Category: News

The Chairmen and Ranking Members on both the House Foreign Affairs and Intelligence Committees joined today with the leadership of the Armenian Caucus and more than eighty of their U.S. House colleagues in calling upon President Trump to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide in his April 24th White House statement, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

In a bipartisan letter calling upon the President to “appropriately mark April 24th as a day of American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide, signatories noted that, “by commemorating the Armenian Genocide, we renew our commitment to prevent future atrocities.”

“We join with Members of Congress in calling upon President Trump to reject Turkey’s gag rule and embrace an honest American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “It’s long past time for America to stop outsourcing our national policy on the Armenian Genocide to Recep Erdogan’s increasingly authoritarian and anti-American regime.”

 

In calling upon President Trump to properly mark April 24th, the signatories highlighted the U.S. record of past recognition, including “President Reagan, who recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1981, and the Eisenhower Administration, which did the same in a 1951 submission to the International Court of Justice.” These actions, as well as resolutions by the House of Representatives in 1975 (H.J.R.148) and 1984 (H.J.R.247), while clearly constituting U.S. recognition, just as clearly did not translate into either consistent official annual Armenian Genocide commemorations or sustained U.S. pressure on Turkey to end its denials of this crime.

The letter specifically cites Christian populations targeted by the Ottoman Empire’s genocidal campaign, including “Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Greeks, Pontians, Syriacs, and other persecuted peoples.” The full text of the letter is provided below.

On March 22nd, Rep. Trott was joined by Rep. Adam Schiff and the Congressional Armenian Caucus leadership in introducing a bipartisan anti-genocide resolution (H.Res.220) calling on the United States to apply the lessons of the Armenian Genocide in seeking to prevent modern day atrocities across the Middle East. That measure stresses that “proper commemoration and consistent condemnation of the Armenian Genocide will strengthen our international standing in preventing modern day genocides,” and, building upon the 2016 official U.S. designation of an ISIS genocide against Middle East minorities, specifically calls for the following: “[T]he United States, in seeking to prevent war crimes, crimes against humanity, and genocide against Christians, Yezidis, Muslims, Kurds, and other vulnerable religious and ethnic groups in the Middle East, should draw upon relevant lessons of the United States Government, civil society, and humanitarian response to the Armenian Genocide, Seyfo, and the broader genocidal campaign by the Ottoman Empire against Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Syriacs, Greeks, Pontians and other Christians upon their biblical era homelands.”

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Congressional Letter to President Trump Regarding the Armenian Genocide

Dear Mr. President,

We are writing to encourage you to properly commemorate the Armenian Genocide on April 24th.

In leading an honest and accurate American remembrance of this known case of genocide, you will stand with President Reagan, who recognized the Armenian Genocide in 1981, and the Eisenhower Administration, which did the same in a 1951 submission to the International Court of Justice. The House of Representatives has also commemorated the Armenian Genocide, through HJR148 in 1975 and HJR247 in 1984.

Armenia remains deeply committed to expanding the bonds of friendship that have long connected the American and Armenian peoples. Among the proudest chapters in our shared history is America’s remarkable record of protesting the Genocide and in caring for the survivors of this crime. The United States Ambassador to the Ottoman Empire in 1915, Henry Morgenthau, helped to chronicle the brutal extermination of the Armenian people through a campaign of mass murder and violent expulsion.

In the years after the genocide, Ambassador Morgenthau and other concerned Americans launched the Near East Relief, a Congressionally chartered humanitarian organization, which raised $116 million (over $2.5 billion in 2017 dollars) to aid the victims of the Ottoman Empire’s mass murder of millions of Armenians, Assyrians, Chaldeans, Greeks, Pontians, Syriacs, and other persecuted peoples. The generosity of the American people saved countless lives and helped to ensure the continued survival of the Armenian culture.

The Armenian Genocide continues to stand as an important reminder that crimes against humanity must not go without recognition and condemnation. Through recognition of the Armenian Genocide we pay tribute to the perseverance and determination of those who survived, as well as to the Americans of Armenian descent who have helped strengthen our country. It is our duty to honor those contributions with an honest statement of history recognizing the massacre of 1.5 million Armenians as the 20th century’s first genocide. By commemorating the Armenian Genocide, we renew our commitment to prevent future atrocities.

In that spirit of honoring the victims and redoubling our commitment to prevent genocide, we ask you to appropriately mark April 24th as a day of American remembrance of the Armenian Genocide.

Thank you for taking our views into consideration.

Sincerely,

 

 

 

The Armenia Airline has officially launched direct flights between Yerevan and Beirut. Representatives of both countries say the event is of landmark importance for the development of bilateral relations.

The inaugural flight was carried out on April 10 with 80 passengers on board,  90 passengers arrived in Yerevan on the return flight.

“The Airline will operate flights once a week, and will increase the number to four in summer.  The two-way ticket will cost $320,” said Robert Oganesyan, Director General of Armenia Airline.

The demand for the flight is high, considering that there are more than 150 thousand Armenian living in Lebanon.

The plane was welcomed in Beirut by Lebanon’s Tourism Minister Avedis Guidanian and Armenia’s Ambassador to Lebanon Samvel Mktchyan.

Avedis Guidanian said the flight creates a stronger bridge between Armenia and Lebanon. As Tourism Minister, he pledged to prepare a tourism package and include Armenia in it. He added that Lebanese businessmen are interested in investing in Armenia.

What attracts the Lebanese most is Armenia’s rich cultural legacy and its national cuisine, Ambassador Samvel Mkrtchyan says.

“Lebanon and Armenia are tied by firm threads, and the flights will serve an additional link between the two countries that will contribute to the deepening of relations,” Amb. Mkrtchyan told reporters.

Representative of the ARF Central Committee of Lebanon, MP Hakob Bagratuni said that “aside from contributing to the development of tourism, the flights will create opportunities for cooperation in the fields of culture and economy.”

Vice-President of the State Tourism Committee Mekhak Apresyan says “the launching of flights has always been on the agenda, especially after 2013, when Armenia adopted an ‘open sky’ policy.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the cover star of this month’s after providing an exclusive insight into his rise from Yerevan in Armenia to Old Trafford.

The 28-year-old can be impossible to stop when he motors forward in possession of the ball and there was no way he was going to be halted in his dream to reach the top in football, either.

The interview focuses on five key factors behind the evolution of any player – background, talent, personality, experience and ambition – and his honest answers suggest he was never going to be knocked off course when attempting to realise his dream.

As a 13-year-old, he spent time in Brazil with Sao Paulo to hone his skills and take another step along the path to footballing fame. There were those who doubted his ability to achieve such lofty aspirations but the desire to prove them wrong burned bright in the youngster. “I can say that most people did not believe in me,” he told Inside United. “They were just laughing and thinking that what I used to say was crazy and I would not reach this level.”

While others laughed, Mkhitaryan cried as a child when told “football would not exist for me anymore,” but he would have the last laugh, securing a move to United from Borussia Dortmund last summer. “I had a dream to play for one of the best football clubs in the world. And that is what I am doing now.”

It is difficult to quickly sum up the midfielder’s character. He is, at the same time, serious and focused while maintaining an easy charm and relaxed outlook. He has a sharp sense of humour and follows some of his answers up with a hearty laugh or cheeky grin.

Yet there is an underlying steely determination to Henrikh Mkhitaryan which may be understandable as someone who has overcome adversity and setbacks to reach the top. He also explains how he is a different character on the field to the one sitting and chatting.

Today, Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Mongolia to the
Republic of Armenia (residence in Moscow) Banzragch Delgermaa presented her credentials to President Serzh Sargsyan.

The President of Armenia congratulated the Ambassador on her appointment and wished every success. Serzh Sargsyan noted that Armenia attaches great importance to the development of the relations with the countries of the Asian region and expressed hope that the appointment of the Mongolian ambassador will promote and strengthen the Armenian-Mongolian interstate relations. In this context, the President of Armenia stressed the importance of creating a necessary legal field.

Ambassador Delgermaa thanked the President and assured that during her tenure she will do her best to re-establish the traditionally good relations between Armenia and Mongolia and to find new avenues for the development of cooperation in the mutually beneficial trade, economic, humanitarian, and other areas.

Mrs. Delgermaa underscored that she was very proud to be Mongolia’s first ambassador to a wonderful country such as Armenia which established diplomatic relations with Mongolia 25 years ago. According to Madam Ambassador, the jubilee is a good occasion to reevaluate the past and to deepen the relations. The Mongolian Ambassador noted that her country is interested in the market of the Eurasian Economic Union and expressed hope that Armenia, which is a member to the Union, will support Mongolia’s efforts aimed at the establishment of cooperation.

At the meeting, Ambassador Delgermaa also congratulated President Sargsyan on the successful parliamentary elections held recently in Armenia.

Photo: AFP/GETTY

 

A camp housing 1,500 migrants in northern France has been destroyed in a fire that officials said began during a fight between Afghans and Kurds, the BBC reports.

At least 10 people were injured when the fire tore through closely-packed huts at the Grande-Synthe camp, near the port of Dunkirk.

Last month officials said the camp would be dismantled because of unrest.

The French north coast has been a magnet for migrants trying to reach Britain.

“There is nothing left but a heap of ashes,” said Michel Lalande, prefect of France’s Nord region.

“It will be impossible to put the huts back where they were before,” he added.

The population of the Grande-Synthe camp has grown since last October’s destruction of the “Jungle” camp near Calais, about 40 km away.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Warsaw on April 12 to attend the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of participating states of the Visegrad group and Eastern Partnership.

The G7 group of nations has failed to reach agreement over threatening new sanctions against Russia and Syria, the BBC reports.

Foreign ministers were seeking a common position on the Syrian conflict, before the US secretary of state flies to Russia to try to persuade it to abandon its Syrian ally.

The nations agreed there was no solution to the Syria crisis with President Assad in power.

But UK proposals to target sanctions at senior military leaders were sidelined.

The diplomacy in the Italian town of Lucca follows the latest apparent use of chemical weapons in Syria.

Syria has denied it carried out a chemical attack on the rebel-held town of Khan Sheikhoun last week that left 89 people dead.

In response, the US fired 59 cruise missiles at a Syrian airbase that it said was implicated in the attack.

Speaking after the end of the G7 meeting, US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson said the missile strike “was necessary as a matter of US national security interest”.

Asbarez – The month of April marks the commemoration of the Armenian Genocide of 1915. It’s also a time when the California legislature appropriately adds its voice in recognition of these tragic events. This year, The Promise, the first major motion picture about the Armenian Genocide, is premiering across the country on April 21. The Promise will be screened in Sacramento as part of the special Capitol commemorations of the Armenian Genocide on April 17 organized by the new Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange.

In addition, the Academy Award winning Director of the film, Terry George, will be in Sacramento on April 17 to meet Legislators and present the film. Special guests from The Promise, including actress Angela Sarafyan, will also be in Sacramento.

Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge), Chair of the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia and Artsakh Mutual Trade, Art and Cultural Exchange, commented:

“I am excited to help facilitate this screening in Sacramento. Films are a powerful way of communicating important issues such as genocide awareness. The Promise is the first of its kind production about the Armenian Genocide. I believe that this film can be an important tool for informing and inspiring people to take action and become part of the anti-genocide movement. I look forward to having my colleagues join me in welcoming our guests from The Promise and watching this film.”

The Promise tells the story of the Armenian Genocide in Turkey at the outset of WWI. It was written by Terry George and Robin Swicord and directed by Terry George, who also directed Hotel Rwanda. The Promise stars Oscar Isaac, Christian Bale, Charlotte Le Bon, and Angela Sarafyan. It was produced by Open Road and Survival Pictures.

The screening is the first event coordinated by the California, Armenia and Artsakh Senate Select Committee. In addition to Chair Portantino, the committee’s senate includes Senate Pro Tem Kevin de Leon, Tony Mendoza, Josh Newman and Scott Wilk.

Portantino on March 20 introduced Senate Resolution 29 designating the month of April for commemoration of the Armenian Genocide. The Resolution also calls on the Republic of Turkey to return confiscated church properties to their rightful congregations. The resolution was co-authored by all the members of the State Senate California, Armenian & Artsakh Select Committee, including Pro Tem Kevin De Leon, Scott Wilk, Tony Mendoza and Josh Newman.

Empires fall, love survives. When Michael (Oscar Isaac), a brilliant medical student, meets Ana (Charlotte Le Bon), their shared Armenian heritage sparks an attraction that explodes into a romantic rivalry between Michael and Ana’s boyfriend Chris (Christian Bale), a famous American photojournalist dedicated to exposing political truth. As the Ottoman Empire crumbles into war-torn chaos, their conflicting passions must be deferred while they join forces to get their people to safety and survive themselves. The Promise is directed by Academy Award winning filmmaker Terry George.

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Mikheil Janelidze visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today accompanied by Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan.

Minister  Janelidze laid a wreath at the Memorial to the Armenian Genocide victims and paid tribute to their memory with a minute of silence.

The Armenia Airline operated the maiden Yerevan-Beirut flight today, Satenik Hovhannisyan, Press Secretary of the General department of Civil Aviation of Armenia informs in a Facebook page.

The first passengers flew to Lebanon’s capital in a Boeing 737-500.

There is no visa regime in place between Armenia and Lebanon.