Category: News

At the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan, in the evening of June 7 the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman arrived to the Republic of Armenia on a state visit.

Today, at the Presidential Palace there took place high-level Armenian-Czech negotiations. After a tête-à-tête meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and the Czech Republic, the meeting continued in the extended format with the participation of the official delegations of the two countries. At the conclusion of the negotiations, Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Miloš Zeman signed a Memorandum on the Bilateral Relations between the Republic of Armenia and the Czech Republic.

The Presidents of Armenia and the Czech Republic recapped the results of the meeting in the Declaration which they made at the joint press conference for the representatives of the mass media.

 

Statement by President Serzh Sargsyan for press following the meeting with the President of the Czech Republic Miloš Zeman

Your Excellency Mr. President,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

Today we are honored to welcome the President of friendly Czech Republic and my good counterpart Mr. Miloš Zeman for a state visit. This is the first visit of the president of the Czech Republic. Indeed, it will leave its footprint on the history of bilateral relations.

Today we had a fruitful discussion on a large range of bilateral, regional and international issues, like we had in Prague, during my state visit to the Czech Republic. We noted with satisfaction that we had matching viewpoints over those issues, creating an environment of mutual understanding and trust on the ways of deepening of our relations.

Only since 2014 over two dozens of high level visits have taken place. Following our last meeting the Embassy of the Czech Republic to the Republic of Armenia was established and the first resident ambassador was appointed. Inter-parliamentary relations, decentralized cooperation and collaboration in international fora have intensified. Within this context, undeniably, the continuous assistance of the Czech Republic to advance the Armenian-EU cooperation has a distinct place and we highly value it. As a result, the Czech Republic is one of our stable and reliable partners in Europe and our bilateral cooperation is at the highest level ever.

With President Zeman we thoroughly discussed bilateral economic cooperation which is one of our priorities. It is not in vein, that almost all high-level bilateral meetings are followed by business forums. Later today president Zeman and I will give a start to another business forum. Surely, we have positive developments in this field, yet there is a lot to achieve. In this respect, we discussed new opportunities derive both from Armenia’s membership to the EEU and reopening of the market in Iran, our traditional partner country. At the same time, attaching importance to the bilateral economic ties, we were unanimous with President Zeman that the pillar of our relations was not merely economic interest, rather it is the common values, having led our people through history up to the 21st century.

We highly value the position of the Czech Republic concerning the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, which is in line with the general stance of the EU and is in full support of the efforts of the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs. I extended my special gratitude to Mr. President and the government of the Czech Republic for this attitude. We both attached importance to the implementation of the arrangements agreed upon in Vienna in May, including the agreements on the ceasefire from 1994 and 1995, establishing monitoring and incident investigation mechanisms and adding the capacities of the team of Personal Representative of the OSCE chairperson- in- office as an anchor for the long-lasting peace in the conflict zone. Unswerving implementation of these steps is the least to be done to pave way for the constructive and, which is more important, result-oriented negotiations.

Certainly, I also informed Mr. Zeman about the possibility of new meetings with the President of Azerbaijan mediated by the Minsk Group co-chairs. And I thanked him for his offer to use the capacities of Prague, Czech Republic for the meetings. In the meantime, I surely expressed my concerns over Ilham Aliyev’s recent unbalanced behavior, signs of which were apparently not visible in Vienna. Particularly with his speech at the “Fourth Conference of World Azerbaijanis”, where he was cynical about the Armenian state, made personal offenses against the President of the country, with whom by the way he is going to talk on certain issues, articulating thoughts that mock history, he shaped a clear perception about his inappropriateness.

I hope that this is a temporary problem; sort of machismo and it will disappear very soon as we have the commitment to get to serious work in the nearest future. Hopefully, this is not a conscious behavior intended to abort Vienna arrangements.

I expressed the satisfaction of the Armenian side about the unanimously adopted resolution on the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide by the Foreign Affairs Committee of the Czech Chamber of Deputies as well as unambiguous attitude of the Czech President on the matter. The historic resolution on recognizing the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag on these days comes to prove that the process of recognition is irreversible – falsifying history, denying facts and spouting intimidation cannot stop it.

We are thankful to the Czech Republic for favorable disposition to the Armenian community. The fact of transferring the Catholic Church of Holy Spirit in Prague to the parish of the Armenian Apostolic Church is a vivid example of that. It was a major event in the life of the Armenian community of the Czech Republic in terms of preserving national identity. I would also like to deeply thank cardinal Duka in this respect.

I believe that our interstate relations will continue to successfully develop, since it is based on the unselfish friendship between Czech and Armenian people, mutual understanding and the strive to build a common future.

Thank you.

It is my pleasure to give the floor to my friend President Milos Zeman.

By Harut Sassounian
The California Courier

Despite ‘Sultan’ Erdogan’s insults and threats, the German Parliament went boldly forward last week and recognized the Armenian Genocide. In retaliation, Turkey immediately withdrew its ambassador from Berlin.

The historic Bundestag resolution, adopted with a near unanimous decision (1 vote against and 1 abstention), is titled: “In remembrance and commemoration of the genocide of Armenians and other Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire 101 years ago.” According to ARD television, 74% of the German population agrees that genocide was committed against Armenians. Another revealing survey cited by “Der Spiegel” magazine found that 91% of the German public does not trust Erdogan!

German Chancellor Angela Merkel, fed up with Erdogan’s repeated blackmails, decided to put Turkey’s megalomaniac dictator in his place, while Pres. Obama has to muster the courage to do so! The German leadership had to fend off not only the Turkish regime’s attacks but also sharp criticism from many of the three million Turks living in Germany.

After the Parliament’s decision, Erdogan arrogantly declared: “We have nothing in our past to be ashamed of, but those countries that often accuse Turkey of ‘Armenian genocide’ have the blood of millions of innocent victims.” Turkey’s minister of justice Bekir Bozdag was just as brazen, as he told Germans: “First you burn the Jews in ovens, and then you come and accuse the Turkish people of genocide.” Erdogan and Bozdag must be reminded that Germany, unlike Turkey, long ago admitted the Nazi-era crimes, apologized for the Holocaust, and paid billions of dollars in compensation.

It remains to be seen if ‘big mouth’ Turkish leaders would dare to take punitive actions against Germany, besides the routine withdrawal of their ambassador, as they do each time another government acknowledges the Armenian Genocide. Should Erdogan decide to go beyond making empty threats, such steps would backfire on Turkey as Germany is its largest trading partner. Turkey’s economy is already in serious trouble after Russia banned the import of Turkish goods and discouraged its citizens from going to Turkey as tourists because of the downing of a Russian jet by the Turkish military near the Syrian border last year.

Turkish leaders have already damaged their country’s interests by making provocative and scandalous announcements which have helped to publicize worldwide the German Bundestag’s action on the Armenian Genocide. Thousands of newspapers, websites, TV and radio stations covered the German decision and the Turkish outbursts. It is noteworthy that the international media paid particular attention to the German Parliamentarians’ admission that their country, a military ally of Turkey during World War I, was complicit in the Armenian Genocide.

The New York Times and The Times of London, two of the most prestigious newspapers in the world, published powerful editorials on June 3 reaffirming the facts of the Armenian Genocide, supporting the German’s Parliament’s decision, and urging Turkey to confront its dark past.

In an editorial titled, “Yes, It’s Genocide,” The New York Times wrote: “… It was a genocide, the first of the 20th century…. The Armenians are fully justified in their quest for a historical reckoning…. President Obama, who as a candidate in 2008 pledged to recognize the events of 1915 as a genocide, has failed to do so…. The Germans, who have admirably confronted the terrible genocide in their own history, did the right thing in defying Mr. Erdogan’s threats.”

The London Times’ editorial, “Genocide Denial: The mass slaughter of Armenians needs to be acknowledged by Turkey,” was just as impactful: “The German resolution is right not only in its message but also in diplomacy. Turkish pique is regularly directed at allies who recognize the Armenian genocide. That response is worse than undignified and ahistorical: it is a denial of suffering on an unspeakable scale that poisons the politics of Europe to this day, and it needs to be challenged. The slaughter of Armenians was not, as Turkish apologists maintain, one of the unplanned but inescapable tragedies that happen in wartime. It was a specific campaign of deportation and mass killing by the Ottoman regime.… Modern Germany and its statesmen have expressed repeatedly their nation’s remorse for genocidal barbarism in the last century. It is long past time for Turkey to do the same.”

Having recognized the Armenian Genocide and acknowledged its own share of responsibility and complicity, Germany now has to make appropriate amends to Armenians, thus setting a venerable example for Turkey, not only in recognition, but also in restitution!

 

 

 

Yerevan hosted today the sitting of the National Security Council Secretaries of CSTO member states, chaired by Armen Gevorgyan, Secretary of the Armenian National Security Council.

Considering that the meeting is taking place at a difficult time for Armenia and the region, Armen Gevorgyan first referred to the large-scale military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno Karabakh this April.

“The people of Nagorno Karabakh faced direct aggression on the part of Azerbaijan. This became a serious challenge to the region, the security and stability in the South Caucasus, and resulted in gross violations of the ceasefire regime,” he noted.

“Armenia, as a guarantor of security of the people of Nagorno Karabakh, cannot just stand and look at such actions of Azerbaijan,” Armen Gevorgyan noted, stressing that “the CSTO was created to solve issues collectively, to curb aggression against member-states.”

The Secretary noted that events were taking place in the Caucasus region of the CSTO and added that the Armenian public expects greater unity from CSTO member states.

“Undoubtedly, any destabilization at the border of a CSTO member state, especially a military clash, is a threat to the security of that country,” CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha told reporters after the sitting, commenting on whether the organization was preparing to take any step to ease the tension after the four-day war.

“Naturally, we do not ignore such situations. This applies to both the Caucasus and Central Asia, Bordyuzha assured.

“The active involvement of the Russian President, Prime Minister and Foreign Minister in the settlement of the situation is nothing but a stance of a CSTO partner. The CSTO is not only about the Secretariat and the Secretary General, it’s a union of six states and in this period the heads of practically all CSTO member states have tried to influence the situation, to help cease the military actions and return the parties to the negotiating table. In my opinion, this is also a result of CSTO activity. We should look at the CSTO from this perspective, not from the perspective of the use of force or the army,” the Secretary General said.

The parliaments of Russia and Armenia are considering a draft agreement on the creation of a joint air defense system, Nikolai Bordyuzha said.

Russia has already created joint air defense systems with Belarus and Kazakhstan, the CSTO head noted.

“It is being considered at the level of legislative bodies of both countries,” Bordyuzha said at a press conference in the Armenian capital of Yerevan.

On 7 June the delegation at the head of Artsakh Republic President arrived in Belgium for a working visit, NKR President’s Press Office reports.

On 8 June the President met in Brussels with Els Van Hoof, head of the friendship group with Armenia in the Belgian Federal Parliament and a group of parliamentarians.

The meeting addressed issues relating to the development of ties between Belgian and Artsakh parliaments.

President Sahakyan noted that Artsakh was willing to develop parliamentary relations with Belgium, anticipating here active assistance from the friends of the Armenian nation.

In the framework of his state visit to Armenia, President of teh Czech Republic Miloš Zeman  visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today, where he laid a wreath and paid tribute to the memory of innocent victims of the Armenian Genocide.

A single monkey caused a nationwide blackout in Kenya after falling on to a crucial piece of equipment, the BBC reports.

The monkey fell on a transformer at the Gitaru hydroelectric power station on Tuesday, electricity provider KenGen said in a statement.

The transformer then tripped, resulting in the loss of 180 megawatts of power and triggering a blackout across Kenya.

Power was restored almost four hours later and the monkey survived its adventure, KenGen said.

It has now been taken in by the Kenya Wildlife Service.

“KenGen power installations are secured by electric fencing which keeps away marauding wild animals,” the statement said.

“We regret this isolated incident and the company is looking at ways of further enhancing security at all our power plants.”

Two police officers were killed and many others were wounded in a large car bomb attack that hit the police headquarters of the Midyat district in the southeastern province of Mardin on the morning of June 8, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

A number of ambulances and security reinforcements were sent to the scene after the attack, which took place at around 11 a.m.

The bomb-laden car was detonated as it was passing through the security barriers at the entrance of the headquarters, which were built as a precaution against attacks.

Surrounding buildings were also damaged in the blast.
Turkey was also hit by a car bomb attack on June 7, which targeted a police vehicle in Istanbul’s Vezneciler neighborhood.

“The statement of Archbishop Aram Atesyan, the General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul, is unacceptable from several perspectives,” expert of Turkish studies Ruben Melkonyan said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

First, he said, the fact of Atesyan’s being a clergyman does not give him the right to interfere with political processes. Besides, the Archbishop’s statement actually contradicts the interests of the Armenian nation and does not reflect the historic events. “At last it is was an additional effort to please the Turkish authorities,” Melkonyan said.

According to the expert,  “with the statement Atesyan was also trying to create a basis for Turkey to end messages to Germany. The Turkish press has already branded the statement as “Armenians’ shocking response to Germany.” That is to say that the statement has serve the target.

Could the letter to Erdogan be a result of political pressure? “All Armenian Patriarchs have been under the pressure of Turkish authorities starting from 1923, but no Patriarch has ever served the Turkish authorities with such vigor and has never made such statements,” Ruben Melkonyan said.

“Atesyan has passes beyond all written an unwritten norms and has tried to be more Catholic than the Pope,” Melkonyan concluded.

– Kim Kardashian West was honored at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles on Wednesday, June 1, 2016 for her long-standing friendship and support to the hospital. Kim was presented with a plaque by Children’s Hospital president and CEO, Paul Viviano, recognizing her as an ‘Honorary Armenian Ambassador’ during a reception of the Armenian Ambassadors of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Special guest at the event included His Eminence, Archbishop Hovnan Derderian, Primate of the Western Diocese of the Armenian Church of North America.

Kim remarked how delighted she was to be recognized by CHLA and by her Armenian community. She shared that she has enjoyed visiting patients at the hospital for more than 8 years and that now, as a mother of two, her appreciation for having a world-class children’s hospital in her backyard has taken new meaning.

The Armenian Ambassadors of Children’s Hospital Los Angeles are a group of Armenian supporters dedicated to creating hope and building healthier futures for all children. Their goal is to help ensure that Children’s Hospital Los Angeles has the best resources to care for all children.

Iran’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Company has provided bandwidth transit from Iraq to Armenia (Pilote) with the capacity of 200Gbps under a project called ‘Ouj,’ reports.