ali Bayramoğlu, the Chairman of the International Hrant Dink Award Committee. Having received the statue on behalf of Kaos GL, Ali Erol reminded that homosexuals lived their entire lives in the ‘‘disquiet’’ that took the life of Hrank Dink. He also noted that emancipation of homosexuals was a prerequisite for the liberalisation of the society. Erol also stressed the importance of figuring out the linkages between different forms of discrimination. He said that racist and nationalistic discourses institutionalised through state policies did create ‘‘enemies of the nation” and that this fake ‘‘national integrity’’ could only be overcome by building bridges across various struggles for freedom.

The Jury of the International Hrant Dink Award 2015 consists of Baskın Oran, Gerard Libaridian, Kenneth Roth, Kumi Naidoo, Mary Kaldor, Oya Baydar, Rakel Dink and 2014 International Hrant Dink Awardees Angie Zelter and Şebnem Korur Fincancı.

Alper Görmüş, Amira Hass, the Conscientious Objection Movement of Turkey, Baltasar Garzón, Ahmet Altan, Lydia Cacho, İsmail Beşikçi, International “Memorial” Society Russia, Saturday Mothers / People, Nataša Kandić, Angie Zelter, and Şebnem Korur Fincancı are the former laureates of the International Hrant Dink Award.

The Sydney Armenian community has responded magnificently to an “Appeal to Help Armenians in Syria”, donating $50,000 during a week of fundraising between 22nd June and 28th June, 2015.

The Australian chapters of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation, the Armenian Relief Society, Homenetmen, Hamazkaine, the Armenian National Committee, the Armenian Youth Federation and Armenia Media Inc., joined forces to organise a series of fundraising activities in response to news of severe financial hardship coming from their counterparts in Syria.

These activities were:

1. Radiothon on Armenia Radio 99.3FM on Monday 22nd June;
2. Door Knock Appeal throughout Sydney’s suburbs, powered by members of the ARS, AYF and Hamazkaine, every night between Monday and Thursday;
3. Online Credit Card Appeal, organised by the ANC;
4. Appeal to Businesses for Donations;
5. Sydney Benefit Concert for Syrian-Armenians, which was held at Galstaun College’s Nalbandian Hall on Sunday, 28th June.

On June 11-12 political consultations between Ministries of Foreign Affairs of Armenia and Iran were held at the MFA of Armenia. The consultations were headed by Deputy Ministers of Foreign Affairs Shavarsh Kocharyan and Ibrahim Rahimpour.

The issues of intensification of political dialogue between the two countries, and of enhancing cooperation in energy, trade-economic, humanitarian fields, as well as in the framework of international organizations were on the agenda of the consultations. The implementation of joint economic projects was also discussed.

The sides exchanged views on several international and regional issues. Deputy Minister Kocharyan presented the efforts of Armenia and OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the settlement of the Karabakh issue.

Deputy Minister Rahimpour briefed his Armenian counterpart on the recent developments of the negotiation process on Iran’s nuclear program.

Kim Kardashian has already got her own film – it’s one of the best-selling X-rated movies of all time – but she reportedly wants a movie about her life and so does her husband Kanye West, according to a new report, according to the

The Keeping Up With The Kardashians star, who is pregnant with her second child, is reportedly planning to make a movie about their lives with three big studios trying to bag the rights.

A senior executive from Universal reportedly told the Daily Star Sunday: “I doubt we are talking about an Oscar-worthy production with high artistic merit.

“But with almost 45 million Twitter followers between them, they have a worldwide fan base which virtually guarantees box office success followed by strong DVD sales.”

Kim has allegedly got her eye on curvaceous stars such as Sofia Vergara and Christina Hendricks who could play her on screen, and is “hyper excited” about the project.

“Kim is fantastising about who might play her and has Sofia Vergara or Mad Men’s Christina Hendricks I mind,” an insider told the newspaper.