Author: Vorskanian Yeghisabet

Photo: Reuters

 

President Barack Obama has arrived in Cuba for a historic visit to the island and talks with its communist leader, the BBC reports.

He is the first sitting US president to visit since the 1959 revolution, which heralded decades of hostility.

Speaking at the reopened US embassy in Havana, he called the visit “historic”. He also spent time in the old city.

Mr Obama will meet President Raul Castro, but not retired revolutionary leader Fidel Castro, and the pair will discuss trade and political reform.

The US president emerged smiling from Air Force One with First Lady Michelle and their daughters Sasha and Malia.

Holding umbrellas, the party walked in light drizzle along a red carpet to be greeted by Cuban Foreign Minister Bruno Rodriguez.

The Azerbaijani side fired about 3,000 shots from artillery weapons of different caliber, also as 60mm mortars, HHN-9 and HAN-17 grenades in the direction of the Armenian positions over the weekend.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the line of contact and confidently continue with their military duty, Press Service of the NKR Defense ministry said.

 

 

 

Ending a two-day state visit to Azerbaijan, President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) Pedro Agramunt said “Azerbaijan continues to face the consequences of the deadlock over the conflict concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh region.”

“It is essential that solutions are found to the occupation of Nagorno-Karabakh and other regions of Azerbaijan. This conflict not only destabilizes both Armenia and Azerbaijan, affecting their economies and their societies, but it also adversely affects the capacity of these countries to progress in the fields of democracy, human rights and the rule of law,” he said.

Spokesperson for the NKR President David Babayan said in comments to that “the statement is a result of caviar policy and lobbying or lack of knowledge.”

“PACE and its representatives should have a strong immune value system, which should not yield to the amount of sum or products. If the immune system is week, the Parliamentary Assembly or other European structures may find themselves in a very hard situation,” David Babayan said.

“If the PACE President talks about expansion of relations with a state that glorifies axe-murders, it’s not good. We must not be too sensitive towards these issue, but at the same time we have to do our best to strengthen our security and not rely upon some corrupt officials. We must pursue our national interests,” David Babayan said.

Photo: EPA

A French museum has returned the head of a 7th Century Hindu statue to Cambodia 130 years after it was taken, the BBC reports.

The statue, a representation of the Hindu gods Vishnu and Shiva, had its head taken in French colonial times.

It was returned by the Guimet Museum in Paris at Cambodia’s request and reattached to the body on Thursday.

A Cambodian culture ministry spokesman said joining the head to the statue felt “like we are reconnecting the soul of our national heritage”.

Photos by RYAN REMIORZ/THE CANADIAN PRESS

 

By by Giuseppe Valiante
The Canadian Press

When Syrian refugee Garouj Nazarian is asked how he likes working for his boss, the answer comes in choppy English — but the sentiment shines through.

“So much good,” he says with a big smile, offering a thumbs-up to emphasize his joy.

Nazarian, who’s been in Canada for about a year, has been working for six months at a Montreal plywood factory owned by Levon Afeyan, who fled Lebanon’s civil war with his parents and two brothers in 1975.

“I like working here very well,” Nazarian says in English before finishing his answer — “to take care of my family” — in Armenian.

Nazarian is one of 12 Syrian refugees among 80 employees and Afeyan intends to hire more as Canada opens its borders to thousands of people fleeing the Assad regime and the Islamic State.

One of the most difficult things for the Syrian refugees Afeyan employs is to accept that their move to Canada is likely a permanent one.

“They haven’t grasped that yet,” he says. “It takes time for a man to accept the fact that, well, this is it. I’ve lost (everything).”

Afeyan is the boss, but he’s also a pseudo social worker, overseeing a factory where immigrants from conflict zones around the world earn money for their families but also learn life skills and are paid to take French lessons.

His business, Seatply Products Inc., makes curved plywood used in chairs throughout North America.

The employees press plywood and glue veneers to create colourful combinations. They also cut and drill the wood with robotic machines and, while most of the production doesn’t require an advanced skill set, it’s work.

“They need a job to have respect,” Afeyan says. “Respect is a big thing in the Middle East. A man has to be a respectable man. Without a job he doesn’t have that.”

The low price of oil and the sinking dollar have triggered many layoffs across the country but for Seatply it’s time to hire.

On a tour of his factory, Afeyan intercepts Vasudevan Ratnasingham, from Sri Lanka, a country whose civil war ended in 2009 after 26 years.

Ratnasingham has become the supervisor of the pre-pressing veneer department.

“I came to Canada 15 years ago,” Ratnasingham says. “This was my first job — and my last job!”

Not far away is Vrej Baboian, a refugee from Iraq who moved to Canada in 2009.

The former car engineer is a sort of mentor to many Syrians who have started working at Seatply.

“We saw a lot of talent in him,” Afeyan states. “He became supervisor of his small team, then floor manager. Now he’s a full-fledged foreman in one of our of departments.”

Baboian, his walk brimming with confidence, says his first piece of advice to refugees is simple: “Find a job. Don’t depend on the government, depend on yourself.”

Afeyan believes refugees are often in shock when they arrive and adds that finding a job is critical to integrating successfully.

“We have to give them time,” he says. “Let them talk about it and slowly come to the realization that ‘I am now a full-fledged Canadian. My children will become Canadian. And Canada is my new home.”‘

Essential to feeling Canadian, Afeyan adds, is to start speaking English and, particularly in Quebec, French.

Starting in March, a teacher subsidized by the Quebec government will offer French lessons twice a week for free — inside his factory.

His employees have to stay an extra hour before or after their shifts to learn French, but they are paid to do so.

“We will encourage all of them to take the class and we’ll tell them not to say no,” he says with a smile.

And aside from language, Afeyan and his managers also teach refugees about elements of daily life other Canadians take for granted, such as efficient driving.

“We teach them about carpooling,” he says. “This is a concept they have never heard about. They like it very much by the way.”

While all Canadians can’t offer refugees jobs, they can help their integration by accepting displaced Syrians “not just as refugees but as new Canadians,” according to Afeyan.

He remembers what it felt like to be 16 years old and living in a new country.

“The best thing that ever happened to me is that one of my friends’ parents invited me to their dinner,” he recalls.

“That was amazing. I was actually invited to someone’s house for dinner. I was 16 and someone actually invited me. (Syrians) need to feel part of our society.”

A legal objection has been filed by the family of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink, who was assassinated in 2007, against the exclusion of suspects from an indictment prepared against the public officials charged with misconduct and negligence in the investigation of his murder, reports. 

A total of 50 suspects, including retired Brig. Gen. Veli Küçük, who was sentenced to life in prison in 2010 on the charge of leading the Ergenekon terrorist organization, have been excluded by prosecutor Gökalp Kökçü from the indictment.

The indictment was accepted by the İstanbul Chief Public Prosecutor’s Office on Dec. 9. However, Today’s Zaman has learned that upon the request of the prosecutor’s office, Kökçü removed some names from the list of suspects.

Among those names are former head of the National Police Department’s Counterterrorism Unit Selim Kutkan; retired Brig. Gen. Küçük; Kemal Kerinçisiz, an ultranationalist lawyer; Sevgi Erenerol, an attorney representing Ergenekon defendants; former İstanbul Vice Governor Ergun Güngör; and former National Intelligence Organization (MİT) official Özel Yılmaz.

Dink was shot by 17-year-old Ogün Samast on Jan. 19, 2007, in front of the offices of the Agos newspaper, where he served as editor-in-chief. In January 2012 Samast was sentenced to 22 years, 10 months in prison by a juvenile court, while another court ruled for the life imprisonment of Yasin Hayal on the charge of instigating the murder. Another suspect, Erhan Tuncel, was acquitted of murder charges.

Armen Martirosyan visited the Armenian cemetery, a visit that connected him to some unknown countrymen, who were laid to rest here a few centuries ago. Neither they were his ancestors nor he ever learnt about their existence, but the emotion was pretty visible as he walked through the small cemetery.

Armen Martirosyan, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia precisely went through the bundle of emotions visiting the 17th century Armenian Cemetery, now in almost a dilapidated state in Uppuguda, a part of the old city of Hyderabad. “I am moved after coming here. I feel nostalgic. We need to restore the cemetery for the next generations to have a glimpse of the past,” Mr. Martirosyan said after spending nearly an hour in the cemetery.

If his renovation plans fructify, Armenians visiting the city in the future will learn about their countrymen who inhabited Hyderabad nearly four centuries ago.

Mr. Armen Martirosyan visited the cemetery along with Rev. Fr. Zaven Yazichyan, Pastor Manager Indian –Armenian Spiritual Pastorate, Kolkatta and N.R. Visatatchy Director State Archaeology and Museums Department to take stock of its condition and determine what can be done to restore it.

In October this year, The Hindu carried a detailed report about the neglect of the cemetery following which the management of the Armenian Spiritual Pastorate, Kolkatta contacted the reporter.

A visit of Monday’s delegation was a result of that report.

Officials of the Archaeology Department were enthused when Mr. Martirosyan assured them of undertaking translation of epitaphs on the 20 graves which include that of 19 Armenians and one Dutch trader. Archaeological excavation of the cemetery could be taken up before beautification. The visiting Armenian delegation said it would photograph all the graves and publish a book after gathering details about those laid to rest here.

“Generally, tourists coming to the India visit Agra, Kolkatta and Chennai for they know that there are few churches and cemeteries there. We will take up a campaign to highlight the cemetery at Hyderabad for our people to visit,” Mr Martirosyan explained.

Armenians came to India between 16th and 17th centuries as traders, travelling through Persia, Afghanistan and Tibet.

“A large number of Armenians settled in Hyderabad during the 17th century. Though there are no written records of their activities, traditions and social conditions, the Armenian epitaphs acknowledge their presence,” M.A. Qayyum, former Deputy Director Archaeology and Museums said.

The graves of two priests Rev. Johannes, who died in 1680, and Rev. Margar, who died in 1724, are also here.

“A team of archaeologist soon will take up excavation at the site. There is a proposal to develop a small garden and appoint guards for security,” N.R. Visatatchy, Director State Archaeology and Museums Department.

Former IBF, WBC, WBA champion Vic “Raging Bull” Darchinyan (42-8-1, 31 KOs) forced Cris “The King” Paulino (14-2, 4 KOs) to retire at the conclusion of round two of a scheduled ten round bout to capture a WBC regional super bantamweight title at the Alexandria Basketball Stadium, Sydney, NSW, Australia on Saturday, reports.

Paulino connected with accurate combinations in round one against the aggressive Darchinyan, who had problems finding the range against the mobile sharpshooting Filipino. The 39-year-old former IBF, WBC, WBA world champion Darchinyan stepped up a gear in round two and dropped his opponent with a power body shot. Paulino took the eight count and then finished the contest on unsteady legs and his cornerman pulled Paulino out of the contest to save him from further punishment.

On December 9, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan had separate meetings in Washington with members of the U.S. Congress, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone and Robert Dold, as well as Congresswoman Anna Eshoo. On the same day, accompanied by Chairman of the Armenian National Committee of America Ken Khachikian and Kate Nahapetian, who is responsible for the Committee’s relations with the U.S. Government, Karen Mirzoyan met with U.S. Senator, member of the Appropriations Committee Mark Kirk.

During the meeting, a range of issues related to the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict peaceful settlement process, provocations on the Line of Contact by Azerbaijan, as well as the U.S. humanitarian assistance rendered to Artsakh were discussed.

On the same day, the NKR Minister of Foreign Affairs took part in a traditional event dedicated to the anniversary of Artsakh’s independence in the U.S. Congress, which was organized under the auspices of the Co-Chairs of the U.S. Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues and through the joint efforts of the Armenian National Committee of America, the Armenian Assembly of America, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the USA, and the NKR Permanent Representation to the USA.

The event, which started with the prayer of blessing by the Armenian Church’s North American Eastern Diocese Legate, Archbishop Vigen Haykazian, was attended by representatives of the American Armenian organizations and communities, staff members of Congressmen’s Offices, experts, and journalists.

A number of Congressmen attended the event and delivered speeches, including Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee Ed Royce, Co-Chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Frank Pallone and Robert Dold, Congressman Adam Schiff, and others. The Congressmen expressed their support for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s independence and democratic development and underlined their readiness to continue to focus on the issues related to Artsakh. The speakers also stressed the necessity of taking immediate steps for reducing the tensions on the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

RA Ambassador to the USA Tigran Sargsyan also welcomed the participants of the event with his address.

The NKR Foreign Minister briefed on the state-building process in the NKR, stressing that the path that Artsakh people have gone through serves as a proof that it is impossible to limit the strive of people to decide their own future and fate.

The NKR Foreign Minister expressed his gratitude to the Congressmen for their continued support in the issues related to the NKR.

Karen Mirzoyan also touched upon the current stage of the process of peaceful settlement of the conflict between Azerbaijan and Nagorno Karabakh and briefed on the situation on the Line of Contact aggravated due to Azerbaijan’s provocative policy.

The Minister stressed that the NKR is an established state with all the attributes and institutions of statehood, its Constitution, an active civil society and a vibrant economy. Artsakh is also an important geopolitical factor in the region, which contributes to the stability and peace.Throughout its independence, the NKR has proven to be a reliable, predictable, and responsible partner for the international community and is consistent in its actions aimed at maintaining regional peace and stability.

At the end of his speech, Karen Mirzoyan expressed confidence that the time had come for the international community to accept the reality and to recognize the free and democratic Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Photo: Reuters

 

The governor of the southern Yemeni city of Aden has been killed in a large explosion, security sources say, the BBC reports.

A convoy carrying Jaafar Mohammed Saad was hit in the Tawahi area of the port city.

Houthi rebels based in northern Yemen have seized much of the country, including the capital Sanaa.

Earlier this year Aden was recaptured by government troops backed by a Saudi-led coalition.

Security sources said several members of Mr Saad’s entourage also died in the attack.