Author: Lara Antonian

On a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan, the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi and Deputy Supreme Commander of the UAE Armed Forces.

Noting that Armenia is interested in intensifying the political dialogue and developing comprehensive cooperation with the United Arab Emirates, President Sargsyan voiced hope that agreements reached during the visit will contribute to the further development of ties.

Serzh Sargsyan hailed the fact that the relations between Armenia and UAE have entered a new, more practical stage of development, over 20 agreements on cooperation in different spheres have been signed between the two countries, more documents are expected to be signed within the framework of the visit.

The interlocutors agreed that the interstate relations between Armenia and UAE are successfully developing on the basis of the centuries-old friendship between the Armenian and Arab people.

President Sargsyan and Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed bin Sultan Al-Nahyan emphasized the importance of the activity of the Intergovernmental Commission in promoting the current pace of trade-economic cooperation.

The parties agreed to intensify the work towards attracting more UAE investments in the Armenian economy and find effective mechanisms to implement the investment projects.

The interlocutors referred to a number of issues on bilateral agenda, the urgent international issue, the crisis in the Middle East, the problems and challenges existing in the South Caucasus, the process of settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The City Council of the Spanish City of Malaga has unanimously adopted a statement, officially recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

The statement describes the events at the turn of the century as a crime against humanity, which resulted in the creation of the Armenian Diaspora.

The Malaga City Council has expressed its support for world-spread Armenians. It has also noted that a cross stone dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims will be erected in Malaga’s Central Park in the near future.

Photo: Reuters

Islamic State (IS) militants have mounted a ferocious counter-attack in north Iraq, killing at least 19 people in and around the city of Kirkuk, the BBC reports.

They attacked government buildings, killing at least six police officers, and a power station under construction, where 13 employees died, officials say.

Twelve IS fighters also reportedly died and fighting seems to be continuing.

Government and Kurdish forces began a long-awaited operation against the IS capital in Iraq, Mosul, on Monday.

Mosul lies 170km to the north-east of Kirkuk, a multi-ethnic city claimed both by Iraq’s central government and the Kurds.

Government forces said on Friday they had regained control of a further two villages – al-Awaizat and Nanaha – south of Mosul, evacuating 65 displaced families and killing 15 IS militants.

Armenian Defense Minster Vigen Sargsyan received today Herbert Salber, EU Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia.

During the meeting the Defense Minister presented the situation at the line of contact, the overview of the ceasefire violations by the Azerbaijani side and the latest developments in the Karabakh conflict settlement process.

The parties reiterated the lack of alternative to a peaceful settlement and stressed the importance of the international community’s support for the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the confidence-building measures.

The Armenian Defense Minister and the EU Special Representative exchanged views on a number of regional and international issues, as well as the perspectives of Armenia-EU cooperation.

Turkey can play a positive role in Nagorno-Karabakhh settlement, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Friday, TASS reports.

“The fact that Turkey can play a positive role, ensuring the unblocking of Nagorno-Karabakh, ensuring normal economic cooperation in the region – is a major factor that we always have in mind,” he told reporters in Yerevan.

“If Armenia and Turkey get back to the implementation of their agreements without reference to the Karabakh conflict, we will only be glad. But our feeling is that progress in the Karabakh settlement will be crucial for seeing Armenian-Turkish relations normalized,” Lavrov said.

By today’s decree of President Serzh Sargsyan, Vigen Sargsyan was relieved of his duties as the Chief of the Presidential Administration and appointed the RA Minister of Defense. Edward Nalbandian was appointed the RA Minister of Foreign Affairs. By another decree of the President of Armenia, Armen Gevorkian was relieved of his duties as the Secretary of the National Security Council and appointed the Chief of the Presidential Staff. By the Presidential decrees Yuri Khatchaturov was relieved of his duties as the Chief of Staff of the RA Armed Forces and appointed the Secretary of the National Security Council. Movses Hakopian was relieved of his duties as the Deputy Minister of Defense and Head of the Logistics Department and appointed Chief of Staff of the RA Armed Forces.

Today, the President of Armenia introduced the newly appointed Chief of the Presidential staff Armen Gevorkian to the leading staff of the Presidential Administration and informed about Vigen Sargsyan’s new position. “I would like to thank Vigen Sargsyan for the works conducted at his already former position and would like to add sincerely that the managerial abilities of Vigen Sargsyan at this position were revealed at their best, and nobody will deny that the manifestation of the best abilities was made possible through your direct participation and assistance,” said President Sargsyan.

The President highly valued works carried out by Vigen Sargsyan in recent years related to the coordination of multiple events of the pan-Armenia import and expressed confidence that as Minister of Defense he will be able meet all expectations. “Vigen, I once again congratulate you and wish you success. No need to say that the advancement of our country will be also conditioned by your work as will certainly the further enforcement of our defensibility.” With regard to the appointment of the new Chief of Staff, the President of Armenia said that Armen Gevorkian at the new position, just as on the previous position, will undoubtedly display his strong-willed qualities. “Armen Gevorkian will be able to further amplify capabilities of the staff working here and of our country in general. Armen, my congratulations and wishes for success,” said the President of Armenia.

Vigen Sargsyan thanked the President of Armenia for the great trust invested in him in carrying out in the last five years for the organization and coordination of the works of the Presidential Staff. He noted that considerable work has been done in recent years together with the professional and dedicated staff of the Presidential Administration, which comprises one team.

“These years, we have been able to coordinate and regulate even some automated processes which are related to the works of the President of Armenia such as issues related to citizenship, staff management and issues related to the organization of foreign visits and receiving foreign delegations. By your decision Mr President, Armen Gevorkian will again be working at the Presidential Staff. During his previous tenure, foundations for the works that were carried out later were laid. Part of the staff remained at their places as it should be with the civil service. I believe this is a splendid display of how the guarantees presented by the civil service can be augmented by the political dedication at the staff which should be manifested by everyone present here. Even though there exist political appointees and a group of civil servants, we always worked as one team, for one goal,” said the former Chief of the Presidential Staff Vigen Sargsyan.

The newly appointed Chief of the Presidential Administration Armen Gevorkian also thanked the President for trust and assured that he was fully aware of the tasks before him, their importance and significance for the development of the country, its progress and stability because we are entering a rather important period of time. “Please be assured that I will do my best to hold high the role and place of this institute for everybody to feel it. With your permission, I would also like to assure Mr. Vigen Sargsyan that we will do our best so that at his new position he feels our support and assistance at the daily level. I would also like to thank my colleagues present here today for carrying out their duties for years at a rather high level and with high quality. I hope we will continue our work together, preserving all the good traditions. As you have noted, Mr. President, we will do our best to raise it one step more and to justify your trust. Thank you. I hope that all of us have a very interesting and efficient road to travel,” said the Chief of the Presidential Administration Armen Gevorkian.

The Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region announced that the filmmakers of the newly-completed Armenian Genocide-era film, “The Promise,” will attend and be recognized at the organization’s 2016 annual gala banquet to be held on Sunday, October 16 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in downtown Los Angeles.

As a part of the program, a special presentation will be made which will include a short clip from the film with behind-the-scenes footage compiled especially for this event.

Set during the last days of the Ottoman Empire, “The Promise” is an epic human drama about a love triangle between Michael Boghosian, a brilliant medical student played by Golden Globe winning actor Oscar Isaac, the beautiful and sophisticated Armenian artist Ana played by Charlotte le Bon, and Chris Myers, a renowned American photo-journalist covering the war played by Oscar-winning actor Christian Bale. The film is also supported by an impressive cast of international actors. Their relationships unfold amidst the start of the Armenian Genocide, causing major upheaval of their lives and a struggle just to survive.

“It has long been the dream of every survivor and descendant of survivors to tell our story” said Kevin Matossian, production executive. “This is not only an important film for Armenians, but for every nation who has been unjustly persecuted. This is a human-rights story, that if untold, will simply repeat itself. We look forward to showing a special film clip to attendees of the ANCA-WR Gala, as this organization has consistently been at the forefront of the struggle for justice for the Armenian people.”

“The Promise” was directed by Academy Award-winner Terry George (Hotel Rwanda) and was written by Terry George and Robin Swicord (The Curious Case of Benjamin Button).

Survival Pictures premiered the ground-breaking film at the Toronto International Film Festival on September 11, winning audience acclaim and accolades, mounting great anticipation and enthusiasm for potential viewers all over the world, and creating an expectation that upon wide release, the Armenian Genocide will finally be memorialized for a mainstream audience of both Armenians and non-Armenians. This international spotlight has already begun to shine.

Even before its festival premiere, “The Promise” has already become the international target of Genocide denialists and proponents of censorship who have initiated an online campaign to vote in droves to bring its iMDb rating down. Many celebrities, from Tyra Banks to Cher to Pharrell Williams and others have posted online tweets and comments generating excitement about the film to tens of millions of their followers. The sheer act of seeing the film through to completion has already been overwhelmingly successful in raising awareness, but much work remains to prevent the ongoing censorship efforts.

The ANCA has also called upon its grassroots activists to affirm the truth by breaking down walls of denial and opening the path to justice through this cinematic work of art by countering the efforts of Turkish propagandists, voting to maintain the film’s high stature and rating, and raising awareness among elected officials and circles of influence. Unlike the past when the Turkish government successfully blocked the production of an MGM epic film in 1934 based on Franz Werfel’s critically acclaimed novel, “The Forty Days of Musa Dagh,” Armenians of today are well-equipped and have gained enough experience and insight to overcome even the most well-funded Turkish lobbyists and denialist campaigns.

“The production of this unprecedented film was certainly a long journey filled with many challenges and obstacles, but with the late Kirk Kerkorian’s unflailing vision, resources and philanthropy, and the persistent dedication, commitment and sacrifice led by producer Eric Esrailian and his team to bring it to fruition, Armenians finally have the ability to reach millions with a message of truth and survival even from the ashes of Genocide. We are truly grateful to the filmmakers for standing strong in the face of a well-funded denialist campaign which has only just begun, and we pledge to stand together with them to ensure that this film fulfills its goal of engaging the public in our national story. After decades of work to secure recognition and justice for the Armenian Genocide, we are confident that an epic film of this stature will result in great strides for our Cause,” stated ANCA-WR Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq.

The 2016 ANCA WR Annual Gala Banquet will be held on Sunday, October 16, 2016 at the Westin Bonaventure Hotel in Los Angeles, California. The main event will begin at 4:30p.m.with cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, and a silent auction. A three-course dinner will follow at 6:00 p.m. with a powerful program and presentation of the awards.

In the last month, the organization also announced that it will honor California Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Torlakson with the Man of the Year Award, Varoujan Koundkajian posthumously with the Legacy Award, California State Assemblymember Adrin Nazarian with the Legislator of the Year Award, Golden State Warriors Coach Steve Kerr and the Kerr family with the Humanitarian Award, and German Parliament Member Cem Ozdemir and the German Bundestag with the Freedom Award.

Individuals interested in attending and sponsoring the Annual Gala Banquet are encouraged to purchase tickets online at www.ancawrgala.org or call (818) 839-1918. To obtain corporate sponsorship information visit ancawr.org/gala/sponsorship or call (818) 500-1919. For up to the minute updates on the event follow ANCA Western Region on social media: facebook.com/ANCAWesternRegion, Twitter and Instagram: ANCA_WR

The ANCA-WR Gala Banquet represents the single largest annual gathering of Armenian American public policy leaders throughout the western United States, and is attended by over 1,000 prominent Members of Congress, state legislators and officials, community leaders, and many of the organization’s strongest activists and generous donors from California, Nevada, Arizona, and throughout the western United States.

In an about-turn, Germany plans to invest millions at the Incirlik NATO airbase in Turkey, according to “Der Spiegel” magazine. Planned are new German facilities for the international anti-IS mission in Syria and Iraq, reports.

“Der Spiegel” on Tuesday said defense ministry states secretary Gerd Hoofe had budgeted 58 million euros ($63 million) for a new runway and a portable command center at the key airbase near Syria’s northern border.

Particularly center-left Social Democrats (SPD) in Germany’s federal parliament, which has an ultimate say over German Bundeswehr deployments, had until a week ago demanded that the German mission should be ended because of Turkish strictures.

Since June, President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s government has banned visits by German parliamentarians to Incirlik in reaction to a Bundestag resolution in May that declared 1915 massacres of Armenians by Ottoman Turkish forces to have been a genocide.

“Der Spiegel” said the German Bundeswehr wanted the investment urgently because since the mission started early this year its some 240 personnel have had to park its Tornado surveillance jets at US sites at Incirlik, sleep in provisional quarters – called the “Patriot Village” located near noisy runways – and depend on allies for technical support.

Of 58 million euros, 26 million would fund the laying a new airfield for the Tornados and appropriate Bundeswehr accommodation for soldiers. A further 30 million euros, awaiting budgetary clearance, would be spent to erect a command center. For this, foundations will be necessary, costing a further two million.

A defense ministry spokesman added that the transportable command center, comprising sophisticated equipment fitted inside large containers, was a useful purchase anyway, independent of Incirlik.

President Serzh Sargsyan today sent a cable of condolences to his Italian counterpart Sergio Mattarella over the that claimed tens of human lives and caused destructions. The message reads:

I express my deepest condolences and support to you and the families of the victims, whishing them endurance and strength of spirit. We pray for the health of those injured and wish them a speedy recovery.

I’m confident that due to consistent efforts of the Italian authorities the consequences of the earthquake will be eliminated as soon as possible.

Our hearts and thoughts are with the friendly people of Italy.

The Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) held a productive and positive meeting with the Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Ed Royce (R-CA), on a wide variety of topics, including efforts to bring peace and freedom to the independent Republic of Nagorno Karabagh (Artsakh). The meeting was held at the Chairman’s district office in Brea, California on August 17, 2016 and included the participation of national, regional and local ANCA officials. The ANCA has had a long and constructive relationship with Chairman Royce based on the outstanding work of the ANCA of Orange County and accompanied the Chairman during his 2014 Congressional Delegation visit to the Republic of Armenia.

“Armenian Americans living in California’s 39th Congressional District are fortunate to have a senior Member of Congress like Ed Royce, who chairs the powerful House Foreign Affairs Committee, representing them in Washington, DC,” expressed ANCA Western Region Chair Nora Hovsepian, Esq. after meeting with Chairman Royce. “Chairman Royce is unique because of his total command and understanding of issues ranging from Artsakh to the Armenian Genocide. We look forward to continuing our work with Chairman Royce to secure peace and freedom for Artsakh and to secure justice with respect to the Armenian Genocide. The ANCA is especially eager to work with Chairman Royce in the coming days to secure implementation of the Royce-Engel initiative,” Hovsepian added.

The meeting with Chairman Royce focused on the pressing need to make sustained progress on the Royce-Engel initiative launched last year by the Chairman and the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Congressman Eliot Engel (D-NY). The Royce-Engel initiative, which is strongly backed by the ANCA, includes three common-sense measures to secure Artsakh peace. 1.) An agreement from all sides not to deploy snipers, heavy arms, or new weaponry along the line of contact. 2.) The placement of OSCE-monitored, advanced gunfire-locator systems and sound-ranging equipment to determine the source of attacks along the line of contact. 3.) The deployment of additional OSCE observers along the line of contact to better monitor cease-fire violations. Armenia and Artsakh have long agreed to all three measures; Azerbaijan opposes their implementation. The Royce-Engel proposals, have received the support of over 90 U.S. Representatives through two Congressional letters sent to the Obama Administration in November of 2015 and March of 2016.

ANCA leaders also highlighted the reckless nature of the “Madrid Principles,” which are being discussed in the context of a final settlement for Artsakh. Originally discussed in 2007 with the specifics largely kept secret until recently, the “Madrid Principles” set forth a proposed formula which purportedly calls for Artsakh’s up-front surrender of 7 regions of its sovereign territory in return for only a vague promise that Azerbaijan will allow a future “expression of will” that would determine its status, setting the stage for continued conflict and increased regional instability. The ANCA shared with Chairman Royce that the organization considers the “Madrid Principles” to be reckless, irresponsible and – as noted by many Members of Congress – not a sound recipe for peace.

Next month, ANCA leaders will join Chairman Royce at the In Defense of Christians (IDC) national advocacy convention in Washington, DC. The IDC convention, which is being sponsored by the ANCA, is seeking to safeguard health and welfare of the remaining Christians in the Middle East. During the 114th Congress, Chairman Royce was a powerful force in advancing legislation that led the Obama Administration to label the crimes against humanity occurring today against Christians, including Armenians, and other minorities in the Middle East – as a genocide.