Category: News

French artists and cultural figures are calling for people to mark a week since the start of the Paris attacks with an outpouring of “noise and light,” according to

The call is going out on social media under the Twitter hashtag 21h20 – or 9.20pm, the time the attacks began on November 13.

A letter in the Huffington Post is signed by dozens of artists, writers, musicians and other cultural figures, including singer Charles Aznavour, journalist Anne Sinclair and former French culture minister Jack Lang.

It says the attack on “culture and freedom” should unite people of all races, faiths and backgrounds.

The letter calls for people to turn on lights, light candles and play music so the attackers “will understand that they have lost”. The writers hope the gesture will show “that culture will continue to shine out and to burnish the light of hope and fraternity”.

Most demonstrations have been banned in Paris since the attacks, but Parisians have been spontaneously gathering outside the restaurants, cafes and concert hall hit in the attacks all week to leave flowers, light candles and hold quiet vigils.

A demonstration planned for Friday at France’s oldest mosque to show inter-community solidarity after the attacks was cancelled for security concerns.

President Francois Hollande will preside over a national ceremony on November 27 honouring the 129 victims of the deadliest attacks on France in decades.

The president’s office announced that the ceremony will be held at the gold-domed Hotel des Invalides, where Napoleon’s tomb lies and which is seen as a symbol of France’s military and international strength.

About 70 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan overnight.

The rival used weapons of different caliber, including 60mm mortars as it fired more than 900 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The activeness of the rival was pressured as a result of retaliatory measures taken by the NKR Defense Army.

The Armenian troops confidently continue with their military duty all along the line of contact, the NKR Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

Photo: AFP

Malian special forces have entered the Radisson Blu Hotel in the centre of Mali’s capital, Bamako, where suspected Islamists are holding dozens of guests and staff hostage, the BBC reports.

At least three people were killed after gunmen entered the hotel shooting, and shouting “God is great!” in Arabic.

The hotel is popular with expat workers.

A Malian army commander told the AP news agency that about 20 hostages have been freed.

Hostages able to recite verses of the Koran were being released, a security source has told Reuters news agency.

Six staff from Turkish Airlines are staying at the hotel, and a Chinese guest told China’s state news agency Xinhua that he was among about seven Chinese tourists trapped there.

A French presidential source said French citizens were in the hotel, Reuters news agency reports.

St. Stephen’s Armenian Apostolic Church of Hartford and New Britain celebrated their 90th Anniversary this past Sunday November 15th. This is the second oldest Armenian Church in the United States,  according to .

In celebration of this event, His Eminence Archbishop Oshagan Choloyan Primate of the Eastern Prelacy, and His Grace Anoushavan Tanielian, Vicar General celebrated the Ancient Mass of the Armenian Church. Armenia was the first nation to adopt Christianity in the year 301A.D.

The Mass was followed by a banquet at the Farmington Club with a large number of members in attendance. A Proclamation was read from Governor Dannel Malloy as well as a citation from Sixth District Senator Terry Gerrantana.

The Archbishop and Bishop welcomed the new Godparents of the church, Mr. and Mrs. Garabed Tovmassian of Worcester, MA.

St Stephen’s Church was dedicated in 1926, however it fell into foreclosure during the great depression. Four men stepped forward, pledging their personal assets to save the Church. In honor of these men His Eminence, the Archbishop presented awards to their descendants who were in attendance. Susan Kochunas received an award as the daughter of Karekin Kevorkian, Godfather of the Church, who named it after the church he left in Cyprus, before coming to America. Lucy Horenian received the citation for her father Mr Avedis Atashian. The other two men were Mr Amrah Bayram and Mr Harry Parparian.

Following the citations, children of the church presented a gift to the Pastor, Archpriest Aram Stepanian to be given to the orphaned children of Armenia.

No issue related to Nagorno-Karabakh can be settled without the consent of its people, Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Aravot Daily.

Question: Mr. Minister, following the visit of the Russian Foreign Minister to Yerevan, the press continues to allege that it was related to some concessions on the Nagorno-Karabakh issue. Particularly, the Russian “Kommersant”, referring to its source close to the negotiations, informed that it was the main issues on the agenda of the visit. Could you, please, comment, whether the NK settlement was discussed during Lavrov’s visit and if so, in what context?

Answer: I prefer to avoid commenting news based on rumours that have nothing to do with reality. Those who spread such information remind me a famous proverb – they heard the bells, but they do not know where the sound comes from.

During the press conference with the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia, we presented all the topics and areas on our agenda of discussions, including the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution process. As you know, Russia is one of the Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, and we highly appreciate the efforts of Russia together with other Co-Chairs aimed at an exclusively peaceful settlement of the conflict. We annually hold over dozens of meetings together with Sergey Lavrov, both within bilateral and multilateral frameworks, and this is natural, taking into account the allied strategic relations between our two countries. After each of those meetings the media may report that the issues related to the NK conflict resolution have been discussed, and I should say that it would not be far from the truth. Of course, with some exceptions, the issue is permanently on the agenda of our discussions. It is quite understandable.

It is different when the media attempts to ascribe fabricated elements to the talks. When the media refers to the so called source close to the negotiations I would not take it as granted. It is hard to imagine what source they could make a reference to, taking into consideration that the negotiations are held on a high level and within a restricted format.

In general, I would advise to rely on official information while making comments on such sensitive issues. The Presidents of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries made 5 statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process. They presented the elements and principles which form the basis of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement as an integrated whole, I want to emphasise – as an integrated whole. Simple comparison reveals that what was published in the media is not in line with the conflict settlement approaches of the Heads of Co-Chair countries. Now, I leave it to your discretion what is more credible – the statements made on behalf of the Presidents of the Co-Chair countries, or rumours published in the media? I think the answer is obvious.

I would also like to add that anything related to the Nagorno-Karabakh issue, cannot be settled without the consent of the people of Artsakh.

Question: Mr. Minister, discussions on the adoption of the draft report on Nagorno-Karabakh by the British parliamentarian Walter in the Political Affairs Committee of Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) are still ongoing in Armenia. The report is included in the agenda of the plenary session. What will be the real impact of the adoption of this report?

Answer: I have commented on this matter on numerous occasions. Armenia’s stance is absolutely in line with the position of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, that other international institutions, organizations should not undertake any steps that can undermine the peaceful settlement of the process, and especially that can lead to the escalation of the situation in the region.

Azerbaijan attempts to shift the talks on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement to other formats. However, the only format, which enjoys the mandate of the international community, is the format of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship.

The figure of the rapporteur himself is problematic from the point of view of impartiality. For years, he was a member of the so called Friends of Azerbaijan in the British Parliament According to the British media this group was largely financed by Baku. And this may be the very reason why R. Walter rushed to present the fabricated rapport, two days before the completion of his mission in the capacity of the PACE member. As to the motives of his interest, I will leave that to your judgment.

I would also like to recall the recent statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on this issue, which stresses, that the attempts to change the format or create parallel mechanisms can disrupt the negotiation process and impede progress towards a settlement. The PACE members should take this warning seriously.

The same opinion was expressed by the Russian Foreign Minister during his recent visit to Yerevan, who said that the Co-Chairs strongly oppose attempts to shift this issue to other international platforms not dealing with the conflict resolution instead of a continuous, practical and patient dialogue.

Question: Minister Nalbandian, after the notorious report of R. Walter another report has been drafted within the same institution – in PACE. It concerns the Sarsang Reservoir. The mere title of the report suggests that it will have an anti-Armenian inclination. It is entitled “The bordering regions of Azerbaijani are intentionally deprived of Water”. How would you comment that?

Answer: Back in 2013, the delegation of Azerbaijan to PACE presented a draft resolution, complaining that Azerbaijanis are being deprived of the opportunity to use the Sarsang Reservoir. At that time, the Chairman of PACE rejected to proceed with that resolution. Afterwards, for whatever reasons, the PACE decided to appoint a rapporteur to examine the issue.

Indeed, not a single document on Nagorno-Karabakh can be considered as unbiased and fair, if the rapporteur has not visited the site to get acquainted with the situation on the ground.

A question rises as to how the rapporteur can form an opinion on a reservoir, which she has not even seen. The authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh have constantly expressed their readiness to jointly use the waters of Sarsang Reservoir with Azerbaijan. During his visit to Artsakh the PACE rapporteur could also have an opportunity to discuss with the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh the technical details of implementation of the above-mentioned proposal.

In this regard it is noteworthy that the rapporteur has already visited Azerbaijan twice. Meanwhile the authorities of Nagorno-Karabakh only three-four days ago received a letter from the PACE Secretariat with the proposal to receive the rapporteur.

As for Armenia, the Head of the Armenian delegation to PACE in her letter to the PACE Secretariat dated August 3, has already expressed her readiness to receive the PACE rapporteur in Armenia.

This resolution should be submitted to the PACE Committee on Social Affairs. Therefore, it has been decided from the outset that the report should not be of a political but of a technical nature. The Armenian side repeatedly urged the rapporteur, who is a member of parliament of Bosnia and Herzegovina, to remain faithful to this logic and not to politicize the issue. However, so far the hastily prepared report of the rapporteur includes distortions, which contradict the wording adopted by the Co-Chairs of the Minsk Group. This report brings to mind that of Walter.

As the lobbying efforts of Azerbaijan face a full fiasco in other European structures, Baku with its initiatives here tries to clutch at straws.

Question: Minister Nalbandian, after the recent terroristic attacks, the President of Azerbaijan used that context to voice his recurring accusation
s against Armenia…

Answer: In order to promote his narrow political interests the leader of Azerbaijan does not even refrain from using the tragedy of those people who fell victim to terrorism.

These hopeless efforts are also aimed at covering the long-lasting close relationship of Azerbaijan with notorious terrorist organizations, and the facts that the savage ideology of Daesh and other terrorist organizations today enjoy a wide support in Azerbaijan, hundreds of citizens of which are joining the ranks of those organizations. And this is what seriously concerns the international community, not the fabricated claims of the Azerbaijani President.

Question: Minister Nalbandian, the meeting of the U.S.-Armenia task force is taking place in Yerevan today, and two days ago the first meeting of the Armenia-U.S. Council on Trade and Investment was held. How this activation of the relations between Armenian and the United States could be explained?

Answer: Indeed, this week was quite active within the context of the Armenian-American friendly partnership. However, it should be mentioned, that this dynamism pertains not only to this week, but to our relations in general, which today are on a quite high level. In this regard the year of 2015 has been very favorable, I would even say, in some way even exceptional, taking into consideration all the achievements registered throughout this year.

First, the arrangements reached with Secretary Kerry back in 2013 have been implemented – since January the new facilitated visa regime has been put into force, and in May the Trade and Investment Framework Agreement was signed in the presence of the President of Armenia.

It is according to one of the provisions of that agreement, that the first meeting of the Armenia-U.S. Council on Trade and Investment, which you mentioned, was held in Yerevan. It enhances the Armenian-American economic cooperation onto a qualitatively new level. The meetings within the framework of the U.S.-Armenia Joint Economic Task Force and Armenia-U.S. Council on Trade and Investment are the logical conclusions of the year.

Officials representing different US agencies attended the meetings, including the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary, representatives of the Office of the Trade Representative and USAID. Issues of high importance for the economic development of Armenia were on the agenda of the meetings.

Question: Minister Nalbandian, the month of October was marked by a new launch in Armenian-EU relations. Even though you have already made a statement on the issue, however, could you provide more details what kind of timeframe is being discussed?

Answer: Armenia and the European Union have always stated about their readiness to continue to develop and enhance comprehensive cooperation between the parties in all fields of mutual interest.

During the summits in Vilnius and Riga the determination to develop a mutually beneficial cooperation between Armenia and the European Union was reiterated. On October 13, the European Council issued a mandate to the European Commission to start negotiations over forming the new legal basis of relations with Armenia.

With regard to the timeframe, there is a mutual expectation that the negotiations will start by the end of this year. I suppose, that based on our experience of negotiations with the European Union we have good preconditions to advance these negotiations as fast as possible.

Photo: Lucian Coman/Lucara

 

The world’s second-largest gem quality diamond has been discovered in Botswana, the Lucara Diamond firm says, the BBC reports.

The 1,111-carat stone was recovered from its Karowe mine, about 500km (300 miles) north of the capital, Gaborone.

It is the biggest diamond to be discovered in Botswana and the largest find in more than a century.

The 3,106-carat Cullinan diamond was found in South Africa in 1905 and cut into nine separate stones, many of which are in the British Crown Jewels.

“The significance of the recovery of a gem quality stone larger than 1,000 carats, the largest for more than a century… cannot be overstated,” William Lamb, the CEO of Lucara Diamond, a Canadian diamond producer, said in a statement.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) and the Smithsonian Institution have partnered for an innovative project to support cultural sustainability through cultural tourism in Armenia. The project was launched on November 20 at an official ceremony at the Matenadaran Scientific Research Institute of Ancient Manuscripts in Yerevan, which holds one of the world’s richest collections of medieval manuscripts and books.

The ceremony included remarks by the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr., Prime Minister of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan, and the Senior Advisor of the Smithsonian’s Office of International Relations, Halle Butvin. About 100 people attended the event, including representatives of the Government of Armenia, the private sector and the tourism industry at large.

The goal of the four-year project, which is funded by USAID, is to enhance and increase cultural heritage tourism in the regions outside of Armenia’s capital Yerevan, through a unique combination of research, scholarship, support for artisan craft, capacity building, and a strong focus on fresh thinking for tourism development.

“The global tourism market continues to grow and touch new destinations. Armenia’s rich cultural heritage, unique cuisine, beautiful natural environment and welcoming people make it a special place,” said Ambassador Mills.

“The purpose of the “My Armenia” project is nothing less than to put Armenia on the map as a world-class tourist destination. We intend to not only contribute to the development of the tourism industry in Armenia, but also ensure that the benefits of that growth are widely distributed across the country by promoting tourism to regions outside of Yerevan, thus enhancing the economic prospects of Armenia’s rural communities.”

The Smithsonian has a long history of working with communities around the world to support efforts in cultural sustainability, whether protecting cultural heritage threatened by human conflict and natural disaster, or supporting the long-term sustainability of diverse cultural sectors.

Through training, programming, community engagement and documentation, and other methods, Smithsonian curators and project staff from across the Institution will work with partners in Armenia to develop new strategies for sustaining cultural heritage.

This project will support traditional arts, crafts and music in the country and lead to greater benefits for rural communities in Armenia, broader awareness about Armenia in international markets, as well as help protect and enhance Armenia’s natural and cultural heritage.

“Tourism can be a driver of economic development by generating employment in hotels and restaurants, as well as increasing business for taxi drivers, those making and selling souvenirs, or those providing goods and services to tourism-related businesses,” Ambassador Mills said.

“However, to spread the wealth generated by tourism, Armenia needs to develop anchor tourism sites outside of Yerevan and link them together in a tourism circuit that spans the length and breadth of the country. This new project will provide technical assistance to develop such a circuit, which will encourage travelers to travel outside of Yerevan and spend more money in the regions. This is just one of the many ways the U.S. Embassy is partnering with the Armenian people to strengthen the economy of Armenia’s rural regions.”

The Smithsonian has a long history of working with USAID on international programming to support the conservation of biodiversity, museum workforce capacity building, and emerging cultural institutions.  Reflecting a renewed partnership between the two organizations established through a 2013 Memorandum of Understanding, the “My Armenia” project signifies a new, collaborative approach to combine the strengths of the two organizations for greater impact.

Agencia Prensa Armenia – The Argentinian Ministry of Education presented a new textbook titled, “Armenian Genocide: Questions, Answers and Proposals for Education,” on Tuesday, November 17. The book is a teaching material produced in conjunction with the Armenian National Committee of South America.

The presentation event was attended by Education Minister Alberto Sileoni, Director of the National Institute Against Discrimination, Xenophobia and Racism Pedro Mouratian, and Carolina Karagueuzian, Director of Armenian National Committee of Buenos Aires, along with a number of Ministry officials.

Regarding the difficulty of teaching children about genocide, Alberto Sileoni said that, “It is not true that the products we show our children have to eliminate the complexity. There is a way and an age to present them. If anything, the respect we have for children is that all these stories do not have a happy ending like in the movies. They have it in a human, much deeper way.”

“This Ministry of Education was committed not only with the formation of the young, but also with the way the educational community has accompanied things that had been invisible for many years,” said Pedro Mouratian. “What has occurred in our country in terms of memory, truth and justice has been revolutionary and refreshing,” added.

Carolina Karagueuzian noted that Argentina is the only country that “publishes and disseminates educational material on [the] Armenian Genocide at the federal level”.

“The material intends to address the genocide against the Armenians as one of the most atrocious events in the history of mankind, but also as one of the most important struggles of resistance to oblivion driven by the Armenian people, and accompanied by all those who sympathized with the understanding that impunity for such crimes not only involves the people who fell victim, but represents an injury to all humanity,” said Karagueuzian.

During the presentation, a chapter of “Zamba” was also presented, a child education show by PakaPaka, a TV channel of the Ministry of Education. “The amazing lesson of Zamba about Memory,” tells the journey of Zamba, the protagonist, as he visits the various genocides of the twentieth century. The journey begins with Anne Frank in Amsterdam, and continues to Mount Ararat with the Armenian poet Vahan Tekeyan. Then, Zamba and his friends meet the indigenous leader Rigoberta Menchu in Guatemala, and then Immacule Ilibagiza, a young Tutsi during the genocide in Rwanda. The chapter was aired several times this week on Argentina’s Public television network.

Photo: Sputnik/ Alexei Druzhinin

 

Syrian President Bashar Assad believes that by being passively supporting the al-Nusra Front and Islamic State terrorist groups, Turkey is playing a most destructive role in the Syrian crisis, reports.

“Turkey is playing a most negative role in our crisis. That’s related directly to [President Recep Tayyip] Erdogan himself and [Prime Minister Ahmet] Davutoglu, because they both reflect the real ideology that they carry in their hearts, which is the Muslim Brotherhood ideology,” Assad said in an interview with the French newsmagazine Valeurs Actuelles on Thursday.

The Syrian leader emphasized that, compared to Saudi Arabia and Qatar, Ankara was playing the most dangerous role in general, by giving all possible assistance to the terrorists.

“Some countries support the Nusra Front, which is al-Qaeda, some other countries support ISIL, while Turkey supports both and other groups at the same time. They support them with, human resources. They support them with money, logistics, armaments, surveillance, information, and even the maneuvers of their military through their borders during the fights in Syria.”

“Even the money that’s being collected from the rest of the world passes through Turkey, and the oil that ISIS sells is through Turkey, so Turkey is playing the worst part of our crisis,” Assad was quoted as saying by the Syrian news agency SANA.

Photo: Handout/RIA Novosti/Getty Images

 

A joint missile Russian-Armenian air defense system will put the brakes on Azerbaijan’s goal of retaking Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories, Stratfor said as it analyzed the motives behind the Russian-Armenian air defense deal. Excerpts from the analysis are provided below.

On Nov. 11, Russian President Vladimir Putin instructed his government to sign an agreement with Armenia to create a joint missile air defense system in the region. Not long after, the Armenian government confirmed that Russian Prime Minister Dmitri Medvedev is expected to visit Armenia in late November to officially sign the air defense system deal.

The move, though reminiscent of Moscow’s actions in Central Asia and Belarus in previous years, comes at a time when Russia is being forced to respond to a wider array of challenges than ever before. Threats are rising from the Near East, while the West is ramping up its military activities in Georgia and Nagorno-Karabakh moves closer to changing its political status.

And as Russia increases its military presence in Armenia, its competition with major regional powers for influence in the South Caucasus will intensify, adding to the growing list of issues Russia must contend with outside its borders.

An expanding military presence will put Russia in direct competition with Turkey’s ambitions in the South Caucasus and Georgia’s cooperation with NATO and U.S. forces. It will also put the brakes on Azerbaijan’s goal of retaking Nagorno-Karabakh and seven adjacent territories.

For Armenia’s part, the joint air defense deal comes at an opportune time. Its government has received mounting criticism from Armenian politicians and media amid a growing belief that the country’s membership in the Russian-led Collective Security Treaty Organization and its reliance on Russia as a security guarantor have yielded few results, particularly as Azerbaijan pursues a more assertive military posture around Nagorno-Karabakh.

Under the new agreement, Armenian air defenses will be strengthened, and the country will likely see new air defense equipment, radios, radar systems and combat helicopters deployed to its territory. Armenian Minister of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations Armen Yeritsyan also recently announced that the Stepanavan Airport, located a mere 20 kilometers (about 12 miles) from the Armenia-Georgia border, will host Russian Mi-24 and KA-32 heavy helicopters starting in 2016. While these aircraft do not amount to a projection of Russian force because of their limited range, they do reflect the Kremlin’s broader policy of boosting its air capabilities in Armenia — a process that dates back to January 2014, when Russia announced that it would strengthen Armenia’s Erebuni Airport with Mi-24P, Mi-8MT and Mi-8SMV helicopters. Along a similar vein, Nagorno-Karabakh’s president has said Russian forces may use his region’s Stepanakert Airport for air operations, an offer that may be in response to the recent uptick in air cooperation between Armenia and Russia.

Russia’s growing military presence in the South Caucasus will be especially worrisome to Turkey and Azerbaijan, Armenia’s longtime rivals in the region. The two countries have ramped up their joint military exercises with Georgia over the past year, posing a heightened threat to Armenia, whose strategic position is already weak. Since Turkey already had less ability than Russia to project power into the South Caucasus, the Kremlin’s recent moves will only increase the gap between Russian and Turkish influence there, thus intensifying their competition for sway in the wider region.

Meanwhile, Russia’s stronger aerial presence in Armenia could alter the military balance of power between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Azerbaijani politicians have already voiced concerns about the air defense agreement, and on Nov. 11 — the same day Putin gave his orders to sign the deal — Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev visited his country’s S-300 anti-aircraft missile brigade, the unit responsible for Azerbaijan’s aerial defenses.

The timing of the deal is significant for a number of reasons. First, it signals Russia’s response to recent developments in the ongoing standoff between Armenia and Azerbaijan over Nagorno-Karabakh. As talks progress on Armenia handing over to Azerbaijan several regions adjacent to the breakaway territory, Russia will boost its military presence in the South Caucasus to ensure the security of Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh and to make any further territorial concessions more politically palatable to Yerevan. Second, as Russia becomes more involved in the Syrian conflict, Moscow is keen to increase its ability to monitor its southern borders — a goal that a military presence in Armenia, with its proximity to the Middle East, is ideally suited to achieve.