Author: Hovsep Chakrian

The EU and Turkey say they have agreed the broad principles of a plan to ease the migration crisis at a summit in Brussels, but delayed a final decision, the BBC reports.

European Council President Donald Tusk said all irregular migrants arriving in Greece from Turkey would be returned.

For each Syrian returned, Turkey wants the EU to accept a recognised Syrian refugee, and offer more funding and progress on EU integration.

Talks on the plan will continue ahead of an EU meeting on 17-18 March.

Europe is facing its biggest refugee crisis since World War Two. Most migrants come via Turkey, which is already sheltering more than 2.7 million refugees from the civil war in neighbouring Syria.

Billionaire Iranian businessman Babak Zanjani has been sentenced to death for corruption, justice officials say, the BBC reports.

He was arrested in December 2013 after accusations that he withheld billions in oil revenue channelled through his companies. He denies the allegations.

Zanjani, 42, was convicted of fraud and economic crimes, a judiciary spokesperson said at a press briefing.

One of Iran’s richest men, Zanjani was blacklisted by the US and EU for helping Iran evade oil sanctions.

Two others were sentenced to death along with him and all were ordered to repay embezzled funds. The ruling can be appealed.

Photo: Getty Image

 

The White House has presented to Congress a plan to close the Guantanamo Bay detention facility, one of the president’s long-standing goals.

It wants to transfer the remaining 91 detainees to their home countries or to US military or civilian prisons.

But Congress is deeply opposed to terror suspects being held on US soil and is expected to block the move.

The prison costs $445m (£316m) to run annually and closing it was a 2009 promise from President Barack Obama.

He told reporters on Tuesday the prison undermined national security.

“This is about closing a chapter in our history,” said Mr Obama. “It reflects the lessons we’ve learned since 9/11 – lessons that must guide our nation going forward.”

President Serzh Sargsyan will hold a series of consultations with Armenian Ambassadors and heads of diplomatic missions in foreign countries and international organizations to discuss the opportunities of furthering Armenia’s economic interests, the perspectives of implementation of new projects, development of ties in a number of spheres.

The first meeting of the series was dedicated to issues on the agenda of Armenia-Iran relations, the ongoing programs and new initiatives. The discussion featured Armenia’s Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Energy and Natural Resources Karen Chshmarityan, Minister of Transport and Communication Gagik Beglaryan, other officials.

President Sargsyan asked Armenia’s Ambassador Artashes Tumanyan to report on a wide range of issues on the bilateral agenda.  “Naturally, the lifting of sanctions against Iran has opened perspectives for the implementation of new programs in a number of fields. I would like to know about Armenia’s chances of becoming a key transit route for Iran,” the President said.

Cooperation in the field of energy was the second important issue outlined by President Sargsyan. He stressed the need for establishment of additional infrastructures and generating capacities.

Another issue high on the agenda of today’s consultations was Armenia’s investment capacity, especially considering that it’s the only member state of the Eurasian Economic Union sharing a land border with Iran.

Ambassador Tumanyan reported that the constriction of the third high-voltage power line is under way and will be completed by 2018. He said that serving as a transport corridor is of fundamental importance to Armenia. He referred to a recent statement by Iran’s Transport Minister about his country’s state policy of “four corridors,” one of which passes through Armenia.

“Two important political events have taken place in the region. First, the economic and financial sanctions against Iran have been lifted. Second, our country has become a member of the Eurasian Economic Union. The two developments are fundamental for building our economic policy,” Artashes Tumanyan said.

At the end of the consultations, President Sargsyan gave instructions to the participants of the consultation and involved agencies.

Armenian Officer Gurgen Margaryan was murdered in Hungary on this day twelve years ago.

On February 19, 2004 Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant, Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a three-month English language course in the framework of NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace program.

In 2006, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary with a minimum incarceration period of 30 years. He was extradited on August 31, 2012 to Azerbaijan where he was greeted as a hero, pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev despite contrary assurances made to Hungary, promoted to the rank of major and given an apartment and over eight years of back pay.

Following Safarov’s pardon, Armenia severed diplomatic relations with Hungary.

The Governments of Azerbaijan and Hungary have been asked by the European Court of Human Rights to respond formally to a case brought by the relatives of Armenian army officer Gurgen Margaryan.

Former UN Secretary-General Boutros Boutros-Ghali, a blunt-spoken Egyptian who led the world body through global turmoil as it defined its peacekeeping role and lost his job over disputes with Washington, died on Tuesday aged 93, Reuters reports.

Boutros-Ghali headed the United Nations from 1992-1996, chaotic years marked by war in the former Yugoslavia and famine and genocide in Africa. He died at Al Salam Hospital in Cairo on Tuesday, a hospital official said. Egypt’s state news agency MENA said he had a broken leg and heart and kidney problems.

The 15-member UN Security Council observed a minute’s silence after his death was announced.

UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon issued a statement praising Boutros-Ghali for leading the organization through “one of the most tumultuous and challenging periods in its history.”

“He showed courage in posing difficult questions to the member states and rightly insisted on the independence of his office and of the secretariat as a whole,” Ban said.

Boutros-Ghali came from a wealthy family with an impressive political lineage and he bridged several realms. As an Egyptian, he was able to claim to be both Arab and African. He was a Coptic Christian from a mainly Muslim country and married an Egyptian Jew, who converted to his religion.

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.

Photo: PETER MCCABE/MONTREAL GAZETTE

 

Too many Quebec students finish high school with no knowledge of genocides, past or present, including the Holocaust, the Armenian genocide, Rwandan genocide and the cultural genocide of First Nations, a Montreal-based foundation argued on Wednesday, reports.

The Foundation for the Compulsory Study of Genocide in Schools had Liberal MNA David Birnbaum table a petition in the National Assembly demanding that the topic be made mandatory in Quebec high schools. It is currently up to individual teachers to decide how much they want to teach about genocide, the foundation said.

“I’ve seen teachers who have done amazing jobs with their high school students; they put on exhibits, they take their students to the Holocaust museum, they learn about the Armenian genocide, and other schools that I’ve gone to where teachers have come up to me saying ‘We’re very, very worried, our children are graduating from Grade 11 not knowing even what the word genocide means,’ ” foundation chairperson Heidi Berger said.

The petition, which collected about 3,000 signatures, states that “racial and cultural intolerance and discrimination are the preconditions associated with the beginnings of genocide,” which is defined as “the systematic destruction of a racial, ethnic or cultural group.” Education, the petition continues, is the key to recognizing and preventing discrimination and acts of hate among youth, and knowledge of genocides is essential to preventing such acts in the future.

“Considering the times that we’re in, 25,000 Syrian refugees coming in, 16- and 17-year-olds with the radicalization and ISIS and so forth, with the cultural genocide and the Aboriginals, there’s no time like now to make sure that every student graduating from Grade 11 understands what genocide is and the stages that lead to genocide,” Berger added.

Catherine Poulin, press attaché for the education minister, said there is already a compulsory class that deals with genocide called “Contemporary World.”

“At this point, it is not our intention to change the curriculum,” Poulin said.

Liberal MP Anthony Housefather said there should be more compulsory content related to genocide in schools all across Canada.

“I spoke about this in the House of Commons last week and made a member’s statement calling upon all the different provinces to include this in the curriculum,” he said, adding Ontario, Manitoba and British Columbia have made the most headway so far, along with some American states: New Jersey, New York, California, Florida and Illinois.

President Serzh Sargsyan has signed a decree, relieving Sergey Manasaryan of the duties of the Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia.

According to another presidential decree, Sergey Manasaryan has been appointed as Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of Armenia to the People’s Republic of China.

One of Japan’s most active volcanos erupted spectacularly Friday evening with a fiery blast that sent lava rolling down its slope, the Associated Press reports.

Japan’s Meteorological Agency said Sakurajima on the southern island of Kyushu erupted at around 7 p.m. (1000 GMT).

Japanese television showed an orange burst out of the side of the volcano, near the summit, accompanied by lightning-like flashes. Dark gray smoke billowed into the sky.

The Meteorological Agency banned entry to the area, expanding an existing no-go zone around the crater to a 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) radius, according to public broadcaster NHK. There were no immediate reports of injuries.

Friday’s eruption, while dramatic, was average compared to Sakurajima’s past eruptions, Kyoto University volcanologist Kazuhiro Ishihara told NHK. The mountain’s last major eruption was in September.

He said rocks spewing out of the crater were expected to fall within the 2-kilometer (1.2-mile) zone from the crater. Smoke and ash rose 2 kilometers (1.2 miles) into the air, about half the height measured in 2013 in one of the mountain’s biggest explosions in recent years, he said.

“I don’t think there will be any serious impact from the explosion,” Ishihara said. “But of course we must keep monitoring the volcanic activity.”

The Japanese archipelago sits atop the Pacific “Ring of Fire,” an arc of volcanoes and fault lines in the Pacific Basin, and has more than 100 volcanoes. The 2014 eruption of Mount Ontake in central Japan killed 57 people.