Daily Sabah Democracy boost for minorities in electing leaders DAILY SABAH WITH ANADOLU AGENCY ISTANBUL Members of the Armenian community attend the opening of a restored church in Istanbul. The city is home to the majority of Turkey's non-Muslim minorities. The head of a state-run authority overseeing foundations said that they were working on regulations allowing non-Muslim minorities to elect administrators of their foundations. The move is a major democratic initiative for minorities that have been tightly supervised by the state in the past and have suffered discrimination General Directorate of Foundations head Adnan Ertem said his agency is working on a set of regulations to allow independent elections in minority-run foundations. If approved, it will mark a milestone for non-Muslim minorities that conduct their daily affairs and preserve their heritage through foundations. It will give broader freedom to communities that are mostly concentrated in Istanbul after decades of discriminatory policy and tight control by the state. "We would like (minority) foundations to have the same status as other foundations. We want them to elect their own administration independently, and we will only act as observers," he told Anadolu Agency. Non-Muslim minorities in Turkey were long treated as second-class citizens in the 20th century. The controversial wealth tax imposed in 1942, targeting rich non-Muslims, a pogrom in 1955 and the deportation of non-Muslim Turkish citizens in 1964 added to "a fear of the state" among non-Muslim minorities. The "democratization package" announced by the government a few years ago looks to change the state's view of minorities and restore their rights. Then-prime minister and current President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan announced in 2011 that hundreds of properties that were confiscated from minorities over the years would be returned and compensation would be paid for properties later sold to third parties. Though no comprehensive laws exist to restore property rights, Turkish courts are gradually returning properties to minorities that prove ownership. The election issue is a matter overshadowing democratic rights for minorities. Although the minorities are free to elect their own foundation members, they are still subject to inspection by the state and need the approval of the authorities. Ertem said they were working on viable alternatives to current regulations for 167 foundations run by minorities, including the Armenian, Greek, Jewish and Assyriac communities. "The main idea is decreasing intervention by the Foundations Directorate in elections. In the end, it is the directorate that faces lawsuits when problems arise in elections," he said. "One of the options is that our directorate will be merely an observer inspecting results. Every foundation will have its own administration, its own election system. This may be implemented through a law or regulation," he said. During the late Ottoman period and in the early years of the Republic of Turkey, foundations belonging to non-Muslim minorities were able to hold their own elections, but a set of changes in later years hindered the election process, critics say. In 2013, Turkey suspended regulations on elections to create a new one with cooperation between minority representatives and the state. The move was praised for cooperation with minorities, something rare in the history of the Republic. Foundations control the properties of minorities, a main source of income for small-sized communities, and their administrations largely consist of influential figures of those minorities. In a way, they head an entity that is almost the sole representative of their minorities. In an interview in February with Anadolu Agency, Deputy Prime Minister Veysi Kaynak whose area of responsibility covers foundations said that foundations have been part and parcel of the Republic of Turkey since the Lausanne Treaty granted them rights in 1923. "(The ruling) Justice and Development Party (AK Party) governments took important steps about minority foundations, such as the return of seized properties," he noted. Kaynak said a decline in minority populations posed a challenge for elections in areas hosting only a small number of community members. Due to past discriminatory policies and changes in economic conditions, members of minorities left where they and their ancestors lived for centuries. As most foundations are based in Istanbul, and the city has the highest number of minorities, the elections are allowed only within the limits of certain districts. Kaynak said they have been working on the status of minority foundations since last year, but the July 15 coup attempt thwarted the process. Supporters of new regulations call for a comprehensive change in the status of foundations, such as broadening their constituencies. Speaking to Daily Sabah last October when the planned regulations were on the agenda again, Toros Alcan, a representative of the Armenian community, said their communities had to handle their affairs with regulations and other temporary measures and were in need of a law that would grant their foundations firm legal status. "The foundation certificate" is another key issue for Jewish, Armenian, Greek and Assyriac communities, as this document grants any foundation a firm footing in supervising their own affairs. A 1936 regulation mandated "minorities" establish foundations via charters and included a list of the properties owned by them was followed by an unofficial ban on foundations to acquire properties other than those on the list, dealing a blow to close-knit communities dependent on revenues. Alcan said every community had its own dynamics, and while some have many members and few foundations to address their social and financial needs, others have many foundations and few members.
Author: Tambiyan Samvel
Sports: Henrikh: I’m ready for the biggest game of my life…
Manchester Evening News Tuesday Henrikh: I'm ready for the biggest game of my life... by ANTHONY JEPSON UNITED midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in determined mood ahead of one of the 'most important games of his life'. The Armenian, 28, says defeat is not an option when the Reds take on Ajax in Sweden. "I can say that of course there is only one choice and that is to win, we are not going to the final to lose," he said. "We want to win and have to win, for us it is very important to win this trophy, and also the opportunity to play in the Champions League because Manchester United are not the team who has to play three years in a row in the Europa League. "It's going to be one of the most important games in my life. I don't want to lose this opportunity. "I am only thinking of winning that game, I know we are able to win, and I know it will be a big pleasure to win it. "If we are going to win the Europa League final it will be an amazing season for us, because have already won two trophies, and this one would be the third one." Mkhitaryan (left) says he has no fear ahead of the clash with the Dutch side. "I will not be nervous because I'm not a kid anymore," he said. "I know how to handle the pressure, how to get ready for that game, just play my game and be myself. "I watched some Ajax games, they are a young team, have very good football players and are very aggressive."
Sports: Manchester United’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan Brings Armenia With Him
The New York Times
MANCHESTER, England — Henrikh Mkhitaryan would be forgiven for not wanting to take his work home with him. His first season in the Premier League has, after all, been a demanding one, enough to make anyone cherish any chance at all to switch off.
There has been the battle to win a place and establish his presence at Manchester United; a collection of wonderful, occasionally gravity-defying goals once he settled in; and then, as the campaign reached its climax, a relentless workload — games piling up in great drifts, culminating in Wednesday’s Europa League final against Ajax in Stockholm.
That would be enough, but Mkhitaryan has always been one of those players who struggle to relax. Early in his career, he tended to switch off his phone for “three days before a game,” so determined was he to focus on the task in hand.
Looking back, at 28, he knows that such intensity was unhealthy; he often felt “sad” for days after games, brooding over every perceived error, reproaching himself for every defeat, screening the calls of his friends and family in case he took out his frustration on them.
He is better at it now, he says, persuaded that it was counterproductive if his “muscles were tense all the time,” but even now it remains a deliberate thing, requiring a conscious effort. He finds it hard to take it easy.
Continue reading the main story
He tries, actively, to take his mind off soccer as much as he can. Mkhitaryan has a regular supper club with his teammates Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Paul Pogba; he goes to the movies as often as time allows. He seeks distraction so he might focus better when needed.
He makes just one exception. No matter how draining his week, Mkhitaryan, the $34 million superstar, always spends hours on YouTube watching grainy coverage of dubious-quality soccer from his native Armenia.
He does not do it for pleasure, particularly; the standard is not a patch on what he experiences in England, even in training. Because there are only six teams in Armenia’s highest league, he admits, he finds the games a little repetitive.
Génocide arménien. Cérémonie du souvenir
Le Télégramme, France Mardi 16 Mai 2017 Génocide arménien. Cérémonie du souvenir Venus de tout le Finistère et même pour certains de la région de Rennes, de nombreux membres de la communauté arménienne de Bretagne se sont rassemblés, dimanche, à Beuzec-Cap-Sizun pour une émouvante cérémonie du souvenir en mémoire du génocide arménien. Devant la stèle Après la messe célébrée dans l'église paroissiale, les participants, auxquels s'étaient joints des représentants des anciens combattants et des habitants de Beuzec, se sont réunis dans « l'espace de la Paix », situé derrière la mairie, où une stèle est érigée depuis 2010 à la mémoire du génocide arménien. Souren Pogossian, président de l'association Menez Ararat a rappelé le génocide perpétré d'avril 1915 à juillet 1916 sous l'empire Ottoman. « Celui-ci a coûté la vie à près de 1.500.000 Arméniens, et a obligé des centaines de milliers d'entre eux à s'exiler ». Des élus dénoncent Gilles Sergent, maire de Beuzec, Didier Guillon, conseiller départemental et Annick Le Loch, députée, ont déploré que « cette tragédie ne soit pas encore reconnue partout dans le monde et notamment par la Turquie contemporaine qui persiste dans son déni ». « Un génocide, c'est le plus total des crimes contre l'humanité. Tolérer le négationnisme aujourd'hui, c'est tuer le peuple arménien une deuxième fois ! » ont-ils souligné, citant Elie Wiesel, prix Nobel de la Paix : « Le tueur tue toujours deux fois, la seconde par le silence ». À l'issue de la cérémonie, les participants se sont retrouvés autour du verre de l'amitié, offert par la municipalité.
Comédie du livre. Cinq livres de cinq auteurs invités
Le Monde. France Jeudi 18 Mai 2017 Comédie du livre. Cinq livres de cinq auteurs invités par Philippe-Jean Catinchi; Raphaëlle Leyris Jeanne Benameur, nimbée de mystère L'Enfant qui, de Jeanne Benameur, Actes Sud, 130 p., 13,80 . C'est dans les silences que Jeanne Benameur semble creuser son oeuvre. Ses personnages ne se paient pas de mots, tandis qu'elle choisit les siens avec une parcimonie qui décuple leur effet. La mère de son bouleversant premier roman, Les Demeurées (Denoël, 2000), était muette, mais l'amour entre elle, l'idiote du village, et sa fille, tenait aussi dans cette absence de paroles. L'Enfant qui est probablement le livre de Jeanne Benameur se rapprochant le plus des Demeurées. En son coeur, il y a cet «enfant qui» a perdu sa mère et qui, «adossé» à cette absence, arpente la forêt, découvre de nouveaux lieux, guidé par un chien qu'il est le seul à voir. Cette mère éprise de liberté, à la jupe «fanée», aux «mains silencieuses», parlait une autre langue que celle du village, et pour cela éveillait la méfiance. Tandis que l'enfant pousse toujours plus loin ses explorations, son père, charpentier, passe tout le temps où il ne travaille pas au café - au milieu des «paroles qui font juste ce qu'il faut de bruit pour se sentir vivants, ensemble. On pourrait se parler chinois, quelle importance» - en espérant se défaire du souvenir de sa femme, et du désir qu'il garde d'elle. Sa propre mère va de ferme en ferme acheter de la nourriture pour eux trois, en espérant faire ainsi tenir leur foyer. Nimbé de mystère, ce roman sur ce qui constitue une famille, sur la manière dont grandit une individualité, et dont on apprend à habiter le monde, est d'une poésie aussi heurtée que son titre. R. L. Jeanne Benameur lit L'Enfant qui, suivi d'un entretien avec Martine Laval. Comédie du livre, Auditorium du Musée Fabre, dimanche 21mai, 14h30. Cécile Coulon à la porte du paradis Trois saisons d'orage, de Cécile Coulon, Viviane Hamy, 270 p., 19 . Les Trois Gueules doivent leur nom à «la forme des falaises au creux desquelles coule un torrent sombre. C'est un défilé de roche grise, haute et acérée, divisée en trois parties, en trois sommets successifs qui ressemblent à s'y méprendre à trois énormes canines.» Au fond, les Trois Gueules sont peut-être moins un paysage qu'un amphithéâtre. Et Trois saisons d'orage, qui s'y déroule, relève autant du roman que de la tragédie antique. Le septième roman de Cécile Coulon, 27ans, est une histoire dedestin et de malédiction. D'hubris, aussi, cet orgueil qui fait monter les hommes très haut, avant de provoquer leur chute. Les protagonistes de Trois saisons d'orage seront ainsi perdus par leur certitude de pouvoir dominer la nature, «discipliner ses turbulences», oubliant «qu'elle était là avant eux, qu'elle ne leur appartient pas, mais qu'ils lui appartiennent». La nature va donc se charger de le rappeler aux trois générations et aux deux familles dont les histoires sont tissées ici, et racontées par Clément, le prêtre du village des Fontaines, que dominent les Trois Gueules. C'est là que décide de s'installer, après la guerre, André, médecin militaire. Il soignera les «fourmis blanches», ces hommes embauchés par l'entreprise d'extraction de pierre calcaire Charrier frères, dont l'ouverture a redonné vie au bourg. Son fils Benedict, né d'une brève liaison, prendra sa suite, et vivra aux Fontaines avec sa femme, Agnès, rencontrée pendant ses études en ville, qui acquiesce quand son mari souligne que «cet endroit, c'est le paradis», mais objecte: «On s'ennuie vite, au paradis.» Empreint de sensualité, Trois saisons d'orage est un puissant roman des secrets. Ayant grandi dans le Massif central, dont les paysages lui ont inspiré ceux de ce livre, Cécile Coulon impressionne plus à chaque ouvrage par sa maîtrise, et par l'étendue de sa palette romanesque. R.L. Entretien littéraire. Cécile Coulon dialogue avec Jean-Antoine Loiseau. Comédie du livre, Médiathèque municipale de Vendargues, vendredi 19mai, 18heures. Olivier Delorme, une brûlante réflexion Tigrane l'Arménien, d'Olivier Delorme, La Différence, 400 p., 19 . A Athènes, saignée par la crise économique et la tutelle européenne, les murs parlent, interpellent. «Allons admirer le chaos; peut-être trouverons-nous une solution.» C'est un peu le programme du fascinant Tigrane L'Arménien, qui interroge autant l'origine du génocide arménien de 1915 que la collusion entre gouvernance internationale et stratégie économique à l'heure de la mondialisation. A travers les combats des frères Arevchadian, unis dans leur devoir mémoriel mais opposés sur les enjeux du présent, c'est une plongée dans la part d'ombre de l'ère contemporaine que le roman d'Olivier Delorme propose. De la tragédie arménienne naguère à la dénonciation de la nocivité de la stratégie de la Commission européenne aujourd'hui, le lecteur suit deux fils tissant (avec une érudition qui préserve toujours l'art du thriller) une brûlante réflexion sur l'engagement et le choix, sa douleur et son prix. On savait Olivier Delorme féru d'archéologie et d'antiquité, d'intrigues tant géopolitiques que policières (L'Or d'Alexandre, H &O, 2008). Le tour de force de l'essayiste synthétisant seize siècles d'histoire (La Grèce et les Balkans, Gallimard, 2013) avait impressionné. On retrouve dans Tigrane L'Arménien la parfaite conjonction du savoir-faire du romancier et de l'exigence de l'historien, pimentée ici par la tentation de l'éditorialiste. Autant de raisons de le laisser nous guider pour comprendre un présent qui, faute d'éthique et de mémoire, menace d'embrasements futurs. Ph.-J. C. «La Grèce et les Balkans». Entretien avec Olivier Delorme, animé par Catherine Pont-Humbert. Comédie du livre, Gazette Café, samedi 20mai, 17h30. Hubert Haddad, l'art de la fugue Premières neiges sur Pondichéry, d'Hubert Haddad, Zulma, 192 p., 17,50 . «Nul n'échappe au carnaval perpétuel des idolâtres.» C'est toutefois le pari que fait Hochéa Meintzel, violoniste virtuose, quand, en acceptant l'invitation d'un festival de musique à Madras (Chennai, en Inde), il quitte Jérusalem sans retour. Lui qui a survécu au martyre de Lodz, en Pologne («L'enfance, un piège à loup caché sous les neiges du temps»), est brisé sans remède par la mort de sa fille Samra, victime d'un attentat islamiste. Désormais il n'attend plus rien. Le hasard, la seule boussole qu'il admette, le fait échouer à Pondichéry. Il s'y laisse porter d'une rencontre fortuite à l'autre, ne vivant que par ses sens, l'appel de l'extrême et de l'exubérance. Après avoir fui un pays «de pantins et d'aliénés», il va découvrir une improbable Babel où langues et croyances unissent leur dynamisme. Le temps d'une nuit de tempête, où une antique synagogue lui offre son refuge, il va trouver un sens à cet exil qui l'arrache à la servitude de l'origine. Les flammes d'un brasero, de torchères ou d'un candélabre à sept branches, en réveillant les ombres, maintiennent en éveil et en vie l'artiste blessé. «Les mélodies sont des âmes qui n'ont pas trouvé de corps.» Par un récit où la poésie le dispute à l'érudition, la quête philosophique au journal de bord, Hubert Haddad signe un «art de la fugue» qui n'est pas sans écho avec le testament inachevé d'un Bach à l'apogée de son écriture. Ph.-J. C. Petit déjeuner littéraire. Hubert Haddad dialogue avec Elise Lépine. Comédie du livre, Jardin de la Maison des relations internationales, dimanche 21mai, 9heures (sur inscription). Leïla Sebbar, désemparée L'Orient est rouge, de Leïla Sebbar, Elyzad, 140 p., 15,70 . Née d'un père algérien et d'une mère française, Leïla Sebbar a souvent dit que son histoire familiale la menait à écrire à cheval entre l'Occident et l'Orient. Le mouvement du premier vers le deuxième est au coeur de ce recueil de nouvelles, dont tant de personnages, qui ont grandi en France, souvent sans connaître grand-chose de «la langue des glorieux ancêtres» ou de la religion musulmane, ont tout quitté, leurs parents, leurs études, leur vie entourée de «mécréants» pour gagner la Syrie. Qu'est-ce qui les y a poussés? Leurs proches (Leïla Sebbar montre surtout des mères totalement désemparées) n'en savent rien, tout comme ils n'avaient aucune idée de ce qui se tramait avant le départ de ces jeunes gens pour «cette guerre-là, dans un pays inconnu où la langue n'est pas la langue de ses montages d'outre-mer», comme le note la mère de «Kahena». Dans ces textes écrits d'une plume sèche et nette, l'écrivaine ne s'aventure pas dans des spéculations psychologiques. Elle ne comprend pas cette séduction de l'Orient «rouge» sang, cette délectation d'enfants éduqués à faire brûler dans un feu de joie (réel ou métaphorique) leurs livres, et tout ce qu'ils ont appris, pour devenir «les héros d'un monde nouveau». Et c'est dans cette incompréhension que gît l'intérêt de ces nouvelles, leur complexité dépourvue de clichés. R. L. Petit déjeuner littéraire. Leïla Sebbar dialogue avec Jean-Antoine Loiseau. Comédie du livre, Hôtel Mercure, dimanche 21mai, 10heures.
Iran election: Hassan Rouhani on course for second term
Photo: Reuters
Iran’s President Hassan Rouhani is on course for a second term in office, preliminary results show, the BBC reports.
Out of 26 million votes counted so far, he has won 14.6 million – or more than half, officials announced on state TV.
Mr Rouhani’s main challenger lodged complaints about alleged voting irregularities in the polls.
Ebrahim Raisi accused supporters of Mr Rouhani of hundreds of acts of propaganda at voting booths, which are banned under electoral law.
Mr Raisi, 56, is a conservative cleric with a background in the judicial system.
Reuters reported that Mr Rouhani was on course to win more than 50% of the vote in the first round, thus avoiding a second-round run-off.
Voting time was extended by five hours, until midnight, amid an unexpectedly high turnout of about 70%.
The interior ministry said more than 40 million votes had been cast.
Election officials said the extensions to voting hours were due to “requests” and the “enthusiastic participation of people”.
Kurdish MP chairs first sitting of Armenian Parliament
Kurdish lawmaker Knyaz Hasanov chaired the first sitting of the Armenian National Assembly today. He retained the right to open the session as the most elderly Member of Parliament.
“This is a great honor to open a parliament session,” he said.
“I want to express gratitude to Armenia’s leadership on behalf of ethnic minorities for an opportunity to be represented in the Parliament,” Knyaz Hasanov said.
Hasanov represents the Kurdish community in the newly elected National Assembly of sixth convocation. Three other national minorities – Yezidis, Assyrians and Russians – also have representatives in the new Parliament.
World Bank projects 2.7 percent grown in Armenia in 2017
The World Bank project a 2.7 percent growth in Armenia in 2017, reflecting the sustained expansion of the tradable sectors and a modest recovery in domestic consumption.
“Medium term growth is projected to average 3-3.5 percent a year, given structural weaknesses in the domestic policy framework, and remaining uncertainties in external environment. The government’s planned expenditure restraint and full implementation of the Tax Code are expected to keep the fiscal deficit below 3 percent of GDP over the medium term. Policy changes envisaged in the Tax Code would boost revenues by 2 percentage points of GDP by 2021,” the World Bank says.
Future poverty reduction will hinge on the recovery of the domestic economy, labor-market dynamics, and remittance inflows. Low growth rates, unfavorable external conditions, and limited fiscal space could slow the pace of poverty reduction; as a result, the poverty rate is projected to fall from 23.8 percent in 2017 to 22.2 percent in 2019.
According to a new report, Armenia’s medium-term outlook remains sensitive to internal and external factors, which entail both upside and downside risks. Growth prospects depend on the government’s ability to scale up high-quality investment, and speed up structural reform.
Azerbaijan moves armored vehicles in Talish direction
The Azerbaijani side used firearms of different calibers as it violated the ceasefire more than 65 times at the line of contact with the Artsakh forces, firing over 1,700 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.
The Azeri forces also used a 82mm mortar (4 shells) and D-44 cannons (8 shells) in Martakert direction.
Aside from ceasefire violations, the Azerbaijani side moved armored vehicles (about 10 tanks) in Tapkarakoyunlu-Talish direction at about 13:30, May 10. The tanks returned to their initial positions at 14:55.
The front divisions of the Artsakh defense Army resorted to response actions to pressure the activeness of the rival and continued with their duty all along the line of contact.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan wins Man Utd’s April ‘Goal of the Month’ award
December, January, February and now April – four out of the last five Goal of the Month awards for ! ????
— Manchester United (@ManUtd)
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has won yet another Goal of the Month accolade at Manchester United, following his strike at Sunderland in April, the club’s official website informs.
The Armenian’s solo goal helped the Reds earn a 3-0 win at the Stadium of Light and it finished above closest rivals Marcus Rashford (against Anderlecht – 17%) and Matthew Olosunde (against Real Salt Lake – 14%) in our poll, by amassing 32 per cent of the vote. Zak Dearnley and Callum Gribbin were also nominated.
Remarkably, it means Mkhitaryan has landed the prize for the fourth time in the last five months. His scorpion kick, also against Sunderland, won in December; a breakaway effort in the Emirates FA Cup triumph over Wigan Athletic came out on top in January and, in February, his belter past Leicester City’s Kasper Schmeichel was voted best goal.