ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
August 4, 2017 Friday
Satanovski: Armenia and Russia are not threatened by the religious war
of Saudi Arabia and its allies with Iran
Yerevan 04.08.17
David Stepanyan. Religious war of Saudi Arabia and its allies with
Iran to Tehran's partners - Armenia and Russia is not threatened. Such
an opinion was expressed by ArmInfo President of the Middle East
Institute Evgeny Satanovsky.
"This war is still going on in the territory of Iraq, Syria, Yemen,
Libya, but in my opinion, its projection on the territory of Iran
itself was quite expected.I think that in the short term this
confrontation will spread to the territory of its instigator - Saudi
Arabia, Some other regional countries.According to Satanovsky's
estimates, the pressure on Iran through the Arab special services,
organizations financed by the Saudis, along the entire perimeter of
its borders is permanent, gradually covering the whole region of the
Middle East.However, the high degree of point conflicts between Iran
and Turkey playing its game will unambiguously affect Armenia in case
of escalating into a larger confrontation.
Stressing Tehran's small role in the settlement of the Karabakh
conflict, Satanovsky noted the closer relations of Iran with Armenia
than with Azerbaijan. The analyst, at the same time, expressed his
belief in the positive role of Iran in the development of the
economies of both Armenia and Artsakh."Against this background, Tehran
has contradictions and disagreements with Baku on a whole range of
issues, and the refusal of the ruling tops in Azerbaijan to perceive
any options for resolving the Karabakh conflict is one of such
disagreements," the analyst concluded.
Sir Richard Paniguian: BP executive who worked with the Intelligence services and helped to release the ‘Lockerbie bomber’
As an oil industry executive turned spy, Sir Richard Paniguian helped to negotiate the release of Abdelbaset al-Megrahi, the former head of security for Libyan Arab Airlines, who had been convicted in 2001 of organising the bombing of the Pan Am plane that exploded over Lockerbie in 1988, killing 270 people.
Megrahi was released in 2009 after widespread criticism of his conviction. While the British government denied any involvement in Megrahi’s release, confidential documents suggest that it was prompted by pressure from the Libyan leader, Muammar Gaddafi, in return for BP oil contracts and counterterrorism assistance.
BP admitted pushing for a prisoner transfer deal. The month after Megrahi returned home, Paniguian gave a speech in which he said that “high-level political interventions” had enhanced the prospect of arms sales to Libya.
A trim, fit figure, he dressed formally and was fond of wearing a trilby hat, which he would tip to women in a gesture of courtesy. He would entertain old school friends to lunch at Brooks’s Club in St James’s in London, where he alluded to what one of them referred to as “the absurdities of his life”.
Born in 1949, he grew up in an unusual household. As a boy, Richard Paniguian and his elder sister, Helen, were under stricter instructions than most children to behave when visitors called. Their father, Hracia, was a leading figure in British intelligence and an expert in psychological warfare. He had been born in Constantinople; the family name was of Armenian origin. Their home in South Kensington, within easy reach of several embassies, was a discreet meeting place for Hracia’s French, north African, Greek and Middle Eastern contacts during and after the Second World War.
Richard attended the Hampshire prep school in Chelsea, and then Highfield, before going to Westminster School. Given his background, it seemed natural for him to read Arabic at Durham University and go on to have a distinguished 37-year career at BP, an international company with activities in sensitive parts of the world.
He also obtained an MBA at Insead, the French business school, and began as a graduate trainee with BP’s trading division in Oman and Dubai. Paniguian went on to be vice-president of international oil trading in New York, head of capital markets in London, president of BP Turkey, and chief executive of BP’s Tanker Shipping Company.
Paniguian played a leading role in the extremely political TNK-BP joint venture in Moscow to operate one of the world’s biggest oil companies. He helped to create the 1,000-mile Baku Tbilisi Ceyhan pipeline from the Caspian Sea to the Mediterranean and drove BP exploration in Libya, Egypt, Oman and Angola.
In 2008 he left BP to head the UK’s new Defence & Security Organisation (DSO), set up to promote arms exports. While he was officially part of UK Trade and Investment (now the Department for International Trade), he reported to the Ministry of Defence. Paniguian was well placed to deal with Libyan requests for arms, security systems and SAS training.
A year later the DSO invited Khamis Gaddafi, one of Muammar’s sons, to the Defence and Security Exhibition in London. The next year Paniguian arranged for Khamis to attend the annual British embassy party in Tripoli marking the Queen’s birthday.
By then Paniguian was well used to being in sensitive parts of the world. He was BP’s commercial representative in Iran at the time of the fall of the Shah. He added a luxuriant moustache to his swarthy complexion so that he could walk Tehran’s streets inconspicuously.
He was fond of wearing a trilby hat, which he would tip to women
A gifted linguist, Paniguian also spoke French, Russian and Turkish. In 1991 he married Nil Okan Kapanci, whom he met in Turkey. She became a language trainer at the Foreign and Commonwealth Office. The couple moved into Paniguian’s family home, where the walls were decorated with paintings by his mother, Mary. His parents had met in the Foreign Office. He and Nil, who survives him, had no children together.
Paniguian’s work in defence and security earned him a knighthood two years ago. He was awarded a CBE in 2007 for services to UK business. In 2015 he left Whitehall to be chairman of C5 Capital, a Savile Row investment manager that advises technology companies operating in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.
Andre Pienaar, C5’s founder and friend of Liam Fox, a former defence secretary, said that Paniguian “was instrumental in pioneering the development of the UK as a global centre of excellence for cybersecurity, and he played a key part in building it into the £3 billion market it is today”.
Paniguian’s colleagues there included Sir Iain Lobban, former director of GCHQ, Lieutenant-General Sir Graeme Lamb, the former deputy commander of the multinational task force in Iraq, Admiral Michael Mullen, former chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, and Jamie Lowther-Pinkerton, a 20-year SAS veteran who is now private secretary to the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge. He was also an adviser to WS Atkins, a global engineering consultancy with close connections to the US army and the International Atomic Energy Association.
Paniguian was brought up within walking distance of the Natural History, Victoria & Albert and Science museums and the Royal Albert Hall, and often went boating with friends on Regents Park lake. He was also a keen cricketer who started a short-lived club, the Bounders, and was for many years a member of MCC.
His oldest friend, Peter Anwyl-Harris, said: “Richard was very discreet, but he was undoubtedly close to key decisions in some of the world’s hotspots. His death was a real shock – we were due to have lunch the next day.”Sir Richard Paniguian, CBE, oil industry executive and security chief, was born on July 28, 1949. He died of a heart attack on June 25, 2017 aged 67.
Challenges continue in Mosul: “The situation is difficult and the needs are great.”
Hovig Etyemezian has been serving as head of UNHCR’s Sub-Office in Mosul since last November. A native of Lebanon, he previously served in a number of field assignments including Jordan where he managed Zaatari camp, as well as Tunisia, Algeria, Lebanon, Mauritania and DR Congo.
Almost one million people from Mosul have been displaced since October 2016. As of July 27, some 244,978 people have returned to East and West Mosul (including 94 percent of those who had fled the eastern part of the city). An estimated 21,000 people have returned since the government declared an end to the battle for Mosul on July 9. Hovig describes what this new situation means for UNHCR operations.
With large scale returns taking place and people returning to their homes, what is the mood of people on the street?
“People are eager to return to their homes, and life is slowly resuming in both East and West Mosul. Iraqis do not like living in camps. Many long to return to rebuild their homes, start businesses, reunite with their families, and return to some sort of normalcy. Many Iraqis, however, have lost their homes and belongings.
The situation in West Mosul is still unsafe – entire neighbourhoods have been totally destroyed. It will take time to clear areas from mines and unexploded ordnance, to repair infrastructure, and for public institutions such as the judiciary, schools and health centres to become fully operational.”
How has your staff been personally affected by the recent changes in terms of movement, work and families?
“The countless days spent in the field take their toll on staff and their nuclear families. Over the past months our team and partners have built camps for internally displaced, registered new arrivals and hosted them in our camps, ensured life-saving assistance is delivered upon arrival, worked closely with beneficiaries, authorities and partners, to ensure displaced people are sheltered protected and assisted in the camps. We have also assisted over 400,000 internally displaced Iraqis who have passed through our transit centres on their way to the camps. We have also assisted internally displaced and returnees in urban areas.”
With the changed security landscape in Mosul, what is UNHCR doing to assist displaced persons who want to return home? What kinds of assistance are returnees receiving?
“Assessments in the return areas are ongoing, we are looking at structural damage, vulnerabilities of the population as well as legal and protection needs. We have started supporting the reunification of families and working with partners to deliver in-kind and cash assistance. We are distributing emergency shelter sealing-off kits that can help families do basic repairs to their homes. The situation is difficult and the needs are great. UNHCR aims to deliver 36,000 emergency shelter kits by end of the year and cash assistance to 3,000 families by September 2017.”
What are the biggest challenges and most urgent needs to UNHCR’s operations in Mosul?
“Most of the thirteen camps that UNHCR built to respond to the Mosul emergency are full. Expansion of Al Salamiyah camp is underway. We expect that thousands of people will be displaced as a result of military operations in Tal Afar and Hawiga. Given the scale of destruction in West Mosul, and the need to clear areas contaminated by explosive devices, we anticipate that displaced families will continue to shelter in camps.
UNHCR is under-funded for its work to meet the critical needs of families displaced from Mosul and surrounding areas, as well as those who are beginning to return to safe areas. UNHCR urgently needs $126 million this year.
The most urgent needs include reunification of separated families, civil documentation, psycho-social support to families, services to vulnerable people, and livelihoods support. Given the level of destruction in West Mosul, shelter assistance is crucial, otherwise many Iraqis will find it very difficult to return. “
What recent experience with displaced persons and returnees in Mosul has been particularly moving?
“The resilience of Iraqis in the face of such traumatic experiences is humbling. The woman portrayed in the photo (below) is sheltering in the UNHCR camp in Hammam Al Alil south of Mosul. ISIL destroyed her home and robbed her family of all their belongings. Despite all her suffering, she still manages to be optimistic about the future and wants to return and rebuild her home.”
SOUTH BEND, Ind. – Ara Parseghian was remembered as a championship football coach, mentor, tireless fund-raiser for medical research and gentleman of the first order during his funeral Mass and a memorial celebration that followed on Sunday.
Parseghian, who brought Notre Dame’s proud program out of the doldrums of the early 1960s to win two national titles, died Wednesday at 94 .
Former Notre Dame football Lou Holtz and former basketball coach Digger Phelps were among the speakers at the memorial. Country music artist Vince Gill, who with his wife Amy Grant are friends of the Parseghian family, performed two songs.
Holtz told attendees that the late school President Rev. Theodore Hesburgh once said hiring Parseghian was one of the smartest things he had ever done and that Parseghian once said his years in South Bend were the greatest of his and his family’s lives.
“Had Ara Parseghian not shown up, so many people would have missed him because of his insight, his love of his family and his caring for people,” Holtz said. “A lot of people can be successful. But Ara was significant. Significant is when you help other people be successful and, of course, that lasts many a lifetime.”
Parseghian, who coached at Miami University, his alma mater, and Northwestern prior to coming to South Bend, had 25 consensus All-Americans and a Heisman Trophy winner play for him at Notre Dame. He won national titles in 1966 and 1973 and posted an .836 winning percentage before he retired in 1974 at age 51.
It was noted at the memorial that Parseghian’s playbook always had the saying “We have no breaking point!” written on the last page. Parseghian lived that mantra outside football, as well.
Notre Dame President Rev. John Jenkins, who presided at the funeral, spoke of the grace with which the Parseghians faced devastating illnesses that touched the family. Parseghian and his wife of 68 years, Katie, lost three grandchildren between the ages of 9-16 to Niemann-Pick disease from 1997-2005. Parseghian helped create a foundation that has raised more than $45 million for research on the disease.
Parseghian also was a past national chairman for the Multiple Sclerosis Society. His daughter, Karan Burke, died in 2014 after battling MS for four decades.
“Such losses crush many people. They did not crush Ara” and his family,” Jenkins said.
Peter Schivarelli, manager of the band Chicago, remembered the opportunity Parseghian gave him to try out for the team as a walk-on in the 1960s. Though never more than a backup, Schivarelli said, Parseghian treated him as well as any All-American. Years later, Parseghian arranged for members of Chicago to stand on the Notre Dame sideline during a game against Southern California.
The band never forgot Parseghian’s kindness, Schivarelli said, and for the last 23 years has donated one dollar from every concert ticket sold to Parseghian’s foundation.
Phelps spoke of Parseghian’s sense of humor. In 1965, Phelps, then a high school coach in Pennsylvania, wrote a letter to Parseghian saying he wanted one day to be head basketball coach at Notre Dame and emulate the work Parseghian was doing with football. Phelps was hired in 1971 and came to find out that old note to Parseghian had been deposited in the coach’s “crazy letter file.”
When Phelps’ basketball team ascended to No. 1 in the national polls in January 1974, Parseghian acknowledged the achievement by inviting him to the stage at an event celebrating the ’73 football championship.
“He was a big brother and mentor,” Phelps said. “He was incredible being who he was, especially in letting me know how to coach here at Notre Dame. He told me every game you play is the other team’s Super Bowl. Your kids have to be ready, and above being ready, because the other team is coming after you.”
Nephew Tom Parseghian’s eulogy at the funeral described Ara as the son of Armenian immigrants in Akron, Ohio. Ara’s father saw no value in activities not academically centered. So Ara’s brother forged their father’s signature on a permission slip so Ara could play sports in school.
Ara grew into a fierce competitor as an athlete and coach, his nephew said, but it’s the gentleman the people who knew him will remember best.
“In 1964,” Tom Parseghian said, “before being offered the job, Father Hesburgh asked him a question: ‘Ara, will you adhere to the standards of integrity we expect here at Notre Dame?’ He verbally answered that question that day, and he continued to answer that question for the next 53 years.”
KPBS today announced the 2017 One Book, One San Diego book selection, “The Sandcastle Girls” by Chris Bohjalian, the critically acclaimed novelist whose books frequently make the New York Times best-seller list.
“I am deeply honored by the selection,” Bohjalian said. “San Diego is a wonderful reading community. I’ve made appearances there off and on over the years, and I’ve always been dazzled by the bookstores and the libraries and the readers.”
One Book, One San Diego is a community-wide reading program in its 11th season and includes more than 20 community partners. Started in 2006 by KPBS, along with the San Diego Public Library, the program encourages everyone in the region to read and discuss the same book.
“These days it is very important for me to tell people that I am the grandson of two Middle Eastern immigrants,” Bohjalian said. “We are a nation of refugees and immigrants. The novel is set in Aleppo — yes, that Aleppo that has broken all of our hearts the last five years — and the city as it appears in the novel exists now only in romance and memory.”
The all-volunteer One Book Advisory Committee, comprised of literary experts, discussed the merits of 206 titles submitted by the public before choosing “The Sandcastle Girls.”
“It’s important to the committee that we choose a book of high literary quality that’s prime for discussions by all types of readers,” said One Book, One San Diego Program Manager Clare Pister. “This book is just right. It’s beautifully written and makes an important, rarely told piece of history accessible to a modern audience.”
Marc Chery, supervisor of humanities section at San Diego’s Central Library, said there are plenty of benefits to community reading.
“You’re taking part in a shared and privileged conversation with the author and with each other as readers,” he said.
KPBS General Manager Tom Karlo said that One Book is one of his favorite KPBS community engagement events.
“To have the opportunity to partner with The San Diego Union-Tribune, as they bring a book festival to San Diego, will help our effort to encourage more reading. We’re very excited about this opportunity and we’re looking forward to a partnership that will last many years.”
Linda Ball is a KPBS staff member.
⇒
That is a loaded question because so many of my friends are writers and I never want to hurt their feelings. So I am going to rephrase the question and share with you the last great book I read by a writer I have never met. In fact, I will offer you two books. I absolutely loved “Fates and Furies” by Lauren Groff. And I was mesmerized by every word of “A Gentleman in Moscow” by Amor Towles.
My first edition of “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh” by Franz Werfe. It was a gift from my lovely bride.
⇒
“The Coyote’s Bicycle” by Kimball Taylor
“Barbarian Days” by William Finnegan
“Homegoing” by Yaa Gyasi
“When the Moon is Low” by Nadia Hashimi
“Dreamland: The True Tale of America’s Opiate Epidemic” by Sam Quinones
“The Mothers” by Britt Benett
“News of the World” by Paulette Jiles
“The Queen of Katwe” by Tim Crothers
2016: “Waiting for Snow in Havana” by Carlos Eire
2015: “The Shadow of the Wind” by Carlos Ruiz Zafón
2014: “Monstress” by Lysley Tenorio
2013: “Caleb’s Crossing” by Geraldine Brooks
2012: “Into the Beautiful North” by Luis Alberto Urrea, “Moloka’i” by Alan Brennert, “Sky of Red Poppies” by Zohreh Ghahremani
2011: “The Gangster We Are All Looking For” by lê thi diem thúy
2010: “Outcasts United” by Warren St. John
2009: “The Zookeeper’s Wife” by Diane Ackerman
2008: “Three Cups of Tea” by Greg Mortenson
2007: “Enrique’s Journey” by Sonia Nazario
2015: “The Fantastic Flying Books of Mr. Morris Lessmore” by William Joyce, “It’s a Little Book” by Lane Smith
2014: “Cora Cooks Pancit” by Dorina Lazo Gilmore
2013: “Jingle Dancer” by Cynthia Leitich Smith
2012: “Armando and the Blue Tarp School” by Edith Hope Fine and Judith Pinkerton Josephson, “The Secret Message” by Mina Javaherbin
Henrikh Mkhitaryan wants improvement from Manchester United this season as they try to win their fourth trophy in a year on Tuesday.
Europa League winners United play Champions League victors Real Madrid in the Uefa Super Cup in Skopje, Macedonia.
However, midfielder Mkhitaryan says Premier League performances are how United will be judged this season.
“Being in the top four is not a good result for Manchester United,” he said.
“The result has always been to be in first place, or second minimum.”
United began the Jose Mourinho era by beating Leicester in the Community Shield last August.
Then they defeated Southampton in the EFL Cup final and Ajax in the Europa League final.
Should United beat Real it would be the fourth time in their history they have won four trophies in such a short period of time.
The Red Devils have won twice against the Spanish side in 10 meetings, winning one of the five two-legged ties those past encounters represent.
Mkhitaryan’s solitary experience against Real came in 2014 when he started in both games as Borussia Dortmund lost a Champions League quarter-final 3-2 on aggregate.
After scoring in May’s Europa League final win, the Armenia international will hope to be involved as he looks to build on a better second half of last season. He went three months without playing a league game from August to November.
He told BBC Sport: “I wouldn’t say it was my best year. I know there is more to come.
“I didn’t come to Manchester and think my first year was a trial year. I knew it was going to be hard but I was ready for that.
“I am sure this year is going to be better.”
Manchester United could claim their second European Super Cup after winning in 1991 when they beat Red Star Belgrade 1-0 at Old Trafford
United could become the second English side to claim multiple European Super Cups after three-time winners Liverpool
Jose Mourinho has lost his previous two European Super Cup matches as a manager, in 2013 with Chelsea and in 2003 with FC Porto. No manager has ever lost on three occasions
Mourinho is the first coach to manage three different sides in the European Super Cup
Spanish teams have won seven of the last eight European Super Cups
The last Europa League winner to claim the Super Cup was Atletico Madrid in 2012, as they beat Champions League winners Chelsea 4-1
Only Barcelona and AC Milan (five) have won the European Super Cup on more occasions than Real (three)
Cristiano Ronaldo has scored a record 108 goals in all European competitions, including two in the European Super Cup
Ani site, which is on the Turkish-Armenian border, is known as “the world city” or “the cradle of civilizations” for hosting many civilizations through the history and the place nearly doubled the number of the visitors after it was included in the World Heritage List of UNESCO (U.N. Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization).
Ani, near the Arpaçay district of Kars province, was the capital of Armenian Empire between 961 and 1045 in the period of Pakradouni Dynasty. Housing the 11th and 12th- century-works of Islamic architecture and added to UNESCO’s World Heritage Tentative List, the ancient city was included in World Heritage List on July 15, 2016.
Having the first settlement around the year 3,000 B.C., Ani was ruled by Sacas, the Sasanians, the Bagrat Kingdom, Byzantium, the Principality of Şeddatoğulları, the Ani Georgian Atabegs, the Ilkhanids, the Seljuks, Karakoyunlus, Akkoyunlus, the Russians and the Ottoman Empire. Some works of these civilizations are attracting quite a number of guests in Ani.
“The world city” Ani presents masterpieces such as the Amenaprgiç Church, the Ani Cathedral, the Dikran Honentz Church and the Abugamir Pahlavuni Church to visitors.
As the first gate of Anatolia from Caucasus, the Ani site hosted a total of 21,780 foreign and local visitors prior to the year it was added to the UNESCO World Cultural Heritage List. After being added to the list, Ani was flooded with visitors and this number rose to 42,635.
Kars Museum Director Necmettin Alp spoke to Anadolu Agency (AA) and provided information about Ani’s UNESCO Heritage List. “The Ministry of Culture and Tourism applied with UNESCO for Ani’s inclusion on the list. Having been added to the tentative list in 2014, Ani was evaluated between 2015 and 2016. The teams of UNESCO came here and the Ministry, together with the UNESCO teams, worked to eliminate shortages in the area. After the meeting in Istanbul on July 15, 2016, Ani was added to the UNESCO Cultural Heritage List as the 16th heritage site of Turkey,” Alp noted.
Rising more than 40 percent
Stressing the continuity of the works under the control of the Kars Museum Directorate, Alp said, “After its inclusion, the interest of the Ministry of Culture and Tourism has increased. Works for the building of a reception center, facilities and an excavation house within the environmental planning project titled the “Reconstruction Plan for Protect” started this year.”
“The tourist circulation was increased in the Ani site like other heritage sites such as the ancient Ephesus archaeological site, Ihlara Valley and the Hagia Sophia Mosque. We have seen an increase over 40 percent. We hope this rise will continue. Actually, the number of visitors is evidence of this,” Alp informed.
Touristic and archaeological values
Noting that tourists will have easy access to the caves after completion of the works, Alp concluded, “Ani is a world heritage site and very important for the Kars region. It is one of eastern Anatolia’s most important archaeological sites open to visit, along with the İshak Pasha Palace. Restoration, scientific excavations and research are continuing at a fast pace. We hope that the Ani site will be improved with its new walking trails and that tourists will reach the caves easily.”
Minister: President was right in stressing security of transportations from Iran via Armenia
16:30, 05.08.2017
YEREVAN. – Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan was right in stressing the security of transportations from Iran via Armenia.
Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies of Armenia Vahan Martirosyan told the aforementioned to Armenian News – NEWS.am, referring to the question on Sargsyan’s upcoming visit to Iran.
Asked whether during the visit the Iran-Armenia railway project will be discussed, Martirosyan noted that this time the content of the visit will be slightly different. “Nevertheless, discussions [on this issue] are held regularly,” he added.
Earlier, in an interview with Iranian media outlets, the Armenian President pointed out to the route for multimode transportations (railway, air transport, ferry) from Iran to Europe via Armenia.
“This is the most secure route and the President pointed out to this,” Martirosyan said.
The situation along the Line of Contact between Nagorno-Karabakh Republic (Artsakh/NKR) and Azerbaijan is reported to have been relatively calm over the past week.
The Azerbaijani forces violated the ceasefire more than 110 times, targeting Armenian positions from weapons of different calibers, as well as 60mm mortars from 30 July to August 5, the press service of the Artsakh Defense Ministry told Panorama.am.
The frontline units of the Defense Army continue to maintain control over the operational-tactical situation and confidently fulfill their military tasks.
Expert: Armenians face issues in Turkey even after death
13:32, 05.08.2017
YEREVAN. – Armenians and Christians face issues in Turkey not only during their lifetime but also after their death.
Member of the National Congress of Western Armenians, Chairman of Veradardz Foundation, Aragats Akhoyan told the aforementioned to journalists on Saturday.
According to him, a judicial process has been launched in Turkey with respect to the fate of an old Armenian cemetery (8,000 square meters) in Muş city, where the Armenian national hero, freedom fighter Kevork Chavush is buried.
“There are no mechanisms which would regulate the transfer of the cemetery to the Armenian side. The main issue is that it is impossible to bury the people even after death, since if the deceased is an Armenian or simply a Christian, the relatives won’t be provided a place for burying him or her in a Muslim cemetery,” he noted.