Category: News

Chinese President Xi Jinping has pledged a reduction of 300,000 troops from China’s 2.3 million-member People’s Liberation Army, amid rising personnel costs and growing technological capabilities that reduce the need for large numbers of troops, the Associated Press reports. 

The announcement Thursday at the start of a massive parade commemorating Japan’s World War II defeat 70 years ago brings the military’s headcount down to about 2 million.

Once known for its human wave tactics in conflicts such as the Korean War, the PLA is increasingly focused on high-tech weaponry and more focused missions.

As an example, the latest version of the PLA’s mainstay bomber, the H-6K, requires just a three-person crew, half its former complement.

 

 

Within the framework of the “Shant-2015” strategic command-post exercises President Serzh Sargsyan convened a conditional sitting of the Security Council to inform about the situation around the Republic of Armenia over the past days and the scenario of the exercises.

Members of the Council offered reports and made suggestions stemming from the situation. Instructions complying with the scenario of the exercises were given to the state bodies.

President Sargsyan attached importance to the conduct of the exercises from the point of view of reacting promptly and efficiently in concrete situations, testing the capacities and preparedness of state bodies in those situations.

 

A new exhibition at Istanbul’s Depo gallery takes a closer look at personal and communal affiliations in the Armenian diaspora, “scattered like pomegranate seeds across the world.”

“Geandchildren, New geographies of belonging” opens on Sept. 3 at Depo in Istanbul’s Tophane neighborhood, and will run until Nov. 1, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

“In a global context where mobility and the virtual world challenge established identifications with national societies, ethnic groups or religions, Armenians can be considered a good example of a group with a long, cosmopolitan and globalized history,” Depo states about the show on its website. The exhibition includes works from Armenian artists based around the world. It is coordinated by Silvina Der-Meguerditchian and organized in cooperation with the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation, the Federal Foreign Office Germany, the Goethe Institut- Istanbul, Anadolu Kültür, the Cultural Academy Tarabya, and Heinrich Böll Stiftung.

The works of Achot Achot (Yerevan/Paris), Marian Bedoian (Buenos Aires), Talin Büyükkürkciyan (Istanbul), Hera Büyüktaşçıyan (Istanbul), Silvina Der-Meguerditchian (Buenos Aires/Berlin), Linda Ganjian (New York), Archi Galentz (Moscow/Berlin), Karine Matsakyan (Yerevan)  Mikayel Ohanjanyan (Yerevan/Florenz), Ani Setyan (Istanbul), Arman Tadevosyan (Gyumri/Nancy), Scout Tufankjian (New York) and Marie Zolamian (Beirut/Liege) are included in the exhibition.

The Azerbaijani side continued to intensively violate the ceasefire regime on September 1-2, the NKR Ministry of Defense said in a statement.

The rival violated the ceasefire about 250 times in the reporting period, firing more than 5,000 shots from weapons of different caliber, including 60 and 82 mm mortars, RPG-7 and HAN-17 grenade launchers, as well as Turkey-made TP-107 reactive rocket launchers.

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

The Defense Ministry says the rival often uses the large-caliber rocket and artillery weapons, something Azerbaijan’s propaganda machine is trying to conceal. As a proof, the Ministry presents photos of the weapons.

Turkish police have engaged in severe ill-treatment and abuse of detainees while responding to perceived security threats in the southeastern part of the country, said in a statement.

“It’s deeply worrying that police in Turkey’s southeast seem to be returning to abusive tactics in response to the security threats,” said Benjamin Ward, Europe and Central Asia division deputy director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should urgently investigate and prosecute those responsible, and ensure that people in custody are protected from ill-treatment and have prompt access to proper medical treatment.”

Human Rights Watch made repeated efforts to discuss these cases with both the governor of Şırnak province and the district governor of Silopi, but has received no response.

“Turkey is party to both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibit inhuman and degrading treatment and torture. Turkey has strict obligations to protect the rights to life, bodily integrity, and security, and as part of those obligations, medical treatment must be provided promptly to anyone who is injured when arrested,” teh Human Rights Watch said.

In a previous case, the European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of violating its obligations when it failed to provide prompt and appropriate medical treatment to a person who had been detained allegedly on suspicion of PKK membership, and who had visible injuries to his head and evident difficulties in walking and talking.

The Turkish authorities should ensure that its policing and security operations comply fully with human rights law, that police officers who violate fundamental rights and freedoms are held accountable, and that acts of torture and ill-treatment are investigated and prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said.

“No one should be denied access to proper medical treatment, no matter the accusations against them,” Ward said. “The Turkish authorities should make sure that people in police custody and prison are getting the medical care they need.”

The Church of Cyprus has announced that 34 treasures that were stolen from the island’s Turkish-occupied areas, are expected to return on Friday afternoon to Cyprus. The treasures will return to Cyprus following a decision by the Munich Court of Appeals, on March 16, in the case of Turkish art smuggler Aydin Dikmen, according to the

Among the artifacts, 24 are Byzantine relics and some prehistoric antiquities coming mostly from the collection of Chr. Chatziprodromou, from Ayios Epiktitos Church. Among the Byzantine relics there are three pairs of bema doors (Monastery of Antiphonitis Christ, Virgin Mary Monastery in Kantara), wall paintings from the Monastery of Antiphonitis Christ, the church of Agia Solomoni in Coma tou Yialou and the Monastery of Panagia Apsinthiotissa in Sychari. Also the treasures include a hand written manuscript of 17th century (omilario) from the Monastery of the Panagia Trooditissa, and the hand written gospel of the Armenian community of Cyprus stolen during the Turkish mutiny in 1963.

More than 500 churches situated in the areas under Turkish occupation since 1974 have been destroyed, plundered and looted or turned into stables, warehouses, restaurants and hotels. The Cyprus government and the church have repeatedly protested to the UN, the World Council of Churches and many other international and religious organisations.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been voted the player of Matchday 3. The Armenian international convinced the voters with his impressive performance in the match against Hertha BSC.

With a strong performance and impressive start series of nine points and 11: 1 goals this season Borussia Dortmund showed on Matchday 3 all that can be expected. Henrikh Mkhitaryan was the most outstanding player.

With 46 percent of the ballot Mkhitaryan clearly won the first place in the voting on .

Mkhitaryan provided an assist in the team’s 3: 1 win over Hertha and was involved in five of the 15 BVB shots.

He is the player with the most targeted-participations and no one gave more shots on goal. But the Armenian is not only dangrous in the penalty box: Mkhitaryan won for being a good offensive player with 53 percent of his tackles and sprinted 22 times over the square. This was also the best result.

Luc Castaignos came second with 25 percent of the vote, followed by Thomas Müller with 10 percent.

Armenian contract serviceman Hayk Tevoyan, born in 1975, died as a result of shooting at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border, Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan told reporters today.

“The rival actively fired all along the Tavush section of the border until midnight. The Azerbaijani side used artillery weapons of different caliber, including large-caliber machine guns and sniper rifles, 60 and 80mm mortars. Two civilians were injured,” he said.

Hovhannisyan said the frontline villages have sustained losses, but the situation is now under control, the rival has been silenced.

The Spokesman said the Azerbaijani side incurred losses as a result of the tension of the past two days.

The sixth hearing in the retrial of defendants accused of assassinating Turkish-Armenian journalist Hrant Dink was held at the 5th High Criminal Court in İstanbul on Thursday morning, only to be adjourned until December with minimal progress having been made, reports. 

Despite eight years having passed since the murder of the journalist, efforts to pinpoint suspect Osman Hayal in the security camera footage stills from the incident have failed. Dink, the late editor-in-chief of Turkish-Armenian weekly Agos, was shot and killed in broad daylight on Jan. 19, 2007, by an ultranationalist teenager outside the offices of his newspaper in Istanbul.

Evidence discovered since then has led to claims that the murder was linked to the “deep state,” a term that refers to a shadowy group of military and civilian bureaucrats in Turkey believed to have links with organized crime. Now, the Dink family lawyers are intent on having the identity of Osman Hayal verified from the security camera footage taken from the Akbank Bank and Saray Drapery, located near the Agos headquarters during the incident. Osman Hayal, who was released pending trial, is the brother of Yasin Hayal, who confessed to telling then-minor Ogün Samast to murder Dink.

The Scientific and Technological Research Council of Turkey claimed after initial investigations that there are too many people in the frame to identify the suspect. During Thursday’s hearing, the court accepted Dink’s family’s lawyer Hakan Bakırcıoğlu’s request that newly marked men in the security footage be identified by Council

The next hearing will be held on Dec. 22.

A group of activists called Friends of Hrant who are closely following the case held a demonstration outside the Caglayan Courthouse prior to the hearing, also making a statement.

“We will continue to stand on duty for justice. This case will not be over until the real suspects are tried and our friend’s murderer receives the punishment they deserve. We are tired of repeating our request for the true suspects to be tried. In fact, we are not the only ones requesting this,” stated Baran Seyhan on behalf of the activist group.

“The state and its State Supervisory Board have also clearly identified those who need to be tried. As the lawyers have shared, Article 83 of the Turkish Penal Code deals with negligence causing death due to the failure to take appropriate action to prevent the death, and the state is protecting those who are behind the murder,” Seyhan stated.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the delegation of the French National Assembly headed by President of the Socialist faction Bruno Le Roux.

The parties attached importance to the frequent reciprocal visits and contacts, which further reinforce the Armenian-French friendship and provide an opportunity to discuss issues of mutual interest.

The interlocutors agreed that inter-parliamentary cooperation comprises a significant part of inter-state relations, and emphasized the role of Armenian-French Friendship Groups established in the Parliaments of the two countries in their development.

Bruno Le Roux conveyed the warm greetings of French President Francois Hollande.

The lawmakers also attached importance to their visit to Nagorno Karabakh. They assured that France is interested in the continuation of dialogue towards a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

President Sargsyan briefed the guests on the process and goals of constitutional reforms. Bruno Le Roux underlined that any constructive change targeted at establishing the best government system is welcome and added that “it’s a sign of political maturity of a state.”