Author: Ara Felekian

Photo: AP

Swiss prosecutors are investigating German football legend Franz Beckenbauer as part of a corruption inquiry, the BBC reports.

In March, football’s world governing body Fifa began looking into six men for their part in Germany winning the rights to host the 2006 World Cup.

Swiss prosecutors now say they have launched their own investigations, linked to that of Fifa.

Mr Beckenbauer, who headed Germany’s bid, has denied corruption.

Last October, he said he had made a “mistake” in the bidding process to host the competition but denied votes had been bought.

Germany beat South Africa 12-11 in the vote, which took place in July 2000.

Germany’s Spiegel magazine reported on Thursday that the investigation centred on payments made from 2002-2005 that added up to more than 10m Swiss francs (£7.7m; $10.2m).

Further details are expected to be released by Switzerland’s attorney-general later on Thursday.

It is not yet known how many football officials are being investigated in Switzerland.

THE MESSAGE OF HIS HOLINESS KAREKIN II, CATHOLICOS OF ALL ARMENIANS DURING THE MASS CELEBRATED BY
HIS HOLINESS, FRANCIS, THE POPE OF ROME
IN VARDANANTS SQUARE, GYUMRI

(Gyumri, June 25, 2016)

I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.

John 13:34

Your Holiness,

Beloved spiritual brothers and faithful children,

Today, as our Church is commemorating the Feast of the Holy Apostles of the Lord, this message directed by our Lord to His disciples, is so ever sweetly and powerfully resounding in our souls. With this God-given warm feeling of love in the name of all the faithful of the region we welcome you to the city of Gyumri, beloved brother in Christ. It brings us great joy to be joining you in prayer, a great friend of the Armenian Church and the Armenian people, in a Mass celebrated by you.

Gyumri is one of those historical towns of Armenia where centuries-old Armenian Christian values have flourished, where the history and culture of our people and the spirit of generosity have harmoniously been shaped. The people of Gyumri are distinguished for their particularly profound faith and love towards the Church. They are also bearers of a beautiful tradition of Christian brotherly coexistence, which is witnessed by the prayerful presence of the faithful of the Armenian Apostolic and Catholic Churches, as well as of other Christian denominations. During the Soviet years of atheism churches were being destroyed or shut in Armenia, and only through the zealous resistance of our people, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and a few other churches were still open. During that time, Gyumri’s church of the Holy Mother of God (Yotverk) opened its maternal bosom and became a haven and a place of prayer for all the Christians of the Northern districts of Armenia and of the ethnically Armenian towns and villages of Georgia, regardless of their national identity or what denomination they belonged to, may they be Armenian Apostolic, Catholic or Eastern Orthodox. The Northern apse of Yotverk church was turned into a place of prayer for the Catholic faithful where the crucifixion statue in the Catholic tradition, brought from the Catholic Church of Arevik village, was erected and is maintained to this day. While the Southern apse was provided to the Russian Orthodox where in a most honorable place, the Russian icon of Saint Nicholas the Wonderworker was placed. Thus, Gyumri and the church of the Holy Mother of God (Yotverk) became a tangible provider and preacher for ecumenism, years before the modern definition of ecumenism was established.

Beloved brother in Christ, the city which we are visiting today, on its warm and hospitable heart, also carries the seal of anguish. At the dawn of the twentieth century, when our people were subjected to genocide, Gyumri as well felt the heavy blows of the Ottoman Empire’s devastating and invasive politics. Today as well Gyumri faces closed borders as a witness to the genocide committed one hundred years ago and to the continuous denialist policies.

The pious people in Gyumri stood against the disaster of the earthquake through faith and brave heart. On this occasion we extend our words of appreciation to the Catholic Church, who also in those difficult days gave a helping hand of brotherly love to the victims of the earthquake, according to the words of the apostle, “And let us consider how to provoke one another to love and good deeds.” (Hebrews 10:23-24). Today as well our Children in Gyumri continue to overcome the difficulties and make dedicated efforts to transform Gyumri into a prosperous and thriving city. The testimonies to this are the Catholic Church, built in the recent years, and the two restored historic churches, gracefully overlooking this square as symbols of the revival of Gyumri.

Giving thanks to the Lord for this blessed day of unity of prayer in Gyumri, together with our beloved brother Pope Francis, we bring to you, dear faithful, our plea and wish so that through the firm steps of faith, brotherly love, and hope, you may witness in this world to the following commandment of Christ, “I give you a new commandment, that you love one another. Just as I have loved you, you also should love one another.” (John 13:34)

With this wish we also greet and extend our appreciation and blessings to government officials of Gyumri and the region, and to our faithful people of Shirak. We bring our appreciation and blessings to the Primate of the Diocese of Shirak, His Grace Bishop Michael Ajapahyan, and his co-serving clergy, as well as to the clergy of the Catholic community under the leadership of His Eminence, Archbishop Rafael Minassian. We wish them, with the support of the Lord, to successfully continue the pastoral care of their flock and the partnership in brotherly love.

We extend our prayer to Almighty God with the intercession of the Holy Apostles and all the witnesses of the Lord, for peace in the world, a prosperous and secure life for humanity and for the vibrancy of the holy Church of Christ.

Your Holiness, our dear brother in Christ, your visit to Gyumri is a spiritual renewal for the faithful of the region of Shirak, and it shall always be remembered with warmth and love.

Again with a joyous heart we reaffirm that your visit is a new testimony to the fraternal relationship between our churches.

May God keep steadfast the brotherhood and make fruitful the cooperation between our churches. Forever and ever. Amen.

German public broadcaster ZDF said Wednesday that a Turkish television channel has ended a partnership with it over Germany‘s decision to officially designate the Ottoman killings of Armenians during World War I as genocide, e reports.

Turkey‘s Kanal D will no longer show the ZDF children‘s news segment “logo!” due to numerous complaints from viewers about last month‘s Bundestag decision, which at the time prompted Turkey to recall its ambassador to Berlin and summon the German envoy to Ankara.

Photo: DPA

A German court on Tuesday rejected an appeal by Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan after he was denied an injunction to prevent the chief executive of Europe’s largest newspaper publisher Axel Springer from repeating an insulting poem, reports.

In an open letter published in April, Mathias Doepfner expressed his support for German comedian Jan Boehmermann, who is being investigated by prosecutors for reading a crude satirical poem about Erdogan on television in March.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel has been widely criticized for allowing German prosecutors to pursue a case against Boehmermann at the behest of Erdogan, a key partner in her effort to stem the flow of refugees from Turkey into Europe.

German-Turkish ties have also been strained by Turkey’s outrage over resolution passed by Germany’s parliament declaring the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces a genocide..

The appeals court in Cologne said it had upheld the ruling in May from the lower court which rejected a preliminary injunction against Doepfner, saying his comments constituted acceptable expressions of opinion and were protected under German freedom of speech laws.

The court said no further appeals were possible, although Erdogan could still file a constitutional complaint. Such complaints are seldom upheld.

“HIV/AIDS is worse than a war. But this war can be won,” Nelson Mandela once said.

“What’s worse – AIDS or war?” Armenian Minister of Healthcare Armen Muradyan asked, addressing the UN General Assembly High-level Meeting on ending AIDS.

“Where is the justice, when an innocent baby is born with immunodeficiency? Where is the justice, when children willing to live and study in their Motherland, to learn their language, to believe their God, respect the traditions of their parents and ancestors are being bombarded? Where is the justice, when 90-year old people, willing to live their old age at home, are being killed? I’m speaking about the events in Nagorno Karabakh a month ago. What is worse – AIDS or the infection of inhumanity and hatred that affects even the highest-ranking official, clouds his consciousness, turns a civilized person into a barbarian, who orders to kill children and elderly people? It’s hard to answer this rhetoric question,” Minister Muradyan said.

He noted that the coming generations may not know what AIDS is and what war is, if we give a clear answer to the question.

“I’m confident that the coming generations should compare which one is better – peace or prosperity,” Armen Muradyan concluded.

The European Commission against Racism and Intolerance (ECRI) today published its new . While progress was achieved in areas such as migration legislation and living conditions of historical minorities, other issues give rise to concern, such as the continued use of hate speech, a crackdown on independent civil society and media, prejudice against LGBT people and discrimination against religious minorities.

ECRI expresses concern about a wide ranging crack-down on independent civil society and media. As a result, vulnerable groups can no longer turn to NGOs for assistance in cases of racism, hate speech and discrimination.

“Political leaders, educational institutions and media have continued using hate speech against Armenians; an entire generation of Azerbaijanis has now grown up listening to this hateful rhetoric. Human rights activists working inter alia towards reconciliation with Armenia have been sentenced to heavy prison terms on controversial accusations and there are big concerns that hate speech provisions have been misused against the Talysh minority,” the report reads.

“The authorities should ensure that public officials at all levels refrain from hate speech towards Armenians and create adequate conditions for the development of a diverse and independent civil society,” it continues.

“An entire generation of Azerbaijanis has now grown up listening to constant rhetoric of Armenian aggression. According to a 2012 survey, 91% perceived Armenia as Azerbaijan’s greatest enemy.”

ECRI reiterates its recommendation that the Azerbaijani authorities ensure that public officials at all levels refrain from hate speech towards Armenians.

“Even though no violent hate crime based on ethnic affiliation has been registered in Azerbaijan during the last five years, political leaders, educational institutions and media have continued spreading hate speech. The pardon, release and promotion in 2012 of Ramil Safarov, who had been sentenced in Budapest to life imprisonment for the murder of an Armenian army officer, contributes to a sense of impunity for the perpetrators of racist crime. The report recommends that authorities put an end to the constant, mediatized use of hate speech, and rather promote mutual understanding and confidence,” the report says.

ECRI is a human rights body of the Council of Europe, composed of independent experts, which monitors problems of racism, xenophobia, antisemitism, intolerance and discrimination on grounds such as “race”, national/ethnic origin, color, citizenship, religion and language (racial discrimination); it prepares reports and issues recommendations to member States.

Armenian gymnast Harutyun Merdinyan won a gold medal in the pommel horse competition of the 2016 Men’s European Championships held in Bern.

The win marked the first ever European title for independent Armenia and the first for an Armenian gymnast since Albert Azaryan in 1955.

Vahagn Davtyan and Artur Davtyan brought Armenia two silver medals.

By Marc Woods

Germany is set to vote on branding as genocide the killing of up to 1.5 million Armenians by the Turks a century ago.

It’s a diplomatic nightmare for Germany, and for Europe. Turkey has agreed to stop the flow of migrants across the Mediterranean from its territory and take back from Greece any who succeed in crossing. There are questions over whether it will work and whether it’s even legal, but it’s exacted a high price for doing so, including visa-free travel for its citizens. It can do so because it holds all the cards: the migration crisis has shaken Europe to its foundations.

But Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, unpredictable and authoritarian, is quite capable of taking the huff about this. One of his recurring complaints about Europe is that it’s a Christian club, profoundly lukewarm about Turkey’s application to join it. A resolution in Germany pinning guilt for the genocide firmly on Turkey might just be the last straw.

And just to be clear: Turkey did commit genocide.

Article Two of the UN Convention on Genocide of December 1948 describes genocide as carrying out acts intended “to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group”.

In 1915-16, hundreds of thousands of Armenians were murdered in their homes or in camps in circumstances of extreme brutality. Women were gang-raped, set on fire and thrown over cliffs. Men had horseshoes nailed to their feet. They were sent on death marches across the desert where they starved or died of thirst or were beaten to death when they fell behind.

Turkey has consistently denied, in the face of all the evidence, that there was a systematic programme of extermination. It has, subtly and not-so subtly, sought to eradicate all traces of the Armenians from the places they once lived.

Questioning the official account of the genocide in Turkey is risky. Turkey’s most internationally famous novelist, Orhan Pamuk, made an off-the-cuff remark to a Swiss interviewer in 2005. Discussing freedom of expression in Turkey, he said that “a million Armenians and 30,000 Kurds were killed in this country and I’m the only one who dares to talk about it”. The backlash was instantaneous, even though he didn’t use the banned word ‘genocide’. The press attacked him fiercely, he received death threats and had to go into hiding. Pamuk was threatened with prosecution, though the charges were dropped.

Journalist Hrant Dink, who also wrote about the genocide, was shot dead in January 2007 by teenage ultra-nationalist, Ogun Samast, who was jailed for 23 years in July 2011 for the crime.

Even Pope Francis has to walk on diplomatic eggshells. Last year he referred to the killings as “the first genocide of the 20th century”, resulting in the recall of Turkey’s ambassador to the Vatican, and his visit to Armenia next month will be another flashpoint.

Britain has declined to describe the events as genocide as it regards good relations with Turkey as more important.

But here’s the thing. If Germany had refused to recognise its responsibility for the Holocaust, no government would accept that it had a right to a place at the European table. It would still be an international pariah. In fact, it has unshrinkingly and painfully acknowledged what it did in a way that Turkey never has.

Turkey’s guilt is unquestionable. It owes it to the few survivors still living and to the descendents of those who escaped to acknowledge it. It owes it to history, too; and it owes If it does not, it can never be fully accepted into the community of Europe, whether it joins the EU or not.

In spite of the refugee crisis, in spite of the horrors unfolding on the other side of its border with Syria, in spite of the authoritarian crackdown on dissent and a renewed offensive against Turkish minority – all factors that would lead many diplomats to say that the less this boat is rocked the better – Germany’s parliament is doing a good thing. Whether it will sway Erdogan himself, or Turkish public opinion, is a different question. But the truth must be told.

The actions of the Azerbaijani forces are typical of a terrorist, Nazi state, which violates all norms of international humanitarian law, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan said, speaking to .

The Azeri forces kept shelling the populated areas in Karabakh, namely the settlements of Martakert and Mataghis, last night, targeting civilian objects, houses and schools.

Babayan noted that the recent bombardment overlapped with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s visit to Baku, which is not a coincidence. “Turkey has always been inspiring Azerbaijan to solve the issue in a military way,” he said.

On the eve Azerbaijan disseminated a provocative letter dated April 14, 2016 at the UN General Assembly and Security Council, where, striving to put the blame on Armenia, it unilaterally denounced the 1994 trilateral ceasefire agreement signed between Azerbaijan, Nagorno-Karabakh and Armenia.

David Babayan says the response of the OSCE Minsk Group should be harsh. As for the actions of the Armenian side, he said “we must show we are constructive and refrain from radical steps.”