Category: News

Photos: REUTERS/MAX ROSSI    

Pope Francis and Russian Orthodox Patriarch Kirill embraced and kissed on Friday in a historic meeting nearly 1,000 years after the Eastern and Western branches of Christianity split apart, Reuters reports.

“Finally,” Francis said as he and Kirill entered through doors on opposite sides of a room at Havana airport to begin private talks. “We are brothers.”

The two religious leaders, guests of a Communist government, are addressing ways of healing the rift between their Churches as well as their concerns over the persecution of Christians in the Middle East.

They were expected to speak about territorial disputes between the two Churches after the fall of the Soviet Union, and issue a joint declaration following the meeting.

Francis, dressed in white with a skullcap, and Kirill, wearing a tall, domed hat that dangled a white stole over black robes, joined arms and kissed on both cheeks.

“It is very clear that this is the will of God,” Francis said.

“Yes, things are much easier now,” Kirill said. Both men spoke through interpreters and were accompanied by their top aides in the quest for Christian unity, Cardinal Kurt Koch and Russian Metropolitan Hilarion.

Their meeting, announced just a week ago, also carried political overtones, coming at a time of Russian disagreements with the West over Syria and Ukraine.

Cuban President Raul Castro and Cardinal Jaime Ortega, the Catholic Church’s highest representative in Cuba, greeted the pope as he got off the plane.

 

Distribution of 4000 packages containing food and medical supplies in Armenian-populated town of Kessab, Syria, started on Thursday, SANA reports.

The packages, which are part of a Russian aid shipment, will be distributed to the town’s locals and displaced families coming from other provinces.

In a statement to SANA, Lattakia Governor Ibrahim Khodr al-Salem said the aid will be distributed to beneficiaries in a number of provinces, including eastern Deir Ez-zor.

He pointed out that work is being coordinated with local and international humanitarian organizations to deliver aid to those who need it in various Syrian areas.

Two Russian aircrafts carrying on board 34 tons of food and medical supplies, in addition to children’s books and stationery, arrived in Bassel al-Assad Airport.

In June, 2014, the Syrian army restored stability and security to Kessab town and its surroundings after eliminating large numbers of terrorists who came from across the Turkish border.

Congressman Adam Schiff on Thursday slammed Baku’s “authoritarian regime” after Azerbaijani Foreign Minister, citing Schiff’s interview with , told a press conference on Wednesday that he has instructed Baku’s Embassy in Washington to investigate State Department official Victoria Nuland’s role in the defeat, last month, of an anti-Karabakh measure at the Parliamentary Assembly of Council of Europe.

Schiff, a Democrat representing California’s 28th Congressional district, told Asbarez editor Ara Khachatourian in an interview on Horizon Live last week, that ahead of the PACE vote in January he had spoken with “a top state department official, one of our ambassador’s in the region, to raise my concern over this pro Azeri narrative resolution that was being presented before PACE and to express my strong opposition.”

“Both the ambassador and [Assistant Secretary of the State for European and Eurasian Affairs] Victoria Nuland were working against it and I think they thought it was going to be a tough struggle, and frankly I’m thrilled that it was defeated,” Schiff told Khachatourian.

Azerbaijan’s Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov and other officials have taken offense at the reference about Nuland and her role in the defeat of the PACE resolution, authored by British member of parliament Robert Walter, who has gone on to receive Turkish citizenship.

News.az reported that Mammadyarov, during a press conference on Wednesday, expressed his anger and said that Azerbaijan’s Embassy in Washington is actively working with “Congress and the White House” to identify the Nuland’s role in the defeat of the PACE measure.

On Thursday, Schiff hit back at Mammadyarov’s statement saying in an email to Asbarez that “If Azerbaijan had any interest in a peaceful resolution to the conflict, they would agree to the installation of monitoring technologies on the Line of Contact, but instead they seem intent on ratcheting up tensions, pursuing symbolic resolutions and attacking those who speak out for peace.”

“Their actions, or the lack thereof, tell the story of an increasingly isolated and authoritarian regime seeking to use the Nagorno Karbakh conflict for its own domestic political purposes. I will continue to urge the Administration and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to speak frankly about Azerbaijan’s dangerous and provocative posture towards Artsakh,” added Schiff.

As was reported in Asbarez, Schiff appealed to Secretary of State John Kerryahead of the PACE vote to voice his opposition to the measure and ask Kerry to intervene.

“I don’t think it is the last of these kinds of motions we are going to see at PACE and we just have to continue to mobilize against it. Part of it not only had an Azeri narrative, but also one to change the composition of the group that would work on resolving the issues in the region that would stack the deck in favor of Azerbaijan,” Schiff told Khachatourian.

“The principles of the Helsinki Final Act are of equal importance and all OSCE member states, including Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be based on the principles of non-use of fore, the right of peoples to self-determination and territorial integrity,” Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Arman Kirakosyan said, as he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council.

He said “Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policy has not changed in the course of the past 25 years. “Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination, which has been recognized by the Minsk Group co-chairing countries as one of the basic principles of settlement. The determination of the final status of Nagorno Karabakh through legally binding expression of will lays in the basis of the resolution,” Arman Kirakosyan said.

The Armenian Ambassador said “the people of Nagorno Karabakh have gained de facto independence, thus realizing its inalienable right to self-determination in compliance with the USSR legislature and the norms of international law.

“Azerbaijani claims to sovereignty over the people of Nagorno Karabakh are baseless,” Kirakosyan said. He reiterated Armenia’s support for the OSCE Minsk Group format. He expressed concern over Azerbaijan’s questioning of the long-term experience of the co-chairing countries and their efforts towards a peaceful settlement.

The Armenian Ambassador further noted that “Azerbaijan’s requirements connected with the expansion of the Minsk Group format are destructive and negatively affect the peaceful settlement process. Hailing the mediating efforts of the three co-chairing countries, Arman Kirakosyan noted that “as a Minsk Group member state, Turkey has adopted a contradicting approach, trying to manipulate the Karabakh issue for the benefit of its geopolitical interests.”

Arman Kirakosyan said “Azerbaijan has turned down the proposals to withdraw snipers from the frontline and create a mechanism for investigation of border incidents. He reconfirmed the principled approach of the Armenian side that “the reinforcement of the ceasefire regime will create preconditions for a peaceful negotiated settlement, while through escalation of the situation Azerbaijan carries responsibility for the maintenance of the status quo.”

The Armenian side dubbed Azerbaijan’s efforts to take the Karabakh issue to platforms not involved in the settlement of the issue as “non-constructive” and said it does no good to the negotiation process.

To conclude with, Ambassador Kirakosyan reiterated Armenia’s resoluteness to continue to work with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to further the peace proves.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan signed decrees, relieving Gorik Hakobyan of the duties of the Director of the National Security Service and appointing him as Adviser to President.

According to another presidential decree, Georgi Kutoyan was relieved of the duties of the Deputy Prosecutor General and was appointed Director of the National Security Service.

Georgi Kutoyan was born in Yerevan, in 1981.

• In 2002 graduated with honors from the Law Department of the Rostov State University in the Russian Federation.
• In 2005 concluded postgraduate studies at the Institute of Philosophy and Law of the RA National Academy of Sciences, defended a thesis titled “The 1950 Convention on Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms in the Republic of Armenia’s National Legal System” (constitutional and legal research) and was awarded the scientific degree of a Candidate of Juridical Sciences.
• In 2007 graduated from the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy (Tufts University) at the US.
• In 2002-2010 was teaching at the Armenian-Russian (Slavic) University, at the RA State Governance Academy and at the RA National Academy of Sciences.
• In 2005-2006 worked at the Public Prosecutor’s Office of the Republic of Armenia, first as a researcher at the scientific and teaching center and later as a lecturer at the Law and Structural Reforms Division.
• In 2006-2007 worked in the Office of the Ombudsman of Armenia, as a Senior Advisor to the Ombudsman, and in 2008-2010 as the Senior Legal Advisor of the Ombudsman Staff.
• In 2008 received a lawyer’s license, in 2010-2011 was engaged in private practice as a lawyer.
• In 2011-2016 was Assistant to the President of Armenia.
• In 2011-2014 was the Chairman of the Anti-Corruption Strategy Monitoring Commission under the Presidential Anti-Corruption Council
• By the April 17, 2013 decree of the President of Armenia was awarded the Mkhitar Gosh Medal.
• In 1998-2000 was trained at the RF Rostov State University Military Training Department as a reserve officer.
• Kutoyan is the State Counselor of Justice Class I.
• Speaks Russian, English, and French.
• Married, with a son.

Two Russian Il-76 planes have delivered some 50 metric tons of Russian humanitarian aid for residents of conflict-torn Syria, reports.

The cargo includes food, medicine, clothing, school supplies, as well as toys and treats for children. It will be distributed among residents of cities blocked by militants from terrorist organizations, such as Islamic State.

Earlier, a new batch of humanitarian aid prepared jointly by Russia and Syria was delivered to the Syrian city of Deir el-Zour (ez-Zor), besieged by IS militants.

Photo/Getty Images

 

Actor George Clooney and his lawyer wife Amal have had a private meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel to discuss the crisis in Syria and Europe’s efforts to help refugees, the Associated Press reports.

The actor, who is currently attending the Berlin Film Festival to showcase his new movie “Hail, Caesar,” was accompanied to the 40-minute meeting Friday by David Miliband, the former British foreign secretary who now heads the International Rescue Committee.

Miliband said afterward that they had discussed what countries around the world can do to solve “what is a global problem, not just a Syrian problem or a German issue.”

He praised Merkel for “showing very strong leadership and example not just to Europe but globally” during the refugee crisis.

Massis Post – Eight Armenian films will be screened as part of the third edition of the SR Socially Relevant Film Festival, a ground-breaking non-profit film festival that showcases socially relevant films with human interest stories. The festival opens on the 14th of March with a panel on Adapting the Novel to the Screen with such prolific panelists as Pulitzer Prize winning playwright Robert Schenkkan, and widely published French novelist Marc Levy. The films screen from March 15-19 at The Bow Tie Cinemas Chelsea and the closing night Awards Ceremony takes place at the Tenri Japanese Center on the 20th of March.

The full line-up and program of this year’s SR Socially Relevant Film Festival was announced at its Press Day, hosted at Bocca East in Manhattan, on February 2. Selected films will focus on the current topics of immigration, female empowerment, human exploitation, gender politics disability and more, and will feature distinguished personalities including Erin Brockovich, Olympia Dukakis, Sally Field, Marc Duret and others.

Two narrative features and six shorts revolving around Armenian themes will have a special presence in this year’s film festival, including the International Premiere of 100 Years Later (directed by John Lubbock) which follows historian Ara Sarafian’s journey through Anatolia as facts of the 1915 Armenian Genocide are uncovered and dialogue is established with local Kurds and Turks.

The second feature, Who Killed the Armenians? (directed by Mohamed Hanafy Nasr), will have its World Premiere at the festival and is the first Arabic documentary on the Armenian Genocide, filmed in Egypt, Armenia and Lebanon. The film reveals rare documents, footage and interviews related to the 1915 Armenian Genocide.

The short film, Eclipse, (directed by Ara Yernjakyan) which will have its U.S. premiere, revolves around the children who suffered and the families that were destroyed during the Armenian Genocide.

Girl on the Moon, (directed by Aren Malakyan), filmed in Armenia, focuses on the first steps of disabled people and how they try to change the course of their lives through dance.

How to Cross from Jiliz to Jiliz, directed by Marineh Kocharyan and Sona Kocharyan, is about a young girl who dreams of being with her grandmother and relatives who live on the other side of the border, only a few meters away. The film will have its New York premiere.

Now I Know, directed by Anna Bayatyan from Armenia, will have its International Premiere, focusing on the theme of hope.

Shattered, directed by David Hovan, focuses on memories of war and chaos and post-traumatic stress disorder. It will have its New York Premiere.

Where is the Euphrates, Son? Directed by Rouben Pashinyan, filmed in Armenia, the film tells the story of an Armenian grandfather who arrives in Armenia as a tourist and tries to find the Euphrates River. It will have its New York premiere at the festival.

Founded by award-winning actor, filmmaker and curator Nora Armani, SR aims to satisfy a market need concentrating on everyday human stories as an alternative to the proliferation of gratuitous violence in film making.

“The Minsk Group is the only mediation format that has been accepted by the sides and has the full confidence of all OSCE participating States,”  Ambassador Véronique Roger-Lacan, France’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE, said in an . She made the statement on behalf of the three countries co-chairing the Minsk Group, the Russian Federation, United States and France.

“The Minsk Group Co-chairs contribute to stabilizing the security situation by keeping regular contacts with the sides and through close cooperation with the personal representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office who monitors on a daily basis the situation on the ground, – in the context of regular and often deadly ceasefire violations – along the line of contact as well as along the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan,” she said.

“According to its mandate, which is inter alia “to conduct negotiations with the Parties to obtain conclusion of an agreement on the cessation of the armed conflict”, the Minsk Group Co-chairs aim at promoting, through the Madrid principles, a balanced approach to the settlement of the conflict, based in particular on the conciliation of the principles of self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force. It is not the inefficiency of the mediation process conducted by the Co-chairs that is to blame for the serious lack of progress in the negotiations, but the lack of political will of the parties to reach a peaceful settlement,” Véronique Roger-Lacan said.

“The Co-chairs are also working on the endorsement by the parties of confidence building measures, such as the creation of a prevention and investigation mechanism of the ceasefire violations along the line of contact, and dialogue between the communities of Nagorno-Karabakh. Their action also focuses on the humanitarian measure of exchanging data on the missing persons from the conflict, agreed at the Paris summit of 27 October 2014 and implemented by the ICRC,” the French Representative said.

“The Co-Chairs will continue to brief international and regional organizations interested in supporting the Minsk Group process. They will continue their engagement to work closely with the sides in order to reach a peaceful and sustainable settlement of the conflict,” she concluded.

“As a co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, the United States will continue to work closely with the sides to achieve a lasting, negotiated settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on the principles of international law, the UN Charter, and the Helsinki Final Act,” Ambassador Daniel B. Baer, U.S Representative to the OSCE, said is a

“Regretfully, violence along the line of contact and the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border has escalated over the past several months. The United States reiterates the concerns of the Minsk Group Co-Chairs and condemns the use of mortars and other heavy weaponry that has caused civilian casualties. We echo the Co-Chairs’ appeals to the sides to take immediate steps to reduce tensions and protect lives,” he said.

“The status quo is neither acceptable nor sustainable, and we remind the sides that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The United States strongly supports the Co-Chairs’ efforts to facilitate an intensified dialogue between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan and to establish structured negotiations in order to make progress towards a peaceful settlement,” Amb. Baer said.

The Ambassador also urged the Azerbaijani government to respect and uphold the human rights and fundamental freedoms of all its citizens, consistent with its international commitments and obligations. This is not separate from, but indeed a central component of, achieving a comprehensive and sustainable security for Azerbaijan and the region.

He noted that the United States regrets the closure of the OSCE Office in Baku and hope that it is temporary because such a presence could contribute to this work, along with the work in other dimensions including the rule of law, human rights and countering transnational threats.