Author: David Nargizian

Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan eulogizes late Ambassador Christian Ter-Stepanian in Paris

David Nargizian

 14:35, 9 November 2023

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan, who is now in Paris for the UNESCO General Conference, attended a ceremony commemorating Christian Ter-Stepanian, the late Permanent Representative of Armenia to UNESCO.

Ter-Stepanian died on November 7 at the age of 72.

Foreign Minister Mirzoyan delivered a eulogy for Ter-Stepanian at the commemoration ceremony.

“It is with heavy heart that I am paying tribute in memory of Permanent Representative of Armenia, our dear colleague His Excellency Mr. Christian Ter Stepanian who passed away on November 7 at the age of 72.

Ambassador Ter-Stepanian was a prominent diplomat, who made a great contribution to the establishment of the system of the Diplomatic Service of Armenia and proudly represented our country in various international fora.

Christian Ter-Stepanian dedicated the last years of his life to promoting the core values and principles of UNESCO and strengthening Armenia’s cooperation with the Organization.

As the Personal Representative of the Prime Minister of Armenia to the International Organization of Francophonie, Ambassador Ter Stepanian played an invaluable role in advancing Armenia’s ties with the Francophonie and its member states.

The 30 year-long professional career of Christian Ter-Stepanian was marked with dedication, professionalism and tireless work in serving Armenia and promoting its national priorities and international cooperation. A brilliant person and a good friend for many diplomats, currently present here, he will be remembered by the diplomatic community.

I extend my deepest condolences to Ambassador's family members, relatives and all those who mourn his loss,” Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan said.

Asbarez: Catholicos Aram I Raises Ethnic Cleansing of Artsakh’s Armenians with House Speaker Mike Johnson

David Nargizian
by Contributor

 

 

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Main, Latest, News, Top Stories
His Holiness Aram I led Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada in meetings on Capitol Hill.


Highlights Plight of Artsakh Armenians in Opening Prayer of U.S. House of Representatives

WASHINGTON – His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Great House of Cilicia, on Thursday called for American leadership in aiding Artsakh’s 100,000 Armenian Christian refugees, during discussions with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a dozen other members of Congress, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

“We warmly welcome His Holiness Aram I’s constructive consultations with Congressional leaders – among them Speaker Johnson and former Speaker Pelosi,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A global ambassador for Armenian aspirations and inter-faith understanding, His Holiness represents a powerful voice for justice in Washington and in capitals around the world.”

Aram meets with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Adam Schiff, and US House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, prior to offering today’s opening prayer Aram I speaking with former Speaker Nancy Pelosi as Rep. Anna Eshoo and His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian look on

The Armenian pontiff was on Capitol Hill at the invitation of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and served as Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.

After a meeting in the Capitol with Speaker Johnson, Rep. Schiff, and U.S. House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, His Holiness Aram I offered the opening prayer at today’s U.S. House of Representatives session.  In his prayer, he noted, “Help us, God of Mercy, remember in our prayers more than one hundred thousand Armenian refugees who were recently forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh, their centuries old homeland…” The prayer was televised on CSPAN.

In remarks on the U.S. House floor, Rep. Schiff welcomed His Holiness Aram I to Congress, noting that “his unwavering commitment to the values of faith, community, and compassion embodies the spirit of our vibrant Armenian community.”  Rep. Schiff went on to stress that His Holiness Aram I’s “support for humanitarian issues, advocacy for human rights, engagement in several educational and cultural initiatives, and promotion of interfaith understanding have left an indelible mark making the world a better place for all.”

Following the prayer, His Holiness Aram I met with Speaker Pelosi, House Democratic Whip Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), at a reception hosted by the ANCA. His Holiness also met separately with Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL).  The Armenian pontiff praised members of the Congressional Armenian Staff Association in attendance, for their efforts to educate elected officials on Armenian American concerns.

Aram I led Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada in meetings on Capitol Hill Aram I with Members of Congress, Armenian clergy and lay leaders from the Prelacies of Eastern US, Western US, and Canada, and ANCA advocates. Aram I led Armenian clergy in singing a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer in Armenian at the Capitol Prayer Room, adjacent to the rotunda.

Prior to leaving the Capitol, His Holiness Aram I led fellow clergy in a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer, sung in Armenian in the Congressional Prayer Room near the rotunda in the United States Capitol.

During his visit to the U.S. Capitol, Catholicos Aram I was accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; His Eminence Archbishop Papken Tcharian, Prelate of the Canadian Prelacy; His Grace Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate of the Western U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar General of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, head of the Catholicosate Media Department; Very Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aprahamian, head of the Middle East and Christian-Islam dialogue section of the Ecumenical Department of the Catholicosate; Mr. Stepan Der Bedrosian, co-chair of the Central Executive Council of the Catholicosate; Leaders of the Executive Councils of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy, Western U.S. Prelacy, and Canadian Prelacy; as well ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and members of the ANCA Washington DC Staff.

His Holiness Aram I arrived in Washington, DC earlier this week, the first stop in his visit to the Eastern Prelacy, continuing his mission to revitalize Diasporan life through the various fields of activity of the Cilician Catholicosate prelacies.

Asbarez: Schiff Resolution Seeks Sanctions against Azerbaijan for Illegally Holding Armenian Prisoners

David Nargizian
by Contributor

 

 November 9, 2023

 

in Armenia, Artsakh, Featured Story, Latest, News, Top Stories

Measure Urges President Biden to Secure Release of Prisoners; Cut All Military Aid to Azerbaijan

WASHINGTON, D.C.—Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) introduced legislation today demanding Azerbaijan’s immediate release of Armenian prisoners of war, captured civilians, and political prisoners, including Artsakh government officials illegally detained during Azerbaijan’s ethnic cleansing last month, reported the Armenian National Committee of America.

The resolution specifically calls on the Biden Administration to impose sanctions under the Global Magnitsky Human Rights Accountability Act on Azerbaijani government officials responsible for the illegal detention, torture, and extrajudicial killing of Armenian POWs. It also reiterates Congressional calls for the enforcement of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. military and security assistance to Azerbaijan.

“Azerbaijan must immediately and unconditionally release all illegally held Artsakh officials, prisoners of war, and other detainees, not in barter – as part of Baku’s cruel commodification of human suffering – but rather in compliance with its own obligations under international law,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian.  “We thank Congressman Schiff for introducing this measure and look forward to working on a bipartisan basis to see this measure adopted on an urgent basis by the full House of Representatives.”

“Azerbaijan is already guilty of grave atrocities committed during the recent war, and the continued illegal detention of Armenians compounds the problem. Azerbaijan’s treatment of these prisoners, including torture and killings, is heartbreaking and a direct threat to international law and order,” said Rep. Schiff. “My resolution urges the American government and international community to stand up to these gross human rights violations being perpetuated against the Armenian community by the Aliyev regime and return these prisoners back to their families.”

The resolution condemns Azerbaijan’s illegal detention of Artsakh civilian and military officials held as political prisoners: former Artsakh presidents Arkadi Ghukasyan, Bako Sahakyan, and Arayik Harutyunyan, former Artsakh Foreign Minister David Babayan, Speaker of Artsakh’s Parliament Davit Ishkhanyan, former Artsakh State Minister Ruben Vardanyan, and former Artsakh military commanders Levon Mnatsakanyan and David Manukyan.

Rep. Schiff’s resolution builds on similar legislation he and the Congressional Armenian Caucus led in 2021 (H.Res.240), which garnered broad bi-partisan support.  The resolution’s call for U.S. sanctions on Azerbaijani leaders and enforcement of Section 907 restrictions on U.S. aid to Azerbaijan echoes bipartisan legislation (H.Res.108 / H.R.5683) and multiple Congressional letters to the Biden Administration which has garnered the support of over 100 Congressional leaders

Skewed Armenia-Azerbaijan Policy Fails to Serve Interests of U.S. and California

David Nargizian
Times of San Diego
Nov 1 2023

by Jacob Kamaras

When it comes to Eurasia’s South Caucasus region, the _expression_ “to the victor belong the spoils” seemingly does not apply in foreign policy circles.

Today, the victor in Karabakh overwhelmingly receives condemnation, including from the U.S. government and California lawmakers.

Azerbaijan’s September victory in Karabakh — completing the liberation of formerly Armenia-occupied territories that began with Armenia’s surrender in the nations’ 44-day war in 2020 — is persistently met with accusations of “forcible displacement,” “ethnic cleansing,” and even “genocide.” Commentators lament how Karabakh’s “fight for independence” has ended.

The Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, which includes California-based U.S. Reps. Adam Schiff and David Valadao, last month accused Azerbaijan of “implementing a genocidal campaign against the Armenian people of Nagorno-Karabakh.” Schiff later introduced a resolution to require the State Department to report on the human rights practices of Azerbaijan, repeating the accusation that the country is “actively engaged in ethnic cleansing or genocide.”

Yet as 100,000 Armenians recently departed the region, such claims are devoid of both historical context and present realities on the ground.

According to the U.N. Human Rights Council, Azerbaijan hosts more than 650,000 internally displaced persons (IDPs), largely resulting from Armenia’s three-decade-long occupation of Karabakh — which four U.N. Security Council resolutions repeatedly reaffirm is Azerbaijani territory. As the narrative of Armenian displacement dominates today’s headlines, these Azerbaijani refugees are continuously forgotten.

Secretary of State Antony Blinken, meanwhile, in a call with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan “reaffirmed U.S. support for Armenia’s sovereignty, independence, and territorial integrity.” USAID Administrator Samantha Power has used the same language. This means that longstanding State Department policy, which explicitly “supports the territorial integrity of Azerbaijan” and “does not recognize Nagorno-Karabakh as an independent country,” is disregarded at Foggy Bottom.

These double standards on IDPs and territorial integrity reflect an American policy rooted in a spur-of-the-moment reaction to the current situation, ignoring more than 30 years of history in the region.

What occurred in Karabakh from the early 1990s until 2020? It was Azerbaijanis, in fact, who were killed en masse and displaced within their country’s internationally recognized border.

Armenia’s occupation was marked by not only neglect but intentional destruction of the area — which remains painfully visible today through looted homes, mosques (including those that were used to house livestock), and cemeteries, and what U.N. experts estimate to be more than 1 million explosive devices in the area. What had once been a lush green area with vineyards as well as thriving wheat and cotton production prior to the occupation was decimated, as springs were blocked to divert water for military purposes.

Subsequently, what occurred between Azerbaijan’s victories in 2020 and 2023? When Armenia’s military had several weeks to withdraw from Karabakh following their surrender in the 2020 war, they used the time to plant difficult-to-detect explosives such as remote-controlled and plastic mines, posing threats to Azerbaijan’s redevelopment of Karabakh and the return of Azerbaijani IDPs to peaceful life in their homes.

Armenia has used the Lachin road — the road connecting Armenia with Karabakh — to transport landmines and plant them in the territory of Azerbaijan. At the same time, Azerbaijan faced widespread accusations that it had closed the Lachin road, even while it kept the road open to Armenians for humanitarian purposes.

The current U.S. administration and California lawmakers, however, have echoed the Armenian perspective to the detriment of international law and American interests. In contrast to his supportive words for Pashinyan, Blinken asked Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev “to refrain from further hostilities in Nagorno-Karabakh and provide unhindered humanitarian access.”

Azerbaijan remains the key to U.S. national interests in the region as the administration navigates the complexities of policy toward Russia, China, and Iran. But Washington fails to give Baku the attention it deserves.

It must be asked: What is driving U.S. policy in the South Caucasus? Is it religion, given Armenia’s predominantly Christian population and Azerbaijan’s Muslim majority (though with strong interfaith and secular traditions)? Might it be partisan politics, shaped by the support Armenia receives from Congressional Democrats and its sizable diaspora in the blue state of California? And how does this skewed policy advance American and Californian interests?

It is incumbent upon U.S. and California leaders to understand that the world is watching their response in the South Caucasus. Regrettably, America’s allies and adversaries alike are witnessing a policy that practices double standards, lacks a moral compass, and fails to acknowledge decades of context in the region.

Americans are likely to be left with more questions than answers. Yet in the absence of a clear understanding of the administration’s motivation, the least they should expect of Washington is a balanced approach. Only then can the U.S. live up to its promise as a trustworthy broker of an enduring peace in the South Caucasus.

Jacob Kamaras is the editor and publisher of the San Diego Jewish World, the former editor-in-chief of the Jewish News Syndicate, and the founder of Stellar Jay Communications, a PR firm representing Azerbaijan.

RFE/RL Armenian Service – 11/02/2023

David Nargizian 
                                        Thursday, November 2, 2023


Armenian Authorities Report Another ‘Terror Plot’

        • Karlen Aslanian

Armenia -- The main entrance to the National Security Service headquarters in 
Yerevan.


Armenia’s National Security Service (NSS) said on Thursday that it has arrested 
five members of an armed group that plotted to seize government buildings and 
“disrupt the work of state bodies.”

The NSS did not identify the suspects and gave few details of the alleged plot. 
In a statement, it said that they planned to set off an explosion and 
assassinate a “civilian.” The latter was not identified either.

Nor did the NSS clarify whether it believes that overthrowing the Armenian 
government was the ultimate aim of the “terrorist acts” which it said were 
codenamed “Northern Leaf Fall” by the arrested persons.

The security agency released two purported audios of their conversations 
secretly recorded by NSS officers. In one of then, a man can be heard saying 
that he has many “sponsors from America and Russia” and telling another to 
recruit “the ones who came from Ukraine.” The two men also appeared to discuss a 
drone attack on an unknown target.

The NSS claimed to have found and confiscated a quadrocopter drone along with 
weapons and ammunition during searches conducted in the suspects’ homes and 
other locations. It said it also seized handwritten texts detailing the foiled 
conspiracy.

A purported screenshot of one such document released by the NSS calls for 
attracting members of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA), a pro-Western 
fringe group increasingly critical of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian. The group 
led by Zhirayr Sefilian, a prominent nationalist figure, did not immediately 
comment on that.

The NSS statement said that the alleged plotters planned to create fake 
Ukrainian and Moldovan social media accounts in a bid to drum up popular support 
for that they would have called a “national salvation revolt.”

The NSS claimed to have foiled a similar plot in late September when it arrested 
eight men accused of conspiring to assassinate Pashinian and seize power. The 
suspects include Albert Bazeyan, a once prominent politician who had served as 
mayor of Yerevan over two decades ago. Bazeyan denies the accusations.




Azeri Troops Not Massed At Border, Says Armenian Official

        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia - Yerevan-based foreign military attaches visit a border area in Syunik 
province, May 20, 2021.


A senior Armenian official on Thursday seemed to downplay the risk of an 
Azerbaijani invasion of Armenia, saying that Baku has not amassed a significant 
number of troops along the Armenian-Azerbaijani border.

“According to my information, there is no military buildup around Armenia’s 
borders at the moment,” deputy parliament speaker Hakob Arshakian told reporters.

“Is there a threat [of Azerbaijani attack] or not?” he went on. “There have been 
positive developments lately in terms of a change in [Azerbaijani] rhetoric and 
statements by international authoritative bodies, parliaments, governments and 
other entities to the effect that Armenia’s territorial integrity cannot be 
called into question.”

“I’m not saying that that everything is wonderful and there is no danger,” 
Arshakian said, pointing to a joint Turkish-Azerbaijani military exercise held 
in Azerbaijan late last month.

The Armenian government said in early September that Azerbaijani troops are 
massing along the border and the “line of contact” in Nagorno-Karabakh in 
possible preparation for a large-scale attack. About two weeks later, they 
launched an offensive in Karabakh that caused a mass exodus of its population 
and paved the way for the restoration of Baku’s control over the region.

The Azerbaijani takeover of Karabakh raised more fears in Yerevan that Baku will 
also invade Armenia to open an exterritorial land corridor to Nakhichevan. A 
senior Armenian diplomat said on October 8 that the attack could be launched in 
the coming weeks.

The U.S.-based Lemkin Institute for Genocide Prevention likewise warned on 
Wednesday of the “alarming potential for an invasion of Armenia by Azerbaijan in 
the coming days and weeks.”

“Azerbaijan has long coveted Armenia’s southern Syunik Province, which has been 
discussed in the recent past as the site of an Azerbaijani-controlled ‘Zangezur 
Corridor’ to Nakhichevan,” it said in a “red flag alert” posted on its website.

Commenting to that warning, the U.S. State Department reiterated that an attack 
on Armenia “would bring serious consequences.”

“The United States strongly supports Armenia’s sovereignty and territorial 
integrity,” it told the Voice of America.




Moscow Slams Yerevan Over Fresh ‘Anti-Russian’ Moves


Russia - Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Maria Zakharova attends the Saint 
Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF), June 16, 2022.


Russia accused Armenia on Thursday of continuing to ruin Russian-Armenian 
relations when it reacted to a senior Armenian official’s participation in 
multilateral peace talks initiated by Ukraine.

The Russian Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, also charged that 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s government is behind what she described as the 
“Russophobic” content of Armenian pro-government media.

Armen Grigorian, the secretary of Armenia’s Security Council, was among 
representatives of more than 60 countries who gathered in Malta last week to 
discuss Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskiy’s plan to end the war with 
Russia. Grigorian also met with Zelenskiy’s chief of staff, Andriy Yermak, on 
the sidelines of the two-day meeting condemned by Russia as a “blatantly 
anti-Russian event.”

Zakharova said Moscow views Grigorian’s trip to Malta as a “demonstrative 
anti-Russian gesture of official Yerevan.” She linked it to Pashinian’s October 
6 conversation with Zelenskiy, which took place during a European summit in 
Spain, and his wife Anna Hakobian’s September visit to Kyiv.

“In Yerevan, I think, they should be aware that this is a demonstrative 
flirtation with those who aggressively oppose our country,” Zakharova told a 
news briefing. “It is regrettable that the current leadership of the republic is 
purposefully and persistently destroying our allied relations, which not so long 
ago it itself called the most important factor in the stability and prosperity 
of Armenia.”

Malta - Andriy Yermak, Ukraine's presidential office head, meets Armen 
Grigorian, secretary of Armenia's Security Council, October 28, 2023.

Tensions between the two longtime allies rose further following Azerbaijan’s 
September 19-20 military offensive in Nagorno-Karabakh that forced its ethnic 
Armenian population to flee to Armenia. Pashinian accused Russian peacekeepers 
of failing to protect the Karabakh Armenians against the “ethnic cleansing.”

In an October 17 speech at the European Parliament, Pashinian also alleged that 
Moscow is using the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to try to oust him from power. A 
Russian official responded by the telling the official TASS news agency that the 
Armenian premier is “following in Zelenskiy’s footsteps” and helping the West 
“turn Armenia into another Ukraine.”

The Armenian Foreign Ministry handed the Russian ambassador in Yerevan a protest 
note on October 24 one day after Russia’s leading state broadcaster, Channel 
One, derided and lambasted Pashinian during an hour-long program. For its part, 
the Russian Foreign Ministry summoned the Armenian charge d’affaires the 
following day to condemn what it called anti-Russian propaganda spread by 
Armenian Public Television and other pro-government media outlets.

Zakharova claimed that what those outlets have been disseminating is “not just 
insults but undisguised Russophobia.”

“We do understand who is behind the funding of these [media] resources,” she 
said. “If they think over there that we don’t know who pays for it all, we know.”



Reposted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2023 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

Why does Israel still dominate the news and not Nagorno-Karabakh?

David Nargizian
Nov 1 2023

01-11-2023

Opinion

Evert van Vlastuin, CNE.news

The Israeli representative at the UN in New York put on a yellow star last Monday. His photo was used all over the world, confirming the observation that the conflict between Israel and Hamas still dominates all the news. Why is that?

Early October, just before the terrorist attack on Israel, we shifted our focus to Nagorno-Karabakh. Something historic was going on there: the “ethnic cleansing” of Armenians from the region.

The conflict there has a spiritual element as well. You can view these events as Christians (Armenians) against Muslims (Azerbaijan). But why does it not come back as a central topic in the news? Why is it still Israel and Gaza?

These questions are not easy to answer.

Of course, the Armenians are of no less value than Israelis or Palestinians. And it is still difficult to understand that such events that took place in Nagorno-Karabakh recently can take place in our days.

Still, there is a difference between Nagorno-Karabakh and Israel. Israel is not a country like all others; it is unique. And therefore, it is called the Holy Land. What does that mean? You can give three perspectives on that:

The Middle East has been a challenging region, at least since the end of the Second World War. Since the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948, there has been unrest continuously. Of course, this has to do with the territorial issue: not only the Jews but also the Arabs want their state to be on the same soil.

Together with this, the West has many interests there. The UN’s partition plan from 1947 was one of the significant decisions of this new international body. The United Nations still feel committed to the Israel-Palestine problem (although the relationship between Israel and the UN has never been so bad as it is now).

Many leaders in Israel have strong relations with the Western world. Prime Minister Netanyahu, for instance, even lived in the USA. And the same applies to thousands of other Israelis. Western journalists always have somebody to talk to. The country is quite easily accessible to the media compared with Nagorno-Karabakh.

Another aspect of this horizontal perspective is this short word: oil. The Middle East is a region that is essential for the economic development of the rest of the world because of energy. From this standpoint, it is understandable that the media focus on the region’s stability. Take only the nuclear ambitions of Iran.

There is more between Israel and Palestine than the issue of land. It is religion. Most Arabs are Muslim, and many Jews are Judaistic. They have different visions, even colliding values. In most Muslim countries, anti-Semitism is extreme. It seems that Islam and Judaism cannot live along each other easily.

Especially in Jerusalem, this is a problem. The Jews are proud that they are back in the Old City, in which even King David lived. But for the Muslim nations in and around Israel, this is an offence. A Muslim is not allowed to give up land that was occupied by Islam once. It doesn’t surprise that they use power and even violence to get this land back again.

The West has been trained in a secular outlook. Especially Protestantism has taught there is no difference between the sacred and the profane; God creates both, and they are equally holy. This sometimes resulted in an indifference towards the Israel-Palestine issue. If all land is sacred –even the Sahara desert– why would I be concerned about the Temple Mountain? Of course, this has not helped to solve the problem.

For many, Israel is not only called the Holy Land but is Holy Land. And within the country, Jerusalem is the very location where heaven meets earth.

As an outsider, I have witnessed how European Jews visited the Western Wall. The nearer they came to the Wall, the more they were captured by emotions. For them, this place is very, very special.

Also, for Muslims, Jerusalem is a holy city. This is where the prophet Mohammed prayed and was taken to heaven. For them, it is difficult to share the holy place with the Jews.

But also, for Christians, Israel is a beloved country. For centuries and centuries, God only revealed Himself to the twelve Israelite tribes. Only after the resurrection of Christ and Pentecost (around the year AD 35) the Gospel went abroad “till the end of the earth”. But still, no land was as blessed with God’s interference as this soil. It is self-evident that people with an interest in the Bible also have an interest in the land of the Bible. This is the place where it all happened. Many places in the world are historic, but this place is central in salvation history!

But after 1948, many Protestants –especially Evangelicals– have taken on a position that sometimes is similar to the Jewish and Muslim one, in that sense that Jerusalem has a vertical dimension that London, Paris and Moscow do not have.

In the past, Roman Catholics had this idea about the Vatican. We read that Martin Luther had strong expectations when he went to Rome in 1510; he would see a holiness that he had never seen before – and he returned very disappointed.

The same vertical dimension we see in Mecca, where the Muslims think the Black Stone from the Kaaba has fallen out of heaven. This stone gives a material connection between the earth and the spiritual world.

Does Jerusalem indeed have that vertical element? Well, as a staunch Calvinist, it would be difficult for me to say that. I don’t believe the Bible teaches that there is less sin in Jerusalem than in my hometown. Neither is there more holiness.

On the other hand, I believe that God still has a plan with the Jews, the chosen people. Few ancient nations have survived the centuries until the present day, but the Jews did. Why? I think that God has a unique goal with that, to glorify Himself and to bring the Israelites to Christ (see Romans 11,26).

Some have said recently that anti-Semitism is not just hatred against men but hatred against God. I believe this is true. Satan does not want this spiritual change among the Israelites.

Of course, this has nothing to do with politics and the Middle East. But it might be so that God brought (half of) His people back to their old house for a particular purpose.

I use the word “house” deliberately. The State of Israel is an earthly house for a special people. It is not helpful to put this state on a unique level, different from other states. But for the Jewish nation, yes, I think the Bible teaches that we can expect something of God for them.

Back to the first question: why so much publicity for Israel? I have given some considerations that could help.

It seems wise to me first to consider horizontal aspects. I believe that God works in horizontal things as well. If we don’t think of Him, He thinks about us. And there are plenty of reasons why the Middle East gets more continuous attention from the media than other regions.

And at the end, there remains a riddle. Or a secret. Only God knows that.

In my church tradition, they sometimes make the comparison with an embroidery: we only see the back of the stitching, a bit rough and full of loose ends. But God guides the history according to His plan – don’t be afraid.

https://cne.news/article/3822-everts-comment-why-does-israel-still-dominate-the-news-and-not-nagorno-karabakh

Child dies of measles in Armenia

David Nargizian

 13:09,

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 25, ARMENPRESS. A child has died of measles in Armenia, healthcare minister Anahit Avanesyan said Wednesday.

Avanesyan told reporters that the child had underlying diseases.

“We’ve had a fatal case of measles in a child, but the child had other diseases, and the measles led to the death,” she said.

Avanesyan said that children, as well as adults with underlying diseases, must be fully vaccinated against measles to be protected.

Masdar seeks EBRD financing for 200-MW solar project in Armenia

David Nargizian
Renewables Now
Oct 17 2023
 

The European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD) is considering providing USD 47 million (EUR 44.6m) to support the realisation of a 200-MW solar farm project by the Abu Dhabi Future Energy Company PJSC, or Masdar, in western Armenia.

The borrower, a limited liability company incorporated in Armenia and 85% owned by Masdar, is seeking a secured limited recourse project finance facility of up to USD 41 million coupled with a concessional loan of up to USD 6 million by the Clean Technology Fund.

The funds will be used to finance the development, design, construction and operation of a facility to be located in the towns of Talin and Dashtadem of the Aragatsotn Region, according to notices published on the EBRD website on Tuesday.

The project, whose total cost is estimated at USD 186.6 million, will be the second utility-scale private power generator in Armenia which currently houses only small-scale private capacity of intermittent generation. Upon commissioning, it is expected to reduce carbon dioxide emissions by up to 169,000 tonnes annually.

The concept for the Ayg-1 Solar Power Plant project is currently under review, with a final decision on the financing expected on November 28, 2023, according to the EBRD website.

(USD 1 = EUR 0.947)

https://renewablesnow.com/news/masdar-seeks-ebrd-financing-for-200-mw-solar-project-in-armenia-836992/