Author: Lara Chatinian

The Islamic State (IS) group is the prime suspect in the Ankara bombings that killed nearly 100 on Saturday, Turkish PM Ahmet Davutoglu has said, the BBC reports.

No group has said it carried out the attack, but the government believes that two male suicide bombers caused the explosions, hitting a peace rally.

The official death toll is 97, but one of the main groups at the march put the number of dead at 128.

The funerals of more of the victims are taking place on Monday.

Saturday’s twin explosions ripped through a crowd of activists gathering outside the main railway station in the Turkish capital.

They were due to take part in a rally calling for an end to the violence between Turkish government forces and the militant Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK).

 

 

 

The recent escalation at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border has revealed new problems on the Armenian media field, information security expert Samvel Martirosyan told a press conference today. This reminds him of a situation leading to the 2013 elections, when a huge number of websites with no owner and no journalists started disseminating misinformation and black PR, but disappeared after the elections.

According to the expert, the main objective is to attract visitors to the website to boost traffic.

“They started by posting ‘innocent’ materials, but started disseminating absurd information, when tensions increased. Those are mostly articles and videos raising panic,” Samvel Martirosyan said.

“Perhaps, the situation forces to implement censorship, which is a negative phenomenon and will work for the benefit of the society for two weeks only. Moreover, officials may use it to bloc anti-corruption materials,” he added.

The expert suggests applying ‘self-regulatory techniques’ to solve the problem. He also recommends to ignore websites, where every second article starts with the word “Urgent.”

Martirosyan warned that Azerbaijanis are creating fake Armenian websites to spread false information.

“More and more Azerbaijanis are ‘migrating’ to Armenian websites, aware that they will not find the truth in their media outlets,” the expert noted.

He concluded that any information published by media leaves a great psychological impact on the society. Therefore, before posting any news, it’s necessary to check the sources.

On Monday, September 7, Pope Francis celebrated Mass, in the chapel of the Santa Marta residence in Vatican City, with the recently-elected Armenian Patriarch of Cilicia, His Beatitude Gregory Peter XX Ghabroyan, as well as with the Bishops of Synod of the Apostolic Armenian Catholic Church and the Prefect of the Congregation for Eastern Churches, Cardinal Leonardo Sandri.

During the Mass, Pope Francis spoke about the persecution of Christians throughout history, specifically referencing the 1915 Armenian Genocide in Ottoman Turkey, and drew parallels to Christian persecution today in the Middle East.

“Today I would like, on this day of our first Eucharist, as brother Bishops, dear brother Bishops and Patriarch and all of you Armenian faithful and priests, to embrace you and remember this persecution that you have suffered, and to remember your holy ones, your many saints who died of hunger, in the cold, under torture, [cast] into the wilderness only for being Christians,” Pope Francis said.

Pope Francis referred to the Armenian Genocide as “One of many great persecutions: that of the Armenian people,” and that Armenia was “The first nation to convert to Christianity: the first.” “They were persecuted just for being Christians,” he said. “The Armenian people were persecuted, chased away from their homeland, helpless, in the desert.”

“We now, in the newspapers, hear the horror of what some terrorist groups do, who slit the throats of people just because [their victims] are Christians. We think of the Egyptian martyrs, recently, on the Libyan coast, who were slaughtered while pronouncing the name of Jesus,” the Pontiff said, pointing out that “this happens before the whole world, with the complicit silence of many powerful leaders who could stop it.”

The Assembly strongly supports the Holy Father’s call on the international community to take action. Indeed, the ongoing refugee crisis caused by the wars in Syria and Iraq must be addressed and could have been prevented. Equally troubling are the renewed attacks on the Kurds and threats to Armenians in Turkey. “We must turn these districts into Armenian and Kurdish cemeteries,” in the Armenian populated district of Istanbul this week.

The Pope’s remarks this week reaffirms the solidarity that the Catholic Church shares with the Armenian people. On the second Sunday of Easter earlier this year, Pope Francis held the Divine Mercy Sunday Mass with Armenian Catholicoi His Holiness Karekin II and His Holiness Aram I, where he called the Armenian killings “the first genocide of the 20th century.” “Concealing or denying evil is like allowing a wound to keep bleeding without bandaging it,” Francis said during the historic Armenian Genocide centennial service on April 12.

The Pope’s April comments were at the epicenter of a wave of universal acknowledgement of the Armenian Genocide on the centennial anniversary. His leadership set the stage for a series of commemorative events, services, and activities performed and organized by Catholic leaders along with Armenian Church leaders across the United States. In Los Angeles, California, home to the largest Armenian community in America, Roman Catholic Archbishop Jose Gomez hosted the Armenian Genocide centennial service at the Cathedral of Our Lady of the Angels. During the National Commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, Reverend Monsignor Walter R. Rossi, Rector of the Basilica of the National Shrine of the Immaculate Conception at Catholic University hosted Armenian Catholicoi His Holiness Karekin II and His Holiness Aram I and a delegation of Armenian clergy for a special requiem service.

As previously noted, Pope Francis is not the first leader of the Catholic Church to acknowledge the Armenian Genocide. In 2001, Pope John Paul II offered his own acknowledgement of the genocide and prayer for the victims. The Papacy itself has a long history of condemning the atrocities as far back as 1915.

“The Armenian Assembly of America greatly appreciates Pope Francis for his acknowledgement and reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide,” stated Assembly board co-chairmen Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian. “One hundred years after the Armenian Genocide, the Pontiff calls on leaders of nations and the perpetrator state to heal the wounds and prevent mass atrocities against those who suffer in the region today, whether they be Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or Yezidi. We commend Armenia for taking in thousands of refugees and urge the United States to take a greater role as the refugee crisis spreads and more importantly address the root causes.”

During Monday’s Mass, Pope Francis stated: “May the Lord, today, make us feel within the body of the Church, the love for our martyrs and also our vocation to martyrdom. We do not know what will happen here: we do not know. Only Let the Lord give us the grace, should this persecution happen here one day, of the courage and the witness that all Christian martyrs have shown, and especially the Christians of the Armenian people.”

The Church of Cyprus has announced that 34 treasures that were stolen from the island’s Turkish-occupied areas, are expected to return on Friday afternoon to Cyprus. The treasures will return to Cyprus following a decision by the Munich Court of Appeals, on March 16, in the case of Turkish art smuggler Aydin Dikmen, according to the

Among the artifacts, 24 are Byzantine relics and some prehistoric antiquities coming mostly from the collection of Chr. Chatziprodromou, from Ayios Epiktitos Church. Among the Byzantine relics there are three pairs of bema doors (Monastery of Antiphonitis Christ, Virgin Mary Monastery in Kantara), wall paintings from the Monastery of Antiphonitis Christ, the church of Agia Solomoni in Coma tou Yialou and the Monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa in Sychari. Also the treasures include a hand written manuscript of 17th century (omilario) from the Monastery of the Panagia Trooditissa, and the hand written gospel of the Armenian community of Cyprus stolen during the Turkish mutiny in 1963.

More than 500 churches situated in the areas under Turkish occupation since 1974 have been destroyed, plundered and looted or turned into stables, warehouses, restaurants and hotels. The Cyprus government and the church have repeatedly protested to the UN, the World Council of Churches and many other international and religious organisations.

Governments and civil society must do more to document the fate and whereabouts of people who disappear in conflicts or other circumstances and give stronger support to the families left behind, the International Committee of the Red Cross has said.

“Whether someone has disappeared during war, or migration or a disaster, the suffering of the families remains,” said Marianne Pecassou, who heads the ICRC’s team working on the missing. “It’s essential to collect information that is available today on people who disappear, how and where they have disappeared, that might be useful at some point in time to bring answers to the families,” said Pecassou, speaking as the world prepares to mark the International Day of the Disappeared on August 30.

But providing answers takes a long time and is often not possible while a conflict is still ongoing. For some families, there might never be a definitive answer. And in the meantime, families have a range of needs for support.

“All too often, especially in conflict situations, the problem of the missing is just not on the radar. Governments and other actors need to make sure it is on the agenda and do more to address the practical and emotional needs of the families,” Pecassou said.

The disappearance of a loved one may leave the family without economic support and often they will have to use up their dwindling resources on the search for their missing relative. In many cases, the family does not want to declare a missing person dead and so for example, they can’t access the person’s property or salary.

Families also suffer on an emotional and social level – they might experience isolation, sadness and marginalization and often need long-term support in order to overcome these difficulties and regain control of their lives.

There are over 4,500 people registered by the ICRC as missing in relation to the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, including more than 400 in Armenia. The ICRC supports the authorities in their efforts towards clarifying the fate of missing persons and addressing the needs of families of the missing in Armenia, Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh. This includes collection of biological reference samples from the close relatives of the missing, which would increase the probability of the identification of human remains.

The ICRC also offers support of various kinds, working on the ground with the Armenian Red Cross Society and other local partners. Based on the needs of these families, the ICRC’s assistance encompasses economic security programs aimed at helping them improve the existing or establish new livelihoods, provision of legal, medical and administrative assistance, as well as emotional care and help with trying to find out ways of remembering their missing loved ones.

 

 

 

Iran will be able to deepen its international relations, especially with neighbors, after the sanctions are lifted, Ambasaador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Iran to Armenia Mohammad Raisi told reporters in Yerevan.

The Ambassador said Iran’s Vice-President will visit Armenia in the coming months.

The Ambassador said “Armenia can be a bridge linking the Persian Gulf to the Black Sea.” “This may take a long time, but it’s unequivocal that communications can have a serious impact on the development of Armenian and Iranian economies,” he noted.

He added that the lifting of sanctions and Iran’s return as a full-fledged member of the international community will change the situation in the Middle East and will give new quality to the relations with neighbors.

Mohammad Raisi hopes the level of economic relations between Armenia and Iran will reach that of political ties.

As for the Karabakh conflict, the Ambassador hopes the issue will be solved in a peaceful way through negotiations.

He said “Peace and security in neighboring countries is a guarantee of Iran’s security.”

Armenian midfielder Gevorg Ghazaryan has joined the Portuguese team Maritimo.

“I am very happy for my contract with Maritimo and I am sure we will have great season . I am thankful to have the opportunity to work with this team,” Ghazaryan said in a Facebook post.

Gevorg Ghazaryan was officially presented as a reinforcement of the Maritime Sunday.

49 times Armenian international, having faced Portugal last month, is the first player from the country to act in the I League.

Speaking to MarítimoTV, the attacking midfielder said he hopes to “win many games, scoring many goals and be very successful” in green-red club.

Ghazaryan previously played in Greek Kerkyra and Olympiakos. The 27 year old also played for Ukraine’s Metalurh Donetsk and the Shakhter, Kazakhstan, after he left Pyunik, Armenia.

Dozens of fighters from different nationalities have joined the ranks of the Kurdish forces in Syria and Iraq in order to combat militants of the Islamic State (IS/ISIS),  reports.

An Armenian fighter in the ranks of the Kurdish forces of the People’s Protection Units (YPG), nicknamed Barkhodan, came to Syria nearly two years ago and joined the fight against ISIS.

“I am 55 years old, I came to Syria along with 70 Armenian young men, and we joined the ranks of the YPG more than two years ago,” he told ARA News, pointing out that they have been deployed on various positions at battle fronts in accordance with their military expertise. 

“We are fighting here in defense of the Armenian people from the risk of IS extremists, we do not differentiate between Arabs, Kurds, Christians and Muslims,” he said.

“The main reason for many foreign fighters to be here (northern Syria) is the necessity to eliminate the enemies of humanity (in reference to ISIS militants).” 

“ISIS is killing women and children. What happened in Kobane several days ago when they killed hundreds of innocent people is the biggest motivation for me to fight those barbarians, despite my old age,” Barkhodan told ARA News.

“When we fight alongside the YPG forces, this actually raises the overall morale among Kurds in the war on terrorism,” he added.

In Syria, hundreds of foreign members of the YPG have formed what is known as “Lions of Rojava” (Lions of Syrian Kurdistan). They combat ISIS in several areas in Syria’s Kurdish region alongside Kurdish forces. 

Recently, foreign fighters of YPG formed a battalion under the banner “World Freedom” in Sere Kaniye (Ras al-Ain), northeastern Syria, which includes dozens of fighters who were distributed at the anti-ISIS fighting fronts after having completed military training in YPG-held camps. 

Just like their ancestors forced from their homes in 1915-16, the last Armenian families living in the embattled northern Syrian town of Kobane have fled after the repeated jihadist attacks – and they do not intend to go back, according to the Hurriyet Daily News.

Agop Tomasyan, an Armenian from Kobane close to the Turkish border, who fled his hometown for Turkey around nine months ago when the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL) launched an attack, said the last eight Armenian families had left Syria for good and would not return.

“There were only eight families left before the ISIL attack [in October 2014]. All of these families left Kobane after the attack,” said Tomasyan.

Syrian Kurdish forces expelled ISIL fighters from Kobane on June 27 and retook full control after three days under siege, after a group of ISIL militants stormed into the border town. ISIL had also failed to capture Kobane at the start of 2015 after four months of deadly clashes.

Three Armenian families are currently living at the Turkish Prime Ministry Disaster and Emergency Management Authority (AFAD) refugee camp in the Suruç district of Şanlıurfa province.

Tomasyan, who belongs to one of the three families in the Suruç refugee camp, said they had to leave their hometown after ISIL’s attack because they knew that the jihadists would kill them once they learned that they were Christians.

“We understood that it was time for us to go. We decided to come to Turkey after a discussion between the last Armenians left. Eventually we came to Suruç,” he said. From Suruç, the eight families had spread to various other places.

“One family settled in Şanlıurfa, another in Hatay, and another in Aleppo. Two of the families who had passports went to Armenia. The remaining three families were placed in refugee camps in Suruç,” Tomasyan said.

He added that they had at one point decided to return to Kobane but changed their minds after his brother was killed by jihadists in front of his son’s eyes during ISIL’s latest attack.

“Before the recent ISIL assault, my brother wanted to return to Kobane to see how his house and store was. He took his 14-year-old son with him, but later he was killed by ISIL in front of his son,” Tomasyan said.

“Kobane is not our homeland anymore.”

The 14-year-old Aram Tomasyan, who is Agop Tomasyan’s nephew, said four ISIL members wearing uniforms of the Kurdish People’s Defense Units (YPG) had shot his father on the morning of June 24.

“My father was bleeding from his heart when he fell on the ground. Despite this he still raised his hand and said, ‘Son, run, they are ISIL.’ I ran. If I hadn’t run, I would have been shot too,” the boy said.

The elder Tomasyan said the ancestral roots of Kobane’s Armenians could be traced back to Southern and Central Anatolia, but his ancestors were exiled during the massacre and deportation of Ottoman Armenians in 1915-16. They fled to Kobane and settled there to start a new life.

“We had said that we would never leave Kobane, no matter what,” said Tomasyan, adding that they had two churches in the town and lived in harmony with everyone around them.

The protesters against electricity price hike again spent the night on Baghramyan Avenue.

Chief of Police Vladimir Gasparyan visited the site this morning and talked to the protesters.