Category: News

On the sidelines of the Ministerial Conference of the International Organisation of la Francophonie being held in the capital of Madagascar, on November 23, Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia, met with Michaëlle Jean, Secretary-General of the International Organisation of la Francophonie (OIF).

During the meeting, the sides touched upon the outcomes of the OIF Ministerial Conference held in Yerevan last year. Within this context Michaëlle Jean mentioned that she recalls with warmth her visit to Armenia and the high level of organization of the Conference.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia and the OIF Secretary-General discussed steps being taken towards strengthening of the Organization and enhancing its reputation.

The interlocutors exchanged views on the preparatory works of the Ministerial Conference and the upcoming OIF summit.

Photo: EPA

 

An Iraqi paramilitary force says it has seized a key road west of Mosul, effectively encircling the city controlled by so-called Islamic State, the BBC reports.

The Popular Mobilisation (Hashd al-Shaabi) declared it had taken control of the road between Tal Afar and Sinjar after linking up with Kurdish forces.

IS militants still control the section of the road between Tal Afar and Mosul.

Meanwhile, an air strike reportedly hit another bridge in Mosul, as troops advanced further into eastern areas.

There is now only one functioning bridge left spanning the River Tigris, which flows through the city.

About 50,000 Iraqi security forces personnel, Kurdish fighters, Sunni Arab tribesmen and Shia militiamen are involved in the five-week-old offensive to drive IS militants out of their last major urban stronghold in the country.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Archaeologists in Egypt have unearthed what they describe as a city that dates back more than 5,000 years, containing houses, tools, pottery and huge graves, the BBC reports.

It lies by the river Nile, close to the Temple of Seti the First in Abydos.

Experts say the size of the 15 newly discovered graves indicates the high social standing of those buried.

It is believed the city was home to important officials and tomb builders and would have flourished during early-era ancient Egyptian times.

Experts say the find could be a boost for Egypt’s struggling tourism industry which has been in the doldrums since President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown in 2011.

Archaeologists have made a range of finds in the newly-discovered city including buildings, shards of pottery and tools.

Spanish prosecutors have called for Barcelona forward Neymar to be sent to prison for two years for his part in a corruption case over his transfer from Brazilian club Santos in 2013, the reports.

Judge Jose Perals also called for a five-year sentence for former Barcelona president Sandro Rosell and a fine of 8.4million euros for the club.

It asked to drop charges against current president Josep Maria Bartomeu.

Rosell, Neymar and his father are set to stand trial.

The case stems from a complaint by Brazilian investment group DIS, which owned 40% of Neymar’s transfer rights and alleges it received less money than it was entitled to from transfer fee.

Rosell resigned as the club’s president in 2014 for his role in the affair and testified in court in February alongside Bartomeu, Neymar and Neymar’s father.

The club struck a deal with prosecutors in June to settle a separate case, paid a £4.7m fine and avoided trial on charges of tax evasion over the transfer.

Barcelona thought they had brought the affair to a close when judge Jose de la Mata archived the case in June, although Spain’s public prosecutor successfully overturned the ruling in September, allowing the case to proceed.

Since moving to the Nou Camp, the 24-year-old has won two La Liga titles, two Copa del Rey trophies, the Champions League, the European Super Cup, the Spanish Super Cup and the Club World Cup.

He signed a new five-year contract with Barcelona in October.

By Harut Sassounia
The Califria Courier

Professor Taner Akcam struck a major blow to Turkish denials of the Armenian Genocide in a highly informative lecture at Ararat-Eskijian Museum-Sheen Chapel in Mission Hills, California, on November 20. Akcam, a Turkish scholar, is holder of the Robert Aram & Marianne Kalousdian, and Stephen & Marion Mugar Chair in Armenian Genocide Studies at Clark University.

In his recently published book, The Memoirs of Naim Bey and Talat Pasha’s Telegrams, Professor Akcam laid to rest persistent Turkish denials of Naim Bey’s existence and authenticity of the telegrams he sold to Aram Andonian, who published them in his book, “Meds Vojire” (The Great Crime), in the early 1920’s in English, French, and Armenian. Andonian, a genocide survivor, first met Naim Bey, an Ottoman official, in the concentration camp of Meskene, Turkey, in 1916, and later in Aleppo, Syria, in 1918.

In a crucial telegram dated September 22, 1915, Interior Minister Talat gave “the order that all of the Armenians’ rights on Turkish soil, such as the right to live and work, have been eliminated, and not one is to be left [alive] — not even the infant in the cradle; the government accepts all responsibility for this.”

In another cable sent to the Provincial Governor of Aleppo on September 29, 1915, Talat wrote: It “was previously reported that the decision to eliminate and annihilate all Armenians present in Turkey had been taken by the government, on orders of the Committee [of Union and Progress]… regardless of how horrible the annihilation measures, and without giving in to the pangs of conscience, an end will be put to their existence, be they women, children, or invalids.”

In 1983, the Turkish Historical Society published a book by Sinasi Orel and Sureyya Yuca, claiming that Talat’s telegrams published by Andonian were forgeries and that Naim Bey never existed. Orel and Yuca raised 12 arguments as to why they believed that these documents were fake. Although Dr. Vahakn Dadrian had published a detailed rebuttal to Orel and Yuca in 1986, some scholars remained doubtful of the materials included in Andonian’s book.

After a lengthy and painstaking research based on Ottoman archives made available in recent years, Professor Akcam was able to prove conclusively that Orel and Yuca’s accusations were wrong and baseless. In his newly-published Turkish-language book and November 20 lecture, Akcam asserted:

1) There was in fact a Turkish civil servant by the name of Naim Bey. Original Ottoman records confirm his existence. In fact, Volume 7 of the Turkish Military Archive published in 2007, contains a document that describes him as: “Naim Effendi, son of Huseyin Nuri Effendi, age 26, from Silifke, married, former dispatch officer at Meskene, currently employed as grain storehouse officer of the municipality (November 14-15, 1916).” Akcam confirmed that there are three other Ottoman records with Naim’s name; two of them are in the Boghos Noubar Library in Paris.

2) Akcam announced that he had in his possession a copy of the original memoirs of Naim Bey, handwritten in Ottoman Turkish. He found the memoirs in the archives of noted researcher Father Krikor Guerguerian who had photographed Naim Bey’s 35-page manuscript while visiting the Boghos Noubar Pasha Library in 1950. The original has since disappeared from the library.

3) The names of individuals and events Naim Bey had described in his memoirs are corroborated by materials Akcam recently obtained from the Ottoman archives.

4) Akcam was able to confirm that Orel and Yuca’s main arguments about various aspects of Talat’s telegrams, including the type of paper used and coding techniques, were incorrect.

In his scholarly quest to prove that Talat’s telegrams included in Andonian’s book are authentic, and debunk Turkish claims that they are forged, Akcam has made a much more significant revelation. Talat’s September 22, 1915 telegram confirms that Turkish leaders had ordered the wholesale massacre of all Armenian men, women, and children, and not simply their deportation as Turkish denialists have falsely claimed for over a century. By authenticating these telegrams, Dr. Akcam has shown that Talat had a murderous INTENT — a crucial element in qualifying the Armenian mass killings as genocide, according to the UN Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide.

Giuseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD) and Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Armenia visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today.

The guests laid flowers at the Eternal Fire and paid tribute to the memory of the victims with a minute of silence.

The co-rapporteurs visited the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and familiarized with documents proving the Armenian Genocide.

Alan Meale noted that the atrocities and genocide committed against Armenians by Turks should be condemned by everyone. “Governments should recognize what has happened in reality. People must be informed, genocide should be taught at schools and everything should be done to prevent their reoccurrence,” he said.

According to Giuseppe Galati, the Council of Europe has been doing a huge work towards clarification and stabilization of relations between countries of different beliefs to avoid such tragedies.

His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; attended a concert honoring the 70th birthday of Patriarch Kirill of Moscow and All Russia. The concert was held in the evening at the Christ the Savior Cathedral in Moscow, on 22 November.

The event was attended by Mr. Vladimir Putin, President of the Russian Federation; Mr. Alexander Lukashenko, President of the Republic of Belarus; Russian Prime Minister Mr. Dmitry Medvedev; pontiffs and delegations of various Christian churches; representatives of other religions; high-ranking clergymen and members of the Russian Church Synod; diplomats; heads of state institutions, public and charitable organizations; science and culture figures.

A reception was held following the concert, during which the Catholicos of All Armenians conveyed his congratulatory message to the Patriarch of Moscow and All Russia.

On behalf of the Armenian Apostolic Holy Church, Karekin II, Catholicos of All Armenians congratulated Patriarch Kirill on the occasion of his 70th birthday and stated in part: “We know You as a faithful and loyal servant of Christ and His Church. You were called to serve the Holy Church of Christ during the Soviet years, when faith was persecuted throughout the Soviet Union, and the Church and clergy were subjected to various pressures. During the difficult times of atheism, with growing zeal, You ministered to the vibrancy of the Russian Orthodox Church. You offered sincere efforts to the strengthening of the spiritual life of the faithful, implementing responsible long-term enhanced service in the ecumenical and educational fields, attaching great importance to the preparation of a new generation of priests and as well as the promotion of dialogue between the Churches.

You vigorously continued activities for the strengthening and progression of the spiritual life of the faithful of your flock, being called to greater service. All of us today are witnessing the vibrancy of the Russian Orthodox Church. You also made significant contributions in the ecumenical sphere, supporting the preservation of Christian values, the protection of the rights of Christians and the effectiveness of inter-religious relations.

… Dear Brother in Christ, we are happy to recall your visit to Armenia and the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin. Our meetings and mutual visits were characterized by friendship and goodwill, through which are crowned the centuries-old brotherhood and relations between our people. We are pleased to confirm that during Your Pontificate, the fraternal ties and cooperation between the Churches and the faithful have strengthened, for which we today offer a prayer of thanksgiving to the Almighty. We are confident that the same spirit of friendship will continue to reign in the relationship of our churches, and with understanding, love and mutual respect, record new results in the Christian mission, “To walk in a manner worthy of the Lord, full pleasing him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God” (Colossians 1:9–10).”

His Holiness also expressed his gratitude to Patriarch Kirill for the Paternal attitude shown towards the Armenian Church dioceses in Russia , and as well as for the continuous mediating mission of the Russian Orthodox Church towards the peaceful settlement of the conflict in Artsakh (Nagorno Karabakh), and for organizing trilateral meetings with the Spiritual Head of Azerbaijan and the Armenian Catholicos.

The Catholicos of All Armenians offered a prayer to the Lord, asking that the spirit of love, fraternity, and cooperation yield good results, and continue to embellish the friendship of the Russian Orthodox and Armenian Apostolic Churches.

At the conclusion of his remarks, His Holiness wished Patriarch Kirill good health and boundless energy, asking God to always be supportive to him; to enrich the years of pontificate with more success and achievements, for the glory of God and vibrancy of the Russian Orthodox Church.

Photo: AP

 

Donald Trump has named South Carolina Governor Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the UN, the BBC reports.

She is the first non-white female cabinet-level official appointed within the Trump administration.

Mrs Haley is the daughter of Indian immigrants and had been a vocal critic of Mr Trump on the campaign trail.

The 44-year-old has been characterised as a rising star within the Republican party and is the youngest governor in the US.

Although she eventually voted for Mr Trump, the governor had lamented she was “not a fan” of either him or rival Hillary Clinton.

A maiden shipment has arrived in Iran from Germany via a multimodal transit route connecting Iran to Europe via the Black Sea, secretary of International Transport Association of Iran, Gholamhossein Amiri, announced, the reports.

Plans are underway for the route to replace the one passing through Turkey.

“Two cargo containers have entered Iran from the Armenian border,” Amiri was quoted as saying by Mehr News Agency.

“The containers were shipped from Hamburg in a relatively shorter journey compared to the Turkish route.”

Amiri did not mention the exact date of the arrival.

“In the past couple of years, we have had problems on the Turkish side of the border regarding transportation of cargo from Europe. This prompted us to start negotiations with several other countries for alternative routes,” he said.

Tehran and Ankara have been grappling with a longstanding transit dispute, arising from different fuel prices in the two neighboring countries. The issue led the government to take measures, such as charging Turkish trucks a fee to compensate the considerably low fuel prices in Iran to sealing the Turkish trucks’ fuel tanks at the Bazargan-Dogubayazit border crossing.

The common border has frequently been the scene of traffic congestion with transit trucks queuing at the border in lines reaching 15 kilometers at times.

Agreements signed by the neighboring countries’ customs officials have done little to help solve the problem.

Border security is another issue hindering transit via Turkey. While on Turkish soil, several Iranian trucks have been the target of arson attacks, which Ankara blamed on armed forces affiliated to Kurdistan Workers’ Party.

The Iranian government demanded Ankara guarantee the safety of Iranian trucks, but the results were found to be unsatisfactory, which led to lack of confidence in Turkey’s ability to stem the violence. Consequently, Iran’s Ministry of Roads and Urban Development advised companies shipping to Europe to avoid routes passing through Turkey.

The ministry advised truck drivers to take two alternative routes: one through Azerbaijan, Russia and Belarus; and another through Armenia, Georgia, the Black Sea and then into Romania or Bulgaria.

“The cost of cargo transportation via the [new] route was 1-2% lower [compared to the Turkish route],” Amiri said.

Recent negotiations with Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, Bulgaria, Italy and Greece have centered around a transit corridor involving Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia, the Black Sea, Bulgaria, Greece and Italy. According to Amiri, an agreement has been signed by Iran, Armenia and Georgia regarding implementation of the corridor.

Trucks are shipped by roll-on/roll-off ships from Georgia to Bulgaria across the Black Sea. The same method can also be used for trucks shipping goods from Greece’s southern ports to Italy using the Mediterranean Sea.

Cross-stones have been recovered from the bottom of Lake Van, reports.

The FIVA company, which cleans the bottom of the lake, has found two stones with a cross inscribes and two stone blocks and wooden pieces.

The company has kept relevant bodies informed, but there has been no response so far. “I think there are more stones like this in the bottom of the lake,” company official Ayhan Disari has said.