Category: News

Minsk Group Co-Chairs to meet with Armenian, Azerbaijani FMs in December

Chatinian Lara

The  Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have issued the following statement:

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region from 23 to 25 October 2016.

‪The Co-Chairs met with the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenia’s newly appointed Defence Minister, and de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh. The purpose of the Co-Chairs’ visit was to discuss the situation after the unprecedented violence last April, and to clarify positions on the negotiation process.

‪During the meetings, the sides confirmed that the situation on the ground remains relatively calm.  The Co-Chairs underscored that respect for the ceasefire provides a critical foundation for ongoing negotiations, and stressed the importance of fully implementing decisions taken in Vienna and St. Petersburg.

‪The Co-Chairs also discussed current working proposals to advance substantive negotiations towards a lasting peace. The Presidents each expressed their views on how to move the settlement process forward.  The Presidents also reaffirmed their agreement to expand the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, and operational details are still being discussed.

‪The Co-Chairs plan to meet with the Ministers including on the margins of the December 2016 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg to discuss a possible meeting of the Presidents at the earliest opportunity.  Such a dialogue at the highest level is necessary to make progress towards a settlement.

‪While in the region, the Co-Chairs also met with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to discuss the work the organization has undertaken on the exchange of data on missing persons, a humanitarian measure which the Co-Chairs have fully supported in meetings with officials at all levels.

Argentina’s capital hosts “Buenos Aires celebrates Armenia” festival

Maral Takmazian

 – Thousands of people attended the festival Buenos Aires Celebrates Armenia organized by the government of the City of Buenos Aires and the Armenian community in Argentina, with shows that included Armenian dances and music, food stands and artistic and cultural events.

The singer Grigor Mirzoyan was the main attraction of the show, which was then accompanied by the Argentine-Armenian band Nor Arax, the violinist Aida Simonian and singers Valeria Cherekian and Arman Gasparyan. The Armenian folk dances groups Nairi, Masis, Kaiane and Narek interpreted the songs with traditional Armenian dances.

The event in an outdoor park was attended by the Secretary for Human Rights and Cultural Pluralism of the Nation Claudio Avruj, President of National Bank Carlos Melconian, Archbishop Kissag Mouradian, Primate of the Armenian Apostolic Church for Argentina and Chile and the Consul of Armenia in Argentina, Ester Mkrtumyanalong with officials, leaders of the Armenian community in the country, scout groups and representatives of the community schools.

The “Buenos Aires Celebrates” program was created in 2009 to organize thematic festivals of all communities of Argentina.

Pro-Turkey deniers trying to undermine Armenian Genocide film “The Promise”

Ekmekjian Janet

Users of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) are voting politically on The Promise without having seen it, writes.

The Terry George-directed film stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac and is set during the final days of the Ottoman Empire, leading up to the Armenian Genocide that killed 1.5 million.

Despite having been screened to the public three times only, The Promise now has 86,704 ratings on , 55,126 of which are one-star and 30,639 of which are 10-star, with very few ratings falling anywhere in between. The majority of votes come from males outside the US.

It is IMDb’s policy not to interfere with user ratings, but many have called for the database to step in following the tide of negative ratings.

According to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), pro-Turkey Armenian Genocide deniers have begun efforts to undermine the film, urging negative reviews and ratings on popular movie sites including IMDB, where over 80,000 ratings have been logged, most from outside Canada – the only venue where the film has been shown.

Armenian American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s Armenian Genocide-era epic The Promise premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 11th to wide acclaim.

Malaga recognizes the Armenian Genocide

Ani Kharatian

The City Council of the Spanish City of Malaga has unanimously adopted a statement, officially recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

The statement describes the events at the turn of the century as a crime against humanity, which resulted in the creation of the Armenian Diaspora.

The Malaga City Council has expressed its support for world-spread Armenians. It has also noted that a cross stone dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims will be erected in Malaga’s Central Park in the near future.

Turkey’s post-coup emergency rule led to torture, abuse: Human Rights Watch

Chatinian Lara

Turkish police have tortured and otherwise ill-treated individuals in their custody after emergency decrees removed crucial safeguards in the wake of a failed coup attempt in July, 2016, said in a report released today.

The 43-page report, “,” documents how the weakening of safeguards through decrees adopted under the state of emergency has negatively affected police detention conditions and the rights of detainees. It details 13 cases of alleged abuse, including stress positions, sleep deprivation, severe beatings, sexual abuse, and rape threats, since the coup attempt.

“By removing safeguards against torture, the Turkish government effectively wrote a blank check to law enforcement agencies to torture and mistreat detainees as they like,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The cases we have documented seem to indicate that some have done just that. Turkey’s government should reinstate these crucial safeguards now.”

A provision in the emergency decrees absolves government officials of any responsibility for actions taken in the context of the decrees. And the authorities’ decision to postpone a visit to Turkey by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture casts serious doubt on the authorities’ commitment to prevent torture and ill-treatment.

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 40 lawyers, human rights activists, former detainees, medical personnel, and forensic specialists.

At least 241 police officers and citizens died and up to 2,000 were injured when elements of the military attempted a coup d’état against the elected government on July 15-16. Human Rights Watch interviewed several people injured while resisting the coup.

Four killed on Australian theme park ride

Christine Harutyunian 
PHOTO: ABC/AP

 

Two men and two women have been killed on a ride at a theme park on Australia’s east coast, the BBC reports.

Two victims were thrown from a raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld on Queensland’s Gold Coast, while two others were trapped inside, officials said.

The park in Coomera has been closed and an investigation is under way.

Dreamworld bills itself as Australia’s biggest theme park with more than 50 rides and attractions.

The Thunder River Rapids ride whisks visitors in circular rafts along a fast-moving artificial river. Dreamworld describes it as a “moderate thrill” attraction.

Queensland Ambulance spokesman Gavin Fuller blamed a “malfunction” for the accident.

The victims have not been named but are reported to be two women aged 32 and 42 and two men aged 38 and 35.

Co-Chairs hope for a meeting between Presidents of Armenia, Azerbaijan: Warlick

Nahapetian Samvel

US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick hopes the Presidents of Armenia will meet to continue discussions on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Ambassador Warlick outlined the objectives of the mediators’ visit to the region.

“First, we’re glad that the ceasefire has been generally observed since the outbreak of large-scale military actions in April, but there have been casualties. Even one casualty is too much, and we want to talk to the parties about the casualties and the tension along the line of contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” Warlick said.

Second, he said, the mediators aim to follow up on the implementation of the decisions made during the summit meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg. “Third, our mission as mediators is to work towards lasting peace that the people of the region deserve. I hope the dialogue will continue on the highest level. We do hope the Presidents will meet to continue the discussions,” the US diplomat said.

Amb. Warlick said the Helsinki Final Act is acceptable to all parties and the future peace deal will be based on three principles – the right of peoples to self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force or the threat of force.

Spekaing about the outcomes of the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, Warlick said an important decision was to expand the OSCE observer mission under the direction of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Speaking about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement on provision of autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh, James Warlick said the “the issue of status should be a subject of full and frank discussion not only privately between the Presidents, but also the peoples.” “Positions of the parties may differ, but the issue should be put on discussion. We welcome President Aliyev’s statement not because it is the last word, but because he put the issue up for a discussion,” Warlick said.

Asked whether it was possible for the people of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan to live peacefully side-by-side, the Co-Chair said: “It’s my dream and the dream of the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan that both parties live side-by side in peace and security as they once did. We want to redouble our efforts to bring a comprehensive settlement acceptable to both parties. Supporting people-to-people contacts is an important element of our work.”

Referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement that there are no conditions for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict at this point, Amb. Warlick said “Secretary Kerry is committed to bringing a negotiated settlement.”

“The US together with the other co-chairs is committed to move forward on the path of negotiations. We believe there is an opportunity. There are proposals on the table we can work on, and we want to see political will from the Presidents to commit themselves to moving forward.”

“All elements of a comprehensive settlement must be on the table and under discussion. No side should chose the elements more convenient to it. There must be a frank discussion on all elements, including the status of Karabakh, the return of refugees and IDPs, the format of an international peacekeeping mission, etc,” James Warlick said. “Nothing is settled, until everything is settled,” he added.

The US Co-Chair attached importance to the expansion of Amb. Kasprzyk’s mission. “Ideally, the agreement reached at the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg would have been in place by now. One of the purposes of our visit is to talk about the issue. I’m confident we’ll reach the expansion of Kasprzyk’s mission after 20 years, and it will be an important step in the right direction.”

Amb. Warlick said “the most effective way to move forward is for the Presidents to commit themselves to negotiations that will bring a comprehensive settlement. We want to the Presidents to talk to each other, we want political will from the sides to move forward. We’ll help the Presidents to find an early opportunity to meet.”

“Our mission is to facilitate discussions between the Presidents that can lead to a settlement. We cannot do it ourselves. We need goodwill from the Presidents,” James Warlick added.

“I’m absolutely convinced that both Presidents are fully committed to a peaceful settlement, neither side wants war, because they know the high price that will be paid by renewed conflict. We saw it in April and we do not want to see it again. There is no date set for the next meeting, but we are willing to facilitate a meeting whenever needed,” he stated.

“We are there to facilitate and mediate, to put good ideas on the table, but it’s up to the Presidents to decide. There can be no peace imposed on the parties,” the US Co-Chair said.

He said there are no new ideas on the table. “Many of the ideas have been under discussion for years,” James Warlick concluded.

Chris Bohjalian: Putting a face on the refugee crisis

Toneyan Mark

By Chris Bohjalian

For most of America, the heartbreaking faces of Syrian refugees this year have belonged to children. We have seen them drowned and we have seen them stunned into silence by warfare and covered in blood. (We’ve also seen them likened to Skittles, but that appalling analogy belongs only to the Trumps.)

At the moment, however, when I put a real face on the refugee crisis I see a balding 50-year-old man with gentle green eyes and a salt and pepper mustache. I met him on the second to last day in August in Ishkhanadzor, a modest village in Nagorno-Karabakh, the fledgling Armenian republic in the Caucasus that is still struggling for recognition. Ishkhanadzor is about 15 miles north of the Araxes River and the border with Iran. Among the town’s 360 residents is one physician, Haig Khatchadourian, a soft-spoken neuropathologist who now works as a general practitioner in the village’s seven-room clinic. He is also a refugee.

In the summer of 2014, ISIS fighters from Tunisia, Libya, and Iraq came to his summer home in Tal Hmedy, a town in northeastern Syria, and took him by force to their administrative building and court. Khatchadourian does not recall the date, but he remembers it was two in the afternoon and his three daughters — all between 12 and 14 years old then — were present. He told the girls that if he did not return home that night, they should take the bus to their relatives in the city of Al-Qamishli. At the court, ISIS administrators demanded that he renounce his Christianity, telling him that he would be brought to the center of the village and executed if he didn’t.

“I expected to be beheaded,” he told me as we chatted together in the shade from a small copse of trees outside his apartment in Ishkhanadzor. “I refused to convert. I was prepared to die a Christian because life has no meaning if you give up your faith.”

After four hours before the court, however, the ISIS tribunal released him. He has absolutely no idea why and they never gave him a reason. Two days earlier he had witnessed ISIS fighters executing a Muslim in the village center for saying something negative about the prophet Muhammad. The man’s executioner was his own nephew.

At the time, Khatchadourian and his three daughters were dividing their time between their primary residence in Al-Qamishli and Tal Hmedy. Al-Qamishli technically was never under ISIS control and the doctor and his family could have remained there. But the Syrian conflict was all around them and Khatchadourian feared everyday for the safety of his daughters — and lived with the prospect that he might not be alive to raise them.

And so in 2015 he and his girls emigrated north to Nagorno-Karabakh, a mountainous, Armenian-populated enclave lodged between Iran, Azerbaijan, and Armenia. In the village and the surrounding area, they joined 200 other Syrian and Lebanese Armenian refugees. He says he and his family are very happy here: “We like that we are surrounded by Armenians. And we like that everyone here has recognized us as human beings.”

Here in the United States, of course, “refugee” and “immigrant” are frightening words in some people’s opinion. This is especially true if the refugees are from Syria. So far, the U.S. has welcomed roughly 12,000 Syrian refugees, a number that has made barely a dent into the crisis brought on by the Syrian civil war and the rise of ISIS. To put this in perspective, Canada has taken in over 50,000 refugees, Germany has welcomed 600,000, and even tiny Belgium has accepted 16,000. And then, of course, there are the Middle Eastern countries that have taken in quite literally millions, including Lebanon, which is home to well over 1.25 million Syrian refugees.

I have met refugee children from Syria in schools in Lebanon, Armenia, and Canada, and their resilience and good cheer has left me awed.

The reality is that I am the grandson of survivors of the Armenian Genocide, which means that I am a grandson of immigrants from the Middle East. In the wake of the Hamidian Massacre in the 1890s and then the Ottoman Empire’s slaughter of 1.5 million of my ancestors during the First World War, the U.S. welcomed easily 75,000 Armenian immigrants. It’s why today there are such large Armenian-American communities in Massachusetts, New Jersey and California.

And so when I travel to places such as Ishkhanadzor, I’m ashamed of the way the U.S. has turned “refugee” and “immigrant” into synonyms for “terrorist.” (Even here in Vermont, the mayor of Rutland has been pilloried because he is bringing 100 refugees to his municipality.) It’s not merely that we are a nation of immigrants or that the bedrock of our national identity is our historical willingness to welcome the tired and homeless and poor, those “huddled masses yearning to breathe free” (thank you, Emma Lazarus). It’s that we have the resources that a struggling, largely unrecognized republic such as Nagorno-Karabakh can only dream of. The roads around Ishkhanadzor are dirt and have a diabolical predilection to flatten car tires. (On my journey there at the end of the summer, my small caravan of three SUVs suffered two flats in a morning.) Khatchadourian’s clinic only has hot water sporadically, because the boiler is an antique. Likewise, there are hours (and days) when it is without electricity.

But he insists he has found happiness there that he never had in Syria. “Everyone here is my daughters’ friend — and mine,” he said. “We are part of the community.”

I realize that a refugee such as Khatchadourian is less threatening to some Americans because he’s a Christian, not a Muslim. But like all refugees he is – as he put it when we spoke in the shade of those trees – first and foremost a human being. And that’s a reality that Americans should come to embrace.