Category: 2021

Turkey will not attend a Paris conference on Libya that Greece, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration will participate in, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan said Sunday, speaking on his meeting with French President Emmanuel Macron at the G-20 summit in Rome.

Noting that the two leaders discussed a wide range of issues, the president mentioned that France aims to hold a conference on Libya similar to the previous Berlin conference.

“We cannot attend a Paris conference to which Greece, Israel and the Greek Cypriot administration participate, we told him (Macron). This is our condition. If these countries are to attend the conference, then there is also no need to send special representatives,” Erdoğan told journalists on his return from the summit.

One of the major issues in the Libyan conflict is the presence of mercenaries. The president said he reiterated to Macron that Turkey’s presence in the war-torn country is legitimate and falls under an agreement with the Libyan government. “Our soldiers there are instructors,” he said, refuting that Turkey’s presence in Libya can be likened to that of illegal mercenaries in the country.

The Paris conference expected to be held in November aims to give a final international push so elections are held by year-end and to endorse the departure of foreign forces.

The summit, organized by the United Nations, Germany and Italy in Paris for Nov. 12, will gather regional and international heads of state.

On the other side, relations with France were recently strained due to Paris’ decision to sell French-made Rafale fighter jets to Greece as tensions in the Eastern Mediterranean are once again on the rise after months of relative calm.

The president explained that Macron told him that the Greeks have money, to which he responded that Athens has a 400 billion euro ($462.7 billion) debt.

Despite saying that it has no intention of entering into an arms race with its neighbor and NATO ally Turkey, Greece announced recently the purchase of three new Belharra frigates from France with the option for one more.

Earlier last month, Greece also announced that it was planning to buy six more Rafale fighter aircraft.

Greece has often been embroiled in tensions with neighboring Turkey over a range of issues, from competing claims over hydrocarbon resources in the Aegean Sea to the demilitarization of islands. Greece’s burgeoning arms program is designed to counter Turkish challenges in the Eastern Mediterranean, against which France is among the few EU states to have offered public support in past months.

The announcement of boosting military ties with France comes after Defense Minister Hulusi Akar stated recently that secondhand French Rafale jets will not change the power balance in the region.

Another issue discussed was the situation in Afghanistan, the president said. He reiterated Turkey’s efforts to support the Afghan people and said that Turkey is working together with Qatar on the Kabul Hamid Karzai International Airport, which is vital for the continuation of diplomatic relations and humanitarian aid for the war-torn country.

The two leaders also touched upon the South Caucasus, where efforts for reconstruction have begun after Azerbaijan gained back large parts of its Armenian-occupied territory in the Nagorno-Karabakh region following a six-week conflict with Yerevan last year.

Turkey had proposed forming a six-country regional cooperation platform including Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan, Iran, Georgia and Armenia. “Georgia does not look positive to the idea due to Russia,” Erdoğan said, adding that the stance of the new administration in Iran is not yet clear.

ARF Western U.S. Central Committee members with Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan

As part of his visit to Southern California to attend the annual conference of the Armenian Missionary Association of America, Artsakh State Minister Artak Beglaryan met with the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Western U.S. Central Committee on Friday at the party’s headquarters in Glendale.

After providing an extensive report of the post-war situation in Artsakh, Beglaryan outlined the long- and short- term expectations to achieve and protect Artsakh’s security, as well as ways to assist the displaced citizens of Artsakh and develop and advance the country’s economy.

The ARF Central Committee stressed its, as well as the Armenian community’s unwavering support to Artsakh and its commitment to ensure the security of its borders and citizens. The ARF body also stressed that one of the tenets of strengthening Artsakh’s statehood would be to repopulate the region and ensure that the displaced citizens of Artsakh return to their ancestral lands.

Following an in-depth discussion of the needs and realistic objectives, the ARF Western U.S. Central Committee pledged to work with the Beglaryan’s office to undertake projects that will ensure the settlement of the population back in Artsakh. It also committed to advance these principles within the community and engage various institutions in the same process.

Greeting Beglaryan on Friday were ARF Western U.S. Central Committee chair, Dr. Carmen Ohanian with fellow members Sako Berberian, Vahan Bzdigian, Arto Keuleyan and Levon Kirakosian, Esq., as well as Avedik Izmirlian, the Central Committee’s representative to community organizations.

Prelate Torkom Donoyan is on hand to present Dr. Mike Sarian with a gift with Holy Martyrs Pastor Archpriest Razmig Khatchadourian (l) and board of trustees chair, Hovig Bedevian

Western Prelate Bishop Torkom Donoyan presided over a fundraising dinner on October 22 celebrating the 57th and 58th anniversaries of the founding of Holy Martyrs Armenian Apostolic Church in Encino. Hosted by Dr. Mike Sarian, the outdoor dinner was held on the grounds of the church.

Attending were church pastor Archpriest Fr. Razmig Khatchadourian, representatives of ARF Rostom and A. Shiragian chapters, representatives of affiliate organizations, and principals and teachers of Ferrahian High School and Marie Cabayan Elementary School, as well as benefactors, friends and guests.

Following the benediction, Pastor Khatchadourian welcomed guests and explained that both the 57th and 58th anniversaries of the church were being jointly celebrated as a result of the Coronavirus pandemic.

The head table at the Holy Martyrs anniversary banquet

On behalf of the board of trustees, Ara Papazian thanked committee members and volunteers who worked tirelessly and spared nothing to maintain the brilliance of Holy Martyrs Church by ensuring the success of the joint anniversary fundraising dinner.

The Prelate conveyed blessings to those attending and said, “For Armenians, the Church is where we pray and preserve unity. The church is where God is present in the life of men. By gathering in the Holy Martyrs complex today, we are blessed by the grace that emanates from the church. Therefore, with your support of the Church, you help bring the sacred mission of the Kingdom of God on earth.”

As a token of appreciation to Dr. Sarian for hosting the dinner, the Prelate and Board of Trustee Chair Hovig Bedevian presented a silver mounted copy of Krikor Naregatsi’s Book of Lamentations, penned in 1173.

Dr. Sarian thanked the Prelate, the pastor and board of trustees of the church, and, in closing, shared his and sweet memories of activities at Holy Martyrs Church. The dinner ended with a closing prayer by the Prelate.