PHOTO: AFP/GETTY IMAGES
Thousands of civilians have left rebel-held eastern Aleppo districts, as the Syrian army continues its offensive to take full control over the city, the BBC reports.
The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 10,000 residents fled to government-controlled western areas and a Kurdish-run northern district.
Syrian state media put the number at more than 1,500, while Russia said that 2,500 civilians had left.
On November 28, 2016, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the eastern direction of Talish settlement of the NKR Martakert region.
From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova) and staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden).
From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistant Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic).
The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered.
From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.
Photo: AFP
Francois Fillon is to be the conservative candidate in next year’s French presidential election after his rival Alain Juppe admitted defeat, the BBC reports.
With virtually all the results counted, Mr Fillon won Sunday’s run-off with nearly 67% of the vote.
Mr Fillon promised to build a fairer society, saying France wants “truth and it wants action”.
He is likely to face a Socialist candidate and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen in next April’s election.
Mr Juppe, the more moderate candidate, congratulated Mr Fillon on his “large victory” and pledged to support him in his bid to become president.
“The U.S. Government welcomes the agreement that was reached in June and September between the Armenian government and parliamentary political factions – with input from civil society representatives – on strengthening the integrity and credibility of the Armenian election process,” the U.S. Embassy in Armenia said in a statement.
The statement reads:
“We consider this agreement a meaningful step towards restoring public trust and accountability in Armenia’s electoral processes. Based on President Sargsyan’s pledge in December 2015, we take seriously the Armenian government’s commitment that the parliamentary elections of 2017 will be “conducted in the atmosphere of greater trust, so that results of the election are not doubted by either political parties, or citizens.”
To help make this public commitment to credible elections a reality, the United States is pleased to join – along with the European Union, the UK, and Germany – in providing financial support to the new voting processes and equipment provided for in the June 17 and September 9 agreements, so that these processes and equipment are in place for the spring 2017 parliamentary elections. With our fellow international donors, all of whom are working in partnership with the United Nations Mission to Armenia, the U.S. Embassy will help fund the efforts of the Armenian government, political opposition, and civil society to strengthen trust in the Armenian electoral process via same-day voter authentication and the publication of signed voter lists after the elections, all as agreed in the June and September agreements.
We join in this effort understanding that no single new electoral mechanism will completely do away with electoral fraud, however. It is a matter of political will. Fundamentally, the burden is on the government and its constituent institutions – the Central Election Commission, law enforcement bodies, and the judiciary – to foster a markedly different approach to electiofns; to ensure the Armenian people’s free expression of choice at the voting booth; and to safeguard the essential, unfettered work of domestic and international election observers and media both on election day and afterwards. A free and fair election also requires responsible civic engagement in the election process, along with engaged electoral observation, from the Armenian opposition, civil society, and all citizens regardless of their political views.
The U.S. Embassy agrees with President Sargsyan’s assessment that the “forthcoming elections will shape the future” of the Armenian state. The United States was the first country to recognize Armenia’s independence in 1991, and our two countries have been friends and partners for 25 years. We remain strongly committed to being a part of Armenia’s ongoing democratic growth and in helping it become the independent, secure, and prosperous nation its people deserve. Free, unfettered, and credible elections are an absolutely indispensable component of the path towards achieving this goal.”
On the anniversary of the murder of Tahir Elci, Friends of Hrant demanded justice for the Kurdish lawyer, reports.
“The first step in the investigation on Dink murder was taken 9 years after the murder. We shouldn’t let something like this happen in investigation on Tahir Elçi murder,” the group said.
Jaklin Celik read the press statement on behalf of Friends of Hrant and reminded that Diyarbakir Bar Association Chair and human rights defender Tahir Elci was murdered a year ago: “There are many similarities between the murders of these two peace envoys, these two doves. The state has been trying to conceal both of these murders.”
Here is the statement of Friends of Hrant:
“We gathered here for another hearing of Dink murder case exactly one year after the murder of dear Tahir Elci. There are many similarities between the murders of these two peace envoys, these two doves. The state has been trying to conceal both of these murders.
Dink murder remained concealed for many years, though the evidence was staring in our face. They wanted to conceal the murder and abuse it for their political interests. This is still true. The public officials who have a hand in this crime started to stand trial 9 years after the murder. However, we know that the instigators haven’t been punished as they deserve. Just like Hrant Dink, Tahir Elci was also targeted by the dark forces of this country, which always manage to remain in power. He was shot to death in Diyarbakir that he loved very much; just like Hrant Dink was shot to death in front of Agos. They want to conceal the murder of Tahir Elci as well. Though it’s been a year since the murder, which was committed for all the world to see, still there is no suspect or concrete progress.
Here, some police chiefs will stand trial once again; they were so powerful once. Probably, they will try to put the blame on each other, just like they did in previous hearings. We will watch them. And we continue to demand justice until every one who had an hand in this murder is punished. The first step in the investigation on Dink murder was taken 9 years after the murder. We shouldn’t let something like this happen in investigation on Tahir Elci murder. We cannot let it happen.
We continue to call to account for these two doves of peace.
This case won’t be over, until we say it is over.”
On November 28th, 2016, 1 postage stamp dedicated to the theme “The Regional Commonwealth in the field of Communications. National cuisine” has been put into circulation.
The postage stamp has been cancelled by the President of “Development and preservation of Armenian culinary traditions” organization Sedrak Mamulyan and the Acting Chief Executive Officer of “HayPost” CJSC Haik Avagyan.
The postage stamp with nominal value of 170 AMD has been printed in “Cartor” printing house in France.
The postage stamp depicts an old Armenian traditional festive dish “Telbats Koubati”, which consists of fish with vegetables baked in puff pastry.
Date of issue: November 28, 2016
Designer: Vahagn Mkrtchyan
Printing house: Cartor, France
Size: 30,0 x 40,0 mm
Print run: 60 000
“New history lessons adopted by the California Board of Education this year may especially resonate with Fresno students and families,” Mackenzie Mays writes in an article published by .
Schools are now required to teach about the Armenian genocide – an important history in the Fresno area, which has a large Armenian American community. Teachers also are to provide information on the “unprecedented American humanitarian response” to the genocide: relief efforts raised more than $117 million in the aftermath, saving more than 1 million refugees.
The new content, which is more inclusive and aims to teach students to think critically about historical events, is expected to show up in textbooks by 2018.
“Turkish authorities first arrested hundreds of Armenian intellectuals who eventually were killed. The remaining Armenians were ordered onto death marches into the Syrian desert, during which they were subjected to rape, torture, mutilation, starvation, holocausts in desert caves, kidnapping and forced Turkification and Islamization,” reads the curriculum framework for California’s 10th-graders.
“The Armenian genocide has been ignored in history textbooks,” said Barlow Der Mugrdechian, director of Fresno State’s Center for Armenian Studies. “I know several local teachers who have already been providing materials on it, but it’s absolutely essential for all teachers. It brings to light an example of how government can choose to go down a path toward genocide and what conditions allow that to happen.”
Der Mugrdechian pointed to Adolf Hitler’s quote before invading Poland, in which he asked who remembered the annihilation of the Armenians – leading many to believe that it encouraged him to proceed with plans to kill millions of Jews.
That alone “is a clear statement about the necessity to remember history,” Mugrdechian said.
Fresno Unified school board member Brooke Ashjian’s great-grandmother survived the Armenian genocide. He says contributions made by Armenian Americans have shaped the city and beyond, pointing to famous writer and Fresno native William Saroyan.
“It’s a valuable lesson because it’s something you don’t want to repeat,” Ashjian said of the Armenian genocide. “Armenian people are resilient.”
“Armenia and Russia are linked not only by long-term allied relations, but also centuries-old friendship and brotherly relations between the two peoples,” Armenia’s Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan said in an interview with ahead of his official to Russia November 27-30.
Vigen Sargsyan will hold talks with his Russian counterpart, Army General Sergey Shioygu. The two Ministers are expected to sign an agreement on Joint Group of Forces and the plan of cooperation for 2017.
The Armenian DM said “the group was actually created long ago.” “Since 2000 we have been celebrating the day of creation of the Joint Group of Forces on September 27. The agreement on joint planning of the use of troops (forces) for ensuring collective security signed in Sochi 16 years ago served as a basis for it. The document envisaged creation of a group, and this was done in line with joint directives of our General Staffs,” Minister Sargsyan said.
As for the Armenian-Russian agreement on Joint Group of Forces, it will come to reinforce the legal ground for the group’s activity on the inter-state level. Besides, he said, the agreement will outline the goals, tasks, composition and organization of cooperation and the system of management, the financial-technical support.
“The main task of the Joint Group of Forces is the timely revealing of preparation of an armed attack (aggression) against Armenia and Russia and the rebuffing of it through cooperation between Armenia and Russia, as well as in collaboration with other troops, armed formations and structures,” he said.
On November 27, the XVI Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie being held in Antananarivo adopted Final Resolution on the Settlement of Crisis Situations and Enhancement of Peace. On Armenia’s initiative, the full support of the member states of the Organization to the efforts being exerted by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict was enshrined in that document.
“We urge all the parties to the conflict to refrain from the threat or use of force, which can undermine the peaceful settlement process, to continue negotiations on the basis of proposals presented by the Minsk Group Co-Chairs as an integrated whole, particularly, non-use of force or threat of use of force, territorial integrity and the equal rights and self-determination of peoples,” reads the Final Resolution of the XVI Summit of the International Organization of La Francophonie.
President Serzh Sargsyan sent today a letter of condolences to the President of the Council of State and the Council of Ministers of Cuba Raúl Castro Ruz on the occasion of the death of his brother Fidel Castro Ruz, extending condolences and solidarity to him and the friendly people of Cuba.
“The role and significance of Fidel Castro in the modern history of Cuba is, indeed, hard to overestimate. This is bereavement for the people of Cuba who sincerely loved and respected him. Remaining faithful to his ideologies and principles until the end and preserving the brave and noble qualities, Fidel Castro will continue inspiring and guiding the new generations of Cuba”, reads the letter of condolences of the President of Armenia.