Category: News

House Foreign Affairs Committee questions Warlick in wake of escalation of Azerbaijani attacks

Parkev Tvankchian
U.S. House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairman Ed Royce (R-CA) urged the Obama Administration to speed up implementation of Royce-Engel proposals for Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) peace, during a classified briefing with Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe (OSCE) Minsk Group Co-Chairman James Warlick held earlier today, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Over a dozen U.S. House Members attended the closed-door briefing, organized by the House Foreign Affairs Committee.  In an official “read-out” from the meeting, Chairman Royce stated:
“Violence in the Nagorno-Karabakh region is at the highest point in decades.  Just last month we heard reports of heavy weapon attacks and tank artillery fire – a clear violation of the ceasefire agreement.  As Ambassador Warlick has said, this isn’t a ‘frozen conflict,’ but is a forgotten conflict – with a real risk of spinning out of control.  That is why we need all snipers to be withdrawn, more international monitors to be deployed and gunfire locator systems to be put in place to increase transparency and accountability for each and every cross-boundary violation.  Acts of aggression must be clearly condemned.  The faster the administration can help put these in place, the quicker it can help put an end to the killing and avert war.”
ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian welcomed the Committee’s efforts to spotlight increasing Azerbaijani aggression against Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh – and, in particular, the implementation of concrete steps to end the violence: “Chairman Royce is driving the U.S. agenda for a sustainable Nagorno Karabakh peace, working, on a bipartisan basis, to press the Obama Administration over its failure to confront Aliyev’s aggression and demanding decisive steps to implement the life-saving Royce-Engel proposals to avert the renewed outbreak of war.”
The special briefing comes in the wake of an October 26th Congressional letter addressed to Ambassador Warlick, initiated by Chairman Royce and Ranking Democrat Eliot Engel (D-NY) and cosigned by over 80 of their House colleagues, outlining three concrete steps to address escalating Karabakh violence: the removal of snipers, an increase in OSCE monitors, and the deployment of a gunfire locator system.  Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh have both expressed support for these life-saving initiatives; Azerbaijan has not.  The text and list of signatories of the Royce-Engel letter is available at:
Chairman Royce first announced the Committee’s intention to host a briefing with Ambassador Warlick at the Capitol Hill celebration of Nagorno Karabakh’s commitment to peace, held on December 9th, in conjunction with the nationwide “ANCA Fly-In for #NKPeace” advocacy campaign.
“Why are the snipers not pulled back? […] Why have we not deployed those special [gun fire] direction finders?” asked Chairman Royce at the Capitol Hill event, citing reports of unprecedented Azerbaijani tank fired shelling and high-powered rifle fire, which claimed the life of 24-year-old Garik Gurgen Avanesyan earlier that day.
Chairman Royce concluded his remarks, noting “I retain hope that one day the people of Nagorno Karabakh will be able to live in peace, enjoying security and a flourishing trade with its neighbors in the region, and I give thanks to those of you here who are committed to that peace and who are committed to stay engaged to see that that happens.”

Black hole caught ‘burping’ galactic gas supply

Emil Lazarian 
Photo: NASA

 

Astronomers have spotted two huge waves of gas being “burped” by the black hole at the heart of a nearby galaxy, the BBC reports.

The swathes of hot gas, detected in X-ray images from Nasa’s Chandra space telescope, appear to be sweeping cooler hydrogen gas ahead of them.

This vast, rippling belch is taking place in NGC 5194 – a small, neglected sibling of the “Whirlpool Galaxy”, 26 million light years away.

That makes it one of the closest black holes blasting gas in this way.

The findings, presented at the 227th meeting of the American Astronomical Society (AAS) in Florida, are a dramatic example of “feedback” between a supermassive black hole and its host galaxy.

“We think that feedback keeps galaxies from becoming too large,” said Marie Machacek, a co-author of the study from the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics (CFA).

“But at the same time, it can be responsible for how some stars form. This shows that black holes can create, not just destroy.”

Message of His Holiness Karekin II on Feast of the Holy Nativity and Theophany of Jesus Christ

Toneyan Mark

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II
SUPREME PATRIARCH AND CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS
THE FEAST OF THE HOLY NATIVITY AND THEOPHANY OF OUR LORD JESUS CHRIST

Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, January 6, 2016

 

“Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace,

good will toward men!” (Luke 2:14)

 

Dear Pious Faithful,

The Good News of Christmas has led us to our churches, so that with joy and spiritual awe we bow in front of the manger of baby Jesus, the Savior of the world.

Christ was born in the manger in Bethlehem, and through coming of the Savior to the world, the journey of return, reconciliation with God and of salvation, was initiated for those who fell away from Him because of sin. With the mystery of the incarnation of His Son, God turned mankind into heirs of the heavenly kingdom and through Him showed the path of being worthy of such glory in accord with the song of praises of the angels: “and on earth peace, good will toward men.”

The incarnate Son of God with His saving mission changed the course of history by calling upon mankind to establish their life on the principle of love and peace. Christ is granting humanity the greatest gift of the world, His peace. “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid.” (John14:27), says the Lord.

The most significant contemporary challenge responding to Christ’s call and invitation to a life of peace is the disruption of peace in the life of individuals, communities and governments. Humanity entered the 21st century with great unrest. Conflicts, clash of geopolitical interests, crises and humanitarian disasters continue to disrupt the world, sowing intolerance and mistrust and spreading devastation, poverty, and suffering. Across societies moral values are distorted. Lies, addiction, murder and vice are commonplace, and the foundations of social and family life are being shaken. The terrorist organizations who preach extremist ideologies in the name of faith spread death and destruction especially in the Middle East, where along with other nations the children of our nation also suffer.

Through these destructive and deadly situations humanity is trying to find a way out, and in the state of uncertainty we hear in our souls the hopeful words of our Savior born in Bethlehem: “Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you.” The peace given to us by Christ is not the peace of this world which is uncertain and unstable. Christ’s peace is the peace of souls, which, anchored in the faith in God and in God’s word and commandments, transforms life. It dwells in a righteous heart, in truth, in justice, and it strengthens in the hearts of those who live with the of hope of eternity. Accordingly, the Apostle writes, “And the peace of God, which passeth all understanding, shall keep your hearts and minds through Christ Jesus.” (Phil. 4:7).Truly, life is steady with the peace of a spirit filled with the love of God. Nothing is stable when the feeling of the presence of the Lord is diminished in mankind, and when everything from personal relationships to relations between nations is solely built on personal gains or coercion. Finding the peace of Christ means having love and happiness in families, and having solidarity and prosperity in civil society and countries. The Incarnate Son of God has given strength throughout the centuries to all nations in order to realize the joyous message of reconciliation with God and good will toward men. He gives us the strength to accept the heavenly saving grace which lives within us when we are joined to establishing peace, justice and to provide support and comfort.  “And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.” (James 3:18).

Dear pious children, in our national life as well it is an imperative to uphold the command of peace. For years our country has found itself blockaded between Turkey and Azerbaijan. The latter is committing provocations at our borders in order to trample the rights of the people of Artsakh to live freely. We believe that through initiation of peace and through strengthening of our faith in Christ, our people will turn their peaceful spirit into a stronghold against the aggression of the enemy, an indestructible shield against the encroachment of the borders of our homeland by heroically protecting our country and sacred values, and by a solid and united spirit, investing its efforts to overcome difficulties, to build our country, and our lives and communities around the world. Beloved, Christ is our might! Let us follow the messages of our Lord without doubt. According to the inspiring words of our Savior, let our hearts not be troubled or afraid. Let us not only take refuge in our weak human strength, but let us take refuge unto the blessing of God which can make the impossible possible for us. Let our guide be the spirit of service, love and devotion and our deeds born of the same spirit are a necessity to fulfill our visions of national awakening and the luminous future.

On this holy day of the birth of our Savior, let us send prayers together to heaven from our spirits, filled with joy, so that Christ our Lord may empower the souls of people with heavenly grace, faith, hope and love, in order to build a safe, peaceful and prosperous world.  May the Lord also keep our nation and people in peace, bless our lives in this world and lead us into the everlasting light.

We say once more, as an exhortation, the perpetual prayer of the Holy Church of Christ: Peace be unto all!

With the marvelous good news of the Holy Nativity we greet the incumbents of the hierarchical sees our Apostolic Church Sees; His Holiness, Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia; the Armenian Patriarch of Jersualem, Archbishop Nurhan Manoogian; the Armenian Patriarch of Constantinople, Archbishop Mesrop Mutafian; and to all the oath-bound clergy of our Church. We convey our greetings to the heads of our Sister Churches. With Pontifical blessings we greet the President of Armenia, Serj Sarkissian and the first lady present here today for the Divine Liturgy. We extend our greetings to President Bako Sahakyan of the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh; Armenia’s state officials, and the representatives of diplomatic missions accredited in Armenia. We bring our pontifical blessing to our entire nation by greeting you with a spirit of joy.

Christ is born and revealed,

Blessed is the revelation of Christ.

Armenians in Turkey celebrate Christmas

Nahapetian Samvel

Turkey’s Oriental Orthodox Christians, the country’s largest Christian denomination, held mass on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning to celebrate Christmas, the birth of Jesus, which they observe on Jan. 6, reports. 

On Tuesday evening, Christmas Eve mass was held at several Oriental Orthodox churches throughout the city. The pews of the Surp Vartanants Armenian Church were filled during the service, which was conducted in Armenian. Those present sang hymns such as Der Voghormia (Lord of Mercy). The congregation then filed out of the church holding candles and sang and prayed together in the front yard of the church. The candles are held to symbolize the light that Jesus brought the world with his birth. Afterwards, bread and salt were distributed to symbolize the abundance of food for the next year.

The Surp Vartanants Armenian Church is located in the Feriköy neighborhood of İstanbul’s Şişli district, where many members of the local Armenian community reside. Armenians are Turkey’s largest Christian minority population and celebrate the Nativity of Christ in Bethlehem as well as the Feast of the Epiphany on Jan. 6.

There are an estimated 65,000 Armenian Orthodox, 15,000 Syriac Orthodox, 8,000 Chaldean Catholic and 2,500 Greek Orthodox Christians in Turkey. There are also members of other denominations such as Bulgarian Orthodox and Georgian Orthodox, as well as Protestants.

Qantas named world’s safest airline

Edgar Tavakalian 
Photo: Alamy

 

An annual survey of the world’s biggest airlines has seen Qantas named the world’s safest for the third year running, reports.

The Australian carrier was praised for its “extraordinary fatality-free record in the jet era”, while Virgin Atlantic was the only UK airline to make it into the top 20.

In a separate ranking for low-cost airlines, two British carriers featured – Flybe and Thomas Cook.

The lists were compiled by, an independent plane safety and product rating website.

The website provided safety ratings for 407 airlines, awarding them up to seven stars for safety. Of those surveyed, 148 were given the top seven-star safety ranking but almost 50 had just three stars or less.

The website’s star ratings take mutliple factors into account, including whether an airline has been certified by the International Air Transport Association (IATA), if it is on the EU’s airline blacklist, its crash record and whether the fleet has been grounded over safety concerns. A star is removed if the airline operates only Russian-made aircraft.

Along with Qantas, other airlines to make the top 20 included Air New Zealand, American Airlines, Etihad, Emirates, Finnair, KLM, Lufthansa, Swiss, United Airlines and Virgin Atlantic.

Surp Pırgic got its land back, but can’t use it

Kalantarian Kevo

– The land, on which Zeytinburnu Stadium is located, has been returned to Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation, but also has turned into a green space by Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality.

Yedikule Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation, after continuous efforts, was able to get the old gardening zone (a land of 42.259 square meters) across the hospital back on January 22, 2014 with the decision of Foundations General Assembly. These lands include the Zeytinburnu Stadium, a sport complex belonging to Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality, as well as an open-air marketplace and a parking lot. After the deed of the land was returned, Zeytinburnu Municipality filed a suit against the decision of returning and lost the suit. Moreover, the municipality made some changes on the zoning plan and turned a part of the land (8000 square meters) that was registered as commerce space into green space on October 18, 2014. The changes on the zoning plan were approved during the meeting of municipal council held last week.

Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation filed a lawsuit against the changes on zoning plan made by Zeytinburnu Municipality. Also, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality requested an opinion concerning the changes on the zoning plan from Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation as the proprietor. The foundation delivered a negative opinion. In the letter of opinion, the foundation pointed out that the changes violate the principles of administrative law and the lawsuit is on trial. The foundation also reminded the precedent decisions of the Constitutional Court and the Supreme Court.

Surp Pirgic Armenian Hospital Foundation Vice President Herman Baliyan spoke to Agos about the developments: “It is true that the land in question was turned into a green space. Zeytinburnu Municipality managed to get an approval for the changes, but we will continue struggling. The case we opened is on trial in Administrative Court. We think that Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality will make it right by considering our previous applications about this change.”

This land was one of the most important properties that the Armenian community had lost because of 1936 Declaration. In the past, it was a gardening zone on which “Hampartsum” festival was held in May. In 1974, one morning, bulldozers entered the land and it was confiscated on the ground that it has no owner. After this incident, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality bought a large part of the land. Now, a sport complex, an open-air marketplace and a parking lot make up the land.

English translation of the story of Khamenei’s meetings with Christian martyrs to be sent to Armenia

Emil Lazarian

A book narrating the story of Ayatollah Khamenei’s visit to homes of Christian martyrs is translated into English to provide international readers with the chance to read the interesting events in the meetings, reports. 

Since coming to office as president of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Ayatollah Khamenei has been frequently visiting the families of Iranian martyrs. While the majority of the meetings have been with the families of Muslim martyrs, a considerable part of it has been more significant as it has been about Christian martyrs.

As two major religious minorities in Iran, Armenians and Assyrians have also been among Revolutionary demonstrators who toppled Shah and also among combatants who bravely fought against Saddam Hussein’s army during eight years of war to defend the Islamic Republic of Iran.

About a year ago, a book titled as “Christ in the Night of Glory” was published in Iran which narrated the stories of several meetings of Ayatollah Khamenei with families of Christian martyrs. The book tells the story of visits made by Ayatollah Khamenei since 1984 when he was president of the time until early 2011 to the time of his leadership. The interesting point about the meetings is the surprising nature of it and the reaction of hosts when they realize that the Leader will go to their homes in few minutes.

Each story begins with a short introduction of the martyr and then comes to the visit and the conversations made between the Leader of the Islamic Revolution and the martyr’s family members. This narrative theme actually makes the book more interesting and makes it a must-read.

Now, nearly a year after its publication, and with Christmas and New Year time, and after a recent visit by Leader of the Revolution to an Assyrian martyr’s home, a translation of the book into English is published.

“We cannot describe the incredible atmosphere of these intimate, affectionate, kind and emotional meetings in a few words; one must read them all. We may, however, say that the readers often find, when reading them, that tears fill their eyes: they are not tears of pity but of human love, admiration, empathy and appreciation,” describes English translator of the book Fazlollah Nikayin, continuing that “the other outstanding feature of these meetings is that most often the grief-stricken atmosphere in the house gradually changes and the bereaved family members, especially the mothers of the martyrs, are really consoled and feel a greater pride for their sons who fought and died for a patriotic, rightful cause.”

According to the publisher, this translation into English from the original Persian will be sent to Armenia, Lebanon, Europe and the USA for the further knowledge of Armenians (and Assyrians) who were living in Iran since ancient times.

Meanwhile, a number of the narrations and stories of the book along with their photos can be read on the website of it at .

New MiG-29 jets to be deployed to Russian airbase in Armenia

Emil Lazarian 
Photo: Sputnik/ Sergey Pivovarov

 

After being fully repaired, MiG-29 fourth generation jet fighters will be deployed to the Russian airbase in Erebuni to protect Armenian airspace, Sputnik News reports. 

A group of MiG-29 multirole jet fighters will be deployed to the Russian airbase Erebuni in Armenia in the second half of 2016, the press office of the Russian Southern Military District reported.

MiG-29 jets which will be deployed to the airbase after being fully repaired have been used to protect Armenia’s airspace within the joint air defense systems of the CIS. They have also been involved in regular training flights in accordance with the combat readiness program.

“In the second half of 2016, a new unit of MiG-29 fourth-generation multirole jets as well as a Mi-8 transport helicopter will be deployed to the Erebuni airbase, in Armenia,” according to the report.

The military underscored that after the New Year holiday season preparations will start at the airfield for the new aircraft, including building storage housing modules.

In November 1998, Russia deployed the first MiG-29 jets to the Erebuni airbase. In July 2001, an air force unit was formed from the aircraft deployed to the base.

 

Pope Francis sends letter to Catholicos Aram I on Armenian Christmas

Ani Kharatian

Papal Nuncio Gabriel Katchea visited His Holiness Aram I, the Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, this morning and handed him a letter from Pope Francis on the occasion of the Armenian Christmas.

His Holiness Aram I expressed gratitude to the Vatican and especially Pope Francis for his full support to the just cause of Armenians on the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

The interlocutors discussed the developments in the Middle East, the rising tensions between Iran and Saudi Arabia. They stressed the need to prevent the further aggravation of the situation, the results of which could be disastrous to the whole of Middle East.

The parties also discussed the domestic situation in Lebanon with a special focus on the presidential elections.