Category: News

Hollywood producer Ralph Winter is encouraging Christians to watch the Armenian genocide film “The Promise” because it highlights the persecution that is still happening across the globe today.

Winter, a devout Christian who has worked on Hollywood mega-blockbusters such as 1984’s “Star Trek: The Search for Spock” and the “X-Men” franchise, says that he got involved with the film because he was captivated by the love story after he read the screenplay.

The Hollywood producer has been vocal about his Christian faith, and he was also behind several faith-based films, including “Three,” “House,” and “Left Behind.”

He said that “The Promise” is an important story for the faith community because of its emphasis on persecution.

“It’s about persecution, and it’s persecution that hasn’t gone away and is still happening today,” Winter said in an interview with .

“In the 20th century, this genocide of a million and a half people in Armenia is the most modern indicator that if we don’t learn our lesson, if we don’t pay attention, if we don’t fight back against this, it’s just going to continue to happen,” he added.

Winter, whose birthday coincides with the day that commemorates the genocide, said that he had participated in genocide rallies in Hollywood and Los Angeles. He is hoping that the film would help the Armenians “get the recognition they deserve.”

Directed by Terry George, “The Promise” stars Christian Bale, Oscar Isaac, and Charlotte Le Bon. The film is scheduled to hit the theaters across the U.S. on April 21.

 

Supervisor Kathryn Barger and the Board of Supervisors marked the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide by proclaiming a Day of Remembrance for one of the darkest chapters in human history, reports.

“The month of April and the celebration of the Armenian culture culminates in our Day of Remembrance, a day where we mourn, remember, and rejoice in the rebirth of a resilient people,” said Supervisor Barger.

Earlier this month, Supervisors Barger and Hahn introduced a motion proclaiming April as “Armenian History Month” in Los Angeles County – the home to the largest population of Armenians in the United States. The Armenian community continues to enrich the region through their leadership in the fields of business, agriculture, academia, medicine, government, and the arts.

Robert Avetisyan, Permanent Representative of the Republic of Artsakh to the US,  gave a lecture at the Florida International University.  Students and lecturers of the International Relations and Political Science Departments attended the event.

During the lecture, Robert Avetisyan briefed on the history of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the current situation in the settlement process as well as regional developments.

At the end of the meeting, the Artsakh Representative answered the questions of the lecturers and students related to the peaceful resolution of the conflict, the international recognition of Artsakh and the state-building process.

Congressman Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-N.J.) issued a on April 18, voicing his concern about the recent referendum in Turkey.

“I am deeply concerned that the results from the referendum in Turkey will move one of our most important allies even further away from democracy and towards authoritarian rule,” read a part of the statement, which also called on the United States government to work to preserve democratic institutions in Turkey and not “serve as a rubber stamp for strong handed tactics that moves Turkey further away from a free, fair and open government.”

Congressman Pallone’s statement can be read below.

The numerous reported voting irregularities also suggests that this narrow victory for the consolidation of executive power lacks legitimacy and does not represent the will of the Turkish people. With most of the free world viewing the results in Turkey with skepticism and concern, it is unfathomable that President Trump called to congratulate President Erdogan. The United States should work to preserve democratic institutions in Turkey and around the world, not serve as a rubber stamp for strong handed tactics that moves Turkey further away from a free, fair and open government.

French presidential candidate François Fillon pledges to commemorate April 24^th if elected. “It is important not to forget the thousands of victims,” he said in an interview with .

“The French of Armenian origin and the Armenian community of France constitute an example of integration, of success, of patriotism. Everyone loves France but all also have a bit of their heart in Armenia. With the law of January 29, 2001, France publicly acknowledged the Armenian genocide of 1915. By recognizing the existence of the first genocide of the twentieth century, the French Republic symbolically gave the Armenian drama a place in the collective memory of mankind,” he said.

“Turkey is very wrong not to look at its past. Every nation has its share of shadow and gains by recognizing it,” Fillon said.

“The French Republic has a duty to protect all its citizens, including our citizens who have found asylum, homeland and freedom in France. It is up to the justice of the Republic to act to ensure respect for its citizens. An important legislative work had to be carried out in order to draw all the legal consequences of this recognition, that is to say, the penalization of denial,” he said.

As for Turkey’s accession to the European Union, François Fillon said: “I have always been consistent. I have never changed my opinion: Turkey’s accession to the European Union is neither possible nor desirable. I regret that France and Europe do not have the courage to say it sincerely to the Turkish authorities.”

“There is no alternative to finding a peaceful and lasting solution to the Karabakh conflict,” François Fillon said.

“In April 2016, for six days, the Southern Caucasus once again flamed. Confirmed by international indifference, Azerbaijan tried to retake Nagorno-Karabakh by force. This murderous offensive ended with a precarious ceasefire. Today our French citizens of Armenian origin are worried and I am also worried because the Nagorno-Karabakh. Let us not forget that the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh is due to Stalin, who arbitrarily detached it from Armenia and gave to Azerbaijan in 1921. Now there is no choice but to find a Peaceful and lasting solution through the United Nations,” Fillon stated.

An Armenian textile exhibit is now on display at the Lynn Museum. Museum’s Executive Director Drew Russo describes it as symbolic of an important story, one that perhaps is even more powerful given the current turbulent circumstances both nationwide and throughout the world, according to .

This April 24 marks the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, a horrific event in which more than a million Armenians were killed and thousands more forcibly removed from their homeland during the reign of the Ottoman Empire in early 20th century Eastern Europe.

“The magnificent aspect of this display is that it represents the preservation of Armenian culture and traditions and how they were kept alive even after the genocide,” said Russo.

“It demonstrates the heroic efforts of those who were able to escape – how they made sure their traditions were preserved even after being forced to vacate their home,” he said.

The exhibit, entitled “Heartstrings: Embracing Armenian Needlelace, Embroidery and Rugs,” opened in February and is running through June at the museum. The show displays items from the collection of Mary Mooradian, which includes the work of former Lynn resident Abraham Megerdichian, who made “wonderful, artistic creations” using leftover scrap material brought home from his job at General Electric, according to Russo.

Just as Armenians worldwide commemorate the anniversary of the genocide in order to honor those lost, the Lynn exhibit will be further enhanced by the one-day appearance of a seldom-viewed and rare collection of Armenian inscribed rugs from the personal collection of Raffi Manjikian.

The Manjikian collection will be on display, Saturday, April 22, from 10 a.m. until noon.

“[The rugs] are devotional and memorial pieces with iconography that marks that period in history. They show the dates and names of people,” Manjikian explained. “As a person of Armenian descent, whose grandparents lost loved ones in the genocide, I belief objects like this that come into our hands have important stories to tell. So much can get lost in times of turmoil. We need to preserve what we can.”

Manjikian said this is a part of his collection that has not previously been showcased publicly.

“These are pieces I usually share only with close friends but Mary asked if I’d be willing to display them at this exhibit,” he said. “I’m an enthusiastic collector and I’m fortunate to have these items in my collection. It’s part of an immigrant story, really, and it reinforces the importance of highlighting and showcasing works from people of all cultures.”

Russo said the exhibit is a way of keeping memories and history alive – a powerful reminder to never forget.

“I think the exhibit has an important story to share, a story we need to be reminded of, especially at a time like this in our history,” he said. “There’s so much richness and hope yet so much tragedy wrapped up in the work [on display]. We’ve been fortunate to be able to work with Mary and Raffi to help bring this story to life.”

The Armenia Airline will start direct flights between Yerevan and Tel-Aviv under an agreement reached between the General Department of Civil Aviation of the Armenian Government and the relevant authorities of Israel.

The flights will be launched on May 17, 2017 and will be operated twice a week – on Thursdays and Sundays.

The Armenian side is confident the flights will have a positive impact on the development of tourism and economy.

The Azerbaijani side used firearms of different calibers as it violated the ceasefire about 55 times at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night, Artsakh Defense Army reports.

The rival fired over 760 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions. The Azeri forces used a hand-held anti-tank grenade launcher in the northern direction of the line of contact and sniper rifles all along the line of contact.

The front divisions of the Artsakh Defense Army keep the situation under control and confidently continue with their military duty.

French Presidential candidate Benoît Hamon says if elected he will continue to participate in events commemorating the Armenian Genocide so that “this genocide is never forgotten.”

“The genocide of the Armenians of 1915 is a major event in the history of the twentieth century, a trauma for the whole humanity and of course especially for the French of Armenian origin and therefore for France. If I am elected President of the Republic, I will of course continue to participate in this commemoration so that this genocide is never forgotten,” Hamon said in an interview with . He hopes to visit the Yerevan Genocide Memorial one day.

“The Armenian community of France has all my admiration because it is an exemplary model of integration. The French of Armenian origin have contributed greatly to France, in various fields. They have often shown their love for France,” he said.

“As regards the struggle for recognition of the Armenian genocide, the efforts of not only the French of Armenian origin but also many of our fellow citizens of all origins are admirable and legitimate. If France was one of the first countries to recognize the Armenian genocide in 2001, I also realize that today more than ever, we must go further. In the words of Jean Jaures, “humanity can no longer live with the corpse of a murdered people in its cellar” and it was in 1897, 18 years before the genocide of 1915. Even if the legal channels to allow the penalization of the negation of the crime of genocide met the obstacles we know, we must not give up. In addition, there are many ways to sustain this memory, so that mass crimes committed in the past can never happen again,” Benoît Hamon said.

“The relations of friendship between France and Armenia are very strong and I hope that they will develop. Let us not forget that history binds us: the last king of Armenia rests in the basilica of Saint-Denis, next to the kings of France and in 1915, the French navy helped the Armenians of Cilicia. I wish to strengthen this relationship with Armenia, which has been asked too often to make a “civilizational choice” between Russia and the European Union. Things are not as simple, but I am convinced that France must be a privileged partner of Armenia. This is done on the economic level of course, since France is the first European investor in Armenia. But this can also be done at the level of decentralized cooperation between the French and Armenian regional authorities,” the presidential candidate said.

Benoît Hamon  said “France has a special responsibility as co-chair of the Minsk Group alongside Russia and the United States” to contribute to the settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

“The urgency of finding a solution to this conflict came suddenly to remember us during the violent clashes – the most violent in 20 years – that took place from 2 to 5 April. We have seen evidence that the expression “frozen conflict” is inadequate to describe a situation that causes many deaths every year. France has a special responsibility as co-chair of the Minsk Group alongside Russia and the United States. It immediately mobilized with its partners to obtain the ceasefire of 5 April. However, it would be a serious and dangerous mistake to consider that the situation is now stabilized. The clashes can resume at any moment, with incalculable consequences for the whole region. This situation requires everyone to find a solution to this conflict which has lasted too long. The elements of a regulation are known. These are the Madrid Principles made public in 2010. Elected President of the Republic, I would naturally be ready to organize another meeting to take concrete steps along this path. While there are increasing uncertainties at the international level, it is only time to put an end to this conflict, which is penalizing populations, hampering the development of both states, and maintaining a climate of instability detrimental to the entire region. Now is the time for everyone to take responsibility. This is what will have to be said to President Aliyev and President Sargsyan. The basis of an agreement is possible.”

President Serzh Sargsyan has congratulated the Yezidi community of Armenia on Meleke Taus – New Year. The message reads:

Dear representatives of the Yezidi community of Armenia,

I cordially congratulate you on the occasion of Meleke Taus – New Year Holiday.

The history of friendship of the Armenian and Yezidi people is centuries old. Living side by side, we have accumulated rich experience of cooperation, brotherhood and struggling should to shoulder. The present generations are obligated to pass that treasure with care to next generations.

Our pain and our joy are common, and today we join in your celebration with great eagerness. Let this New Year bring the Yezidi people of Armenia peace, happiness, and prosperity.

I wish you new achievements and all the best.

Happy Meleke Taus!