Category: News

On December 8, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan, who is on a working visit to the USA, had meetings with the representatives of the Armenian Assembly of America and the Armenian National Committee of America.

During the meetings issues of further expansion and development of cooperation between the NKR and the USA, the assistance provided by the United States to Artsakh, as well as the increasing number of provocations and violations on the Line of Contact by the Azerbaijan were discussed. The NKR Foreign Minister expressed satisfaction with the high level of cooperation with Armenian organizations in the US and stressed the importance of activities aimed at protecting the interests of Artsakh in the US.

After the meeting with the members of Armenian National Committee of America, the NKR Foreign Minister took part in a reception organized for the participants of the Pro-Artsakh Advocacy campaign, who had arrived in Washington for meetings in the US Congress and discussions with congressmen on issues related to Artsakh on the initiative of the Armenian National Committee of America. During the reception Karen Mirzoyan delivered a welcoming speech and answered numerous questions from the audience.

The same day the Minister of Foreign Affairs met with Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Ambassador James Warlick. A range of issues related to the current state of affairs in the negotiation process were discussed at the meeting. In particular, the sides emphasized the necessity of undertaking steps to exclude the violations of the cease-fire regime and reduce tension along the Line of Contact.The NKR Permanent Representative to the USA and Canada Robert Avetisyan accompanied the NKR Foreign Minister at the meetings.

“The Armenian Genocide Centennial became a symbol of collective memory, gratitude and regeneration of the Armenian people,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Tert.am.

Question: What steps were taken on the international arena in 2015, the Centennial year of the Armenian Genocide?

Edward Nalbandian: Thousands of events were held throughout the world within the framework of the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

The events organized ahead of the commemoration and during this year, as well as the future events are only the visible part of the work. Each event is a result of complex efforts. Our diplomacy has taken and continues to take relevant steps towards the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as raising international public awareness about it.

On March 27, in Geneva the UN Human Rights Council adopted by consensus the Genocide Prevention Resolution initiated by Armenia. More than 70 states joined Armenia and co-authored the resolution.

This was not Armenia’s first initiative. We initiated such resolutions also in 2013 and, even before, which is a reflection of Armenia’s consistency in its genocide-prevention efforts.

The resolution considers the attempts to deny or justify the crime of genocide as a serious obstacle for the prevention of genocide.

By the Resolution the Human Rights Council recommended the UN General Assembly to proclaim December 9, the day when the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted, as the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide. The UN General Assembly confirmed it by adopting the resolution initiated by Armenia.

During the Armenian Genocide Centennial the European Parliament, which represents 28 countries, adopted a special resolution that condemns denialism and calls on Turkey to come to terms with its past, to recognize the Armenian Genocide and thereby to path a way for the reconciliation between the Armenian and the Turkish peoples.

Other numerous European structures adopted resolutions on the Genocide Centennial. Over two hundred MPs, representing forty countries of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, issued a statement. Statements were also made by such institutions as the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, the European People’s Party, the European Green Party and others.

Question: And what were the developments beyond the European continent?

Edward Nalbandian: Indeed, it was not limited by European institutions only. The Latin American Parliament (Parlatino), which unites 23 legislative bodies of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.

In October, the Yerevan Ministerial Conference of the International organization of La Francophonie, which represents 80 countries, adopted the “Genocide Prevention Resolution”, initiated by Armenia. On April 24 Michaëlle Jean, the Secretary-General of the same organization, made a statement, by which she paid a tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and expressed support to the Armenian people.

Question: You have presented the steps taken by international institutions. What would you outline in regard to the reactions of various leaders, countries?

Edward Nalbandian: Leaders and heads of different countries, governments and parliaments expressed their solidarity with the Armenian people.

Pope Francis I, the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics of the world, during the special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 12, delivered a very important message on the Armenian Genocide Centennial, which gained international publicity.

On April 24, the heads of various states took part in commemorative events of the Armenian Genocide both in Yerevan and in their respective countries, and addressed important messages.

It is noteworthy, that the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, while speaking about the Armenian Genocide, outlined Germany’s share of responsibility in that crime.

And not only the leader of Germany: while condemning the Armenian Genocide, the executive body of Austria also spoke about the responsibility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

The executive bodies of Russia, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, and other countries adopted new resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide or reaffirmed already adopted ones.

In different countries of the world provincial, municipal councils issued declarations and resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide and condemning the denial, and that process became extraordinarily widespread this year.

Question: Mr. Nalbandian, what was the reaction of the international public opinion on the Centennial?

Edward Nalbandian: In all continents of the world thousands of articles were published and programs were broadcasted, including CNN, BBC, Euronews, Россия 24, Russia Today, France 24, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, RAI, AFP, New York Times, Washington Post, Le Monde, Figaro, Independent, Times.

I enumerated only a small portion. Many other prestigious media outlets raised a powerful wave of information and awareness through their reports, articles and interviews. As a result, the steps undertaken by Ankara in order to cast a shadow, hinder the events organized around the world on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, had a boomerang effect just for Turkey, thereby ruining its initiatives. It is noteworthy, that hundreds of publications appeared in the Turkish media, and on April 24, “Hurriyet”, the most popular Turkish newspaper, published an extensive interview with the President of the Republic of Armenia.

Within the context of the international public opinion awareness campaign another important step was the publication of a special issue of the “Politique Internationale” journal, one of the most renowned international political science journals published in Paris, composed of 330 pages, in English and French languages, dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial, in which among other articles, the publications of the President of Armenia, France’s incumbent and former Presidents, as well as articles of numerous renowned genocide scholars were included. A number of international prestigious magazines published special editions dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial.

The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had its important contribution both in organizing the Global Forum “Against the Crime of Genocide” in Yerevan on April 22-23, and ensuring the participation of around five hundred high-ranking politicians, parliamentarians, religious leaders, scholars and experts from more than 50 countries, and, overall, in holding of the forum.

Indeed, the abovementioned is only a part of activities carried out for the proper commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial in international arena.
The Centennial became a symbol of collective memory, gratitude and regeneration of the Armenian people. The new international wave of the Genocide recognition and condemnation is a vivid evidence of the determination, that leads us in our mission to prevent genocides and crimes against humanity.

Photo: Getty Images

The Duchess of Cambridge paid a touching tribute to her late mother-in-law on Tuesday night, teh reports.

Kate Middleton attended the Queen’s annual Diplomatic Reception, on 8 December, wearing a dazzling diamond and pearl tiara once owned by Princess Diana.

She paired the stunning Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara with one of her favourite Alexander McQueen dresses – the same lacy, ice blue gown she wore to the 2013 event.

According to the , the tiara was originally made by Queen Mary in 1914 and has been passed down through royal generations before it was given as a wedding present to Diana by the Queen.

This isn’t the first time Kate has chosen to pay tribute to Diana by wearing her gorgeous jewellery.

Prince William famously proposed to her with his mother’s engagement ring and also have her Diana’s earrings as a present.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan has issued an address on the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime:

Dear Compatriots,

Today, the international community for the first time officially observes the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. It was the recurrence of the gravest crime against humanity that resulted in the creation of the term genocide, and subsequently the adoption in 1948 of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide. The Convention opened a new legal page in the definition of genocides and global fight for the prevention of genocides.

These days, when progressive people of the world commemorate important anniversaries of the most vicious crimes committed in the 20th century, including the centennial of the Armenian Genocide, 70th anniversary of liberation of Auschwitz, 40th anniversary of the genocide in Cambodia, as well as anniversaries of genocides in Ruanda and other places, of Pontic Greeks and Assyrians, the history of the humankind is being distorted right before our eyes, right before our eyes there take place ethnic cleansings, mass murders, millennia-old cultural monuments of the human civilization are being destroyed, the memory of the nations is being erased.
Therefore, the international community has once again come together: to pledge on December 9 of every year that the best way to pay tribute to the memory of the innocent victims of this most horrendous crime is the consolidated fight against genocides.

This consolidation resulted in the endorsement by the majority of the UN member states of the proposal made by the Republic of Armenia – motherland of the nation which survived in a genocide – and through the corresponding resolution of its General Assembly declared December 9 the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. The initiative was a momentous achievement for our commitment to the international fight against the crime of genocide which has acquired a special connotation in the year when we commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.

From now one, December 9 is not only the day of the adoption of the Convention of the Prevention of Genocides but each year on this day we will unite under the auspices of the United Nations to reconsider the message of the day – Never Again.

A court in Azerbaijan on Wednesday ordered the country’s top rights campaigner Leyla Yunus to be released from prison, citing her deteriorating health, Agence France-Presse reports.

The judge at the appeals court in the capital Baku gave Yunus a suspended sentence of five years after throwing out the initial eight-and-a-half year jail term, an AFP reporter in the courtroom said.

Yunus, 59, suffers from a number of ailments including hepatitis C and diabetes.

The head of the Institute for Peace and Democracy, one of the leading rights groups in the tightly-controlled country, was jailed in August on charges that include fraud and tax evasion.

Her husband Arif Yunus, who was sentenced to seven years in prison on similar charges, was released in November also because of his poor health.

The Yunus couple and their supporters have rejected the charges as trumped-up and politically motivated.

Leyla Yunus complained in September that she had been severely beaten in custody by prison guards.

International rights groups have slammed the prosecution of the Yunus couple as an attempt by Azerbaijan’s iron-fisted authorities to prevent them from continuing their work.

Amnesty International had demanded the “immediate release” of the couple, describing them as “prisoners of conscience, imprisoned solely for their legitimate human rights work and criticism of the government”.

Arrested last year on suspicion of spying for arch-foe Armenia, the pair also face treason charges in a separate case.

Leyla Yunus has won several international awards for her work, and she has teamed up with Armenian activists to urge reconciliation between the two countries, locked in a decades-long conflict over Nagorno Karabakh.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has issued a message on the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. The message reads:

“Today, we observe the first-ever International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime. This occasion also coincides with the anniversary of the adoption of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide in 1948.

This is an ideal time to reaffirm our commitment to prevent this serious international crime, honour the memory of the victims, and reaffirm the right to remedies and reparation, as recognized in international law.

Preventing genocide means paying more attention to the warning signs, and being prepared to take immediate action to address them.  This is the spirit of my Human Rights up Front initiative.

After all, genocide does not just happen; it unfolds over time.  It is not part of the accidental “fallout” of conflict; most often, it is systematic, planned, with precise targets, and it can also take place outside of conflict situations.

Across the world today, intolerance and xenophobia are on the rise. A dangerous “us versus them” dynamic is often being exploited to justify the exclusion of communities based on different forms of identity such as religion, ethnicity or other, and to deny assistance, restrict human rights and perpetrate atrocious acts of violence.

The prevention of genocide is a specific obligation under international law.  The International Court of Justice and other judicial bodies have made that very clear.  Governments must act on this imperative by investing in prevention and taking preventive action.  On this new international observance, let us recognize the need to work together more concertedly to protect individuals from gross human rights violations and uphold our common humanity.”

The Russian energy giant Gazprom is in talks with Iran over gas exchange operations for gas supplies to Armenia, CEO Alexey Miller said, Sputnik News reports.

On Tuesday, Miller met Georgian Energy Minister Kakhaber Kaladze for negotiations.

“Yes, we did discuss this issue, currently we are working on the issues of exchange operations with our Iranian colleagues,” Miller said, when answering a question whether he and Kaladze discussed supplies of gas to Armenia from Iran.

At the moment, the Russian gas is supplied to Armenia via Georgia.

In November, Iranian Petroleum Minister Bijan Zangeneh said Tehran was already in talks with Moscow on oil and gas swaps agreement.

A group of organizations aimed at preventing genocide have welcomed the United Nations General Assembly’s designation of December 9 as theInternational Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

On September 11 of this year, UN member states unanimously voted to establish this commemorative day and chose December 9 as it is the anniversary of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

“Slaughtering people not for anything they do, but simply for who they are – their national, ethnic, racial, religious, or political identity – is morally as bad as it gets,” commented Professor Gareth Evans, President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group and former Australian Foreign Minister. “The Genocide Convention, adopted on December 9, 1948, should have been a circuit breaker. It wasn’t. This commemorative day presents a moment to take stock of how far we have come – and have yet to go – in translating into reality the moral aspiration expressed seven decades ago.”

To mark the occasion, 100 LIVES will publish a with leading humanitarian and human rights organizations calling on the world to remember the millions who have been affected by the crime of genocide. The statement is co-signed by fellow organizations Not On Our Watch, the Enough Project, United to End Genocide, Foundation Rwanda, Survivors Fund, International Association of Genocide Scholars, International Raoul Wallenberg Foundation, the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (a Division of the Zoryan Institute), Armenian Genocide Museum Institute, and Waging Peace.

Genocide is an issue that transcends the bounds of any one religion, ethnic group, geography or era and the effects of this crime throughout history are still felt by its victims and their descendants. This year alone, the world observed the Armenian Genocide Centennial, the 70^th anniversary of the liberation of the Auschwitz-Birkenau camp, the 50^th anniversary of the Indonesian massacres and the 20^th anniversary of the Srebrenica Genocide. 100 LIVES and its partners remember the victims of these and all atrocities, continue to demand that governments protect citizens, and use this commemoration to honor those who intervened to save lives— often at great personal risk.

“As a descendant of a genocide survivor myself, I am grateful to those that continue to dedicate themselves to saving lives,” states Ruben Vardanyan, 100 LIVES co-founder. “I hope that this occasion will focus attention on the collective responsibility of governments to safeguard human lives, uphold the universal right to live with dignity, and support humanitarian work.”

Chairman of the International Institute for Genocide and Human Rights Studies (IIGHRS), Professor Roger W. Smith, commented, “The human cost of genocide and its wider consequences – mass migration of refugees, societal collapse and economic disruption – is far greater than the cost of early prevention. To save lives, states must expand their concept of national interest and act on their responsibility to protect.” IIGHRS is a signatory of the joint statement.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been named ‘s Person of the Year.

Merkel’s selection was announced Wednesday morning on NBC’s “Today” show.

“Leaders are tested only when people don’t want to follow,” Time editor Nancy Gibbs said in a statement issued Wednesday. “For asking more of her country than most politicians would dare, for standing firm against tyranny as well as expedience and for providing steadfast moral leadership in a world where it is in short supply, Angela Merkel is TIME’s Person of the Year.”

She’s the first individual woman to be recognized since 1986.