Author: Liana Toganian

Will the failure of the anti-Armenian resolution at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe restrain Azerbaijan’s aggression? “No,” says Giro Manoyan, Head of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation Bureau’s Hay Dat and Political Affairs Office.

“They have to divert attention from a growing number of problems inside the country,” Manoyan told reporters today. “Rejection of one anti-Armenian report and adoption of another one is like keeping the false balance,” he added.

According to Giro Manoyan, “one thing is clear, Armenia should make corrections in its foreign policy.” He suggests initiating new reports emphasizing Azerbaijan’s’ violence at the Armenian border, their actions against the peaceful population, the anti-Armenian statements of Azeri leaders.

Manoyan commended the latest statement of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs released before the discussion of the two reports. “We appreciate the interest paid by PACE members, but urge that steps not be taken which could undermine the Minsk Group’s mandate from the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe or complicate ongoing negotiations,” the Co-Chairs had stated.

Asbarez – Professor Richard G. Hovannisian of UCLA, Chapman University, and the Shoah Foundation at USC has been inducted as a Fellow of the prestigious Accademia Ambrosiana of Milan, Italy. Nominated by the Great Chancellor of the Academy, Archbishop of Milan Cardinal Angelo Scola, for having distinguished himself in the field of Armenian and Oriental Studies, Hovannisian was inducted as a lifetime fellow of the 400 year-old Academy in formal ceremonies held in the Biblioteca Ambrosiana on the evening of November 9, 2015.  His diploma was presented by Monsignor Franco Buzzi, president of the Academy.

On November 10, Dr. Hovannisian delivered a memorable inaugural address on the significance of the centenary of the Armenian Genocide and the advances since 1915 in the historiography of the Mets Yeghern (Great Crime) and its significance in comparative perspective. Other talks on Armenian subjects during the three-day assembly were given by invited scholars Marco Bias, Raymond Kevorkian, and Aldo Ferrari. Professor Levon Chookaszian of Yerevan State University also attended as an inductee of the Academy’s Classis Orientalis.

Richard Hovannisian has authored and edited 30 books and nearly 100 articles and chapters on Armenian, Near Eastern, and Caucasian history and culture.  He is a Guggenheim fellow, a full member of the National Academy of Sciences of Armenia, and a recipient of numerous scholarly, ecclesiastic, civic, and professional awards.  He is currently collaborating with the Shoah Foundation on the integration of Armenian survivor testimony into the Foundation’s permanent holdings, while also completing work on the Armenian translation of volumes 3 and 4 of his magnus opus, The Republic of Armenia.

Photo: AP Photo/ Alexander Kots

The Syrian Armed Forces, assisted by Russian warplanes, have been on a roll in northern Latakia, taking two strategic highways under control, destroying scores of terrorists and forcing militants out of key border areas with Turkey, the Fars news agency reported, citing an unnamed Syrian officer.

The Qastal Ma’af road connects the provincial capital of Latakia and Kassab, a checkpoint on the border with Turkey. The town of the same name, located some 7 miles to the south of the border, is predominantly populated by the Turkmen.

Militants are reported to have fled to the town of Rabia following the government offensive. Damascus-led forces are planning to focus their efforts on liberating the town.

The Syrian Arab Army also pushed terrorists out of Height 713 and al-Koz mountain after Russian warplanes launched airstrikes against militant targets in the area.

Photo: Russian Defence Ministry

The Russian submarine Rostov-on-Don fired a salvo of Kalibr cruise missiles from the Mediterranean Sea against ISIS targets in Syria, reports.

Asbarez – On September 10-12 at Gotham Hall in New York and October 14-18 at The Reef in Los Angeles, Style Fashion Week (SFW) debuted the collection of over 150 domestic and international designers both on and off the runway.

This season, Style Fashion Week integrated an element of fashion with a cause amongst their platforms and took on the challenge of helping create global unity by spotlighting Armenian & Rwandan genocide descendant-designers, in support of the #iAGree campaign with efforts of spreading the knowledge of crimes against humanity:

“The ‘#iAGree’ Campaign seeks to unite those who agree with human rights. It is for those who agree with the fundamental belief that human lives matter, that God has a purpose for each one and that events like the Armenian Genocide, the Holocaust, the genocides in Rwanda and Darfur, which sought to eliminate human lives are crimes against not just one ethnic group, but against all humanity. These crimes deserve to be recognized as genocides, condemned and unapologetically prevented from ever happening again.”

Both in New York and Los Angeles, SFW debuted the collections of a series of genocide survivors and descendants. Amongst those included Armenian designer and architect Vicken Derderian who was recently seen in Women’s Wear Daily. Vicken debuted his SS’16 collection of cutting edge designs, highly favored by fashion insiders.

Armenian celebrity-designer Pol Atteu’ of Beverly Hills also attended and opened up his show with a live performance including Armenian Pop artist & opera singer, Mister X as apart of the “Style Me Pink” show (dedicated to raising funds for the Susan G. Komen foundation and creating awareness for the fight against cancer).

From Beirut, Lebanon, Armenian, Creative Director of Sarafia Couture, Albert Kisso also debuted his latest collection of stunning red carpet gowns and evening wear.

Finally, Rwandan genocide survivors Reuben and Lèvi of the Uwi Twins who have since been seen & talked about globally throughout the press and media, were also invited amongst SFW runways!

In agreement with #iAGree’s efforts, Style Fashion Week opened up its runways to debut the collection of such survivors and descendants in order to help spread the knowledge of crimes against humanity considering the current mass killings and destructions that continue to take place in Syria and many parts of the world.

Style Fashion Week supports artistic talent and gifted individuals no matter the race, gender, ethnicity or religion, simply supporting great talent. SFW utilizes their platforms to draw attention to those individuals by helping build brand recognition in order to help reach levels of success.

SFW will continue to support talented genocide descendants in the upcoming season of FW’16 in both New York (February 2016) and Los Angeles Fashion Week (March 2016) to further create awareness for crimes against humanity. Furthermore, Style Fashion Week will collaborate with #iAGree campaign with efforts to help support developing and emerging countries by providing fashion education and installing Style Fashion Week platforms in cities like Armenia and Rwanda to help talented individuals to further pursue careers within the fashion and arts industry.

SFW plans to help build infrastructure related to the design and textile manufacturing industries in developing countries to help improve economical status and development.
More information regarding these project will be released soon.

According to updated information, eight people were killed as a result of the crash of the Yerevan-bound bus in Russia’s Tula region early this morning. Seven victims of the accident have been identified, the Ministry of Territorial Administration and Emergency Situations reports.

1. Spartak Tsolak Nalbandyan (born in 1947)
2. Gagik Gurgen Hakobyan (born in 1961)
3. Hrach Badalyan
4. Gagik Stepanyan
5. Vaghush Stepanyan
6. Hayk Zhora Hovhannisyan (boen in 1970)
7. Hakob Alikhanyan

President Serzh Sargsyan attended today the opening ceremony of Dilijan Central School which is another major contribution to the community development in Dilijan.

The school opening was conducted by Father Mesrop Aramyan, Cofounder of the Ayb Educational Foundation and Chairman of the Board of Trustees of the Ayb Learning Hub Foundation, and by the Chairman of the Central Bank of Armenia (CBA), Arthur Javadyan.

The president toured the newly-opened educational institution, familiarized himself with the conditions, educational programs and the teaching methodology aimed at the comprehensive development of children.

Dilijan Central School was established in 2013 by the Ayb Educational Foundation in cooperation with the CBA. It is a general education school designed for up to 160 pupils of 1-9th classes.

The entry of Dilijan Central School into the RA education system has created an urban model of school available not only to CBA employers, but also to other children of families living in Dilijan.

According to the executives, with its ideology and vision, school curriculum, teaching methodology and approaches, and with its teacher and pupil admission policy, the school is totally synchronized with Yerevan’s Ayb elementary and middle schools. The Ayb educational foundation is also in charge of the school management and the introduction of educational content corresponding to Ayb’s standards.

The construction of the school and its operation is entirely financed by the CBA.
The territory of Dilijan Central School also houses a fab lab, an industrial research lab, which has been established in cooperation with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology. The lab will serve school pupils, as well as pupils, students and creative people from Dilijan and nearby cities.

During the tour, President Serzh Sargsyan was informed that presently more than 80% of 119 pupils studying at school and 24% of the school employees are from Dilijan, 22% of the employees has moved from Yerevan to Dilijan with their families, 13% of the employees are from Armenia’s other marzes, and the remained employees combine their jobs in Yerevan and Dilijan.

Armenian GM Levon Aronian leaves the Chess World Cup in Baku.

Armenia’s leading chess player lost to Alexander Areshchenko of Ukraine in a tiebreak.

Other representatives of Armenia Gabriel Sargsyan, Hrant Melkumyan and Samvel Ter-Sahakyan had left the competition at an earlier stage.

Turkish police have engaged in severe ill-treatment and abuse of detainees while responding to perceived security threats in the southeastern part of the country, said in a statement.

“It’s deeply worrying that police in Turkey’s southeast seem to be returning to abusive tactics in response to the security threats,” said Benjamin Ward, Europe and Central Asia division deputy director at Human Rights Watch. “The authorities should urgently investigate and prosecute those responsible, and ensure that people in custody are protected from ill-treatment and have prompt access to proper medical treatment.”

Human Rights Watch made repeated efforts to discuss these cases with both the governor of Şırnak province and the district governor of Silopi, but has received no response.

“Turkey is party to both the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) and the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights (ICCPR), which prohibit inhuman and degrading treatment and torture. Turkey has strict obligations to protect the rights to life, bodily integrity, and security, and as part of those obligations, medical treatment must be provided promptly to anyone who is injured when arrested,” teh Human Rights Watch said.

In a previous case, the European Court of Human Rights found Turkey guilty of violating its obligations when it failed to provide prompt and appropriate medical treatment to a person who had been detained allegedly on suspicion of PKK membership, and who had visible injuries to his head and evident difficulties in walking and talking.

The Turkish authorities should ensure that its policing and security operations comply fully with human rights law, that police officers who violate fundamental rights and freedoms are held accountable, and that acts of torture and ill-treatment are investigated and prosecuted, Human Rights Watch said.

“No one should be denied access to proper medical treatment, no matter the accusations against them,” Ward said. “The Turkish authorities should make sure that people in police custody and prison are getting the medical care they need.”