Author: Maral Takmazian

According to a decree signed by President Serzh Sargsyan, Artem Asatryan has been appointed as Minister of Labor and Social Affairs.

“For Latvia, the stability and security of Europe’s neighbors in the East is a strategic priority and remains high on the political agenda,” said President of Latvia Raimonds Vējonis in his statement to the 71st session of the General Assembly of the United Nations (UN) on Wednesday, September 21 in New York.

“Resolution of the protracted conflicts in Transnistria, Abkhazia, South Ossetia and Nagorno-Karabakh should remain high on the international agenda. We must remain vigilant and insist that all States including Russia abide by their obligations under international law to respect the borders of sovereign States,” the Latvian President said at a sitting chaired by Armenia’s Acting Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

“The international community must work to facilitate the peaceful resolution of the conflict in eastern Ukraine. All parties must fulfill their commitments under the Minsk Agreements and make the Minsk process work,” President Vējonis stated.

President Serzh Sargsyan participated today in the events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Presidents of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Serzh Sargsyan and Bako Sahakyan, other officials and guests marched from the Renaissance Square to the Stepanakert Memorial, laid flowers and paid tribute to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence of Artsakh.

The festive events in Artsakh continue.

On 2 September Artsakh Republic President sent a congratulatory address in connection with the Day of the Artsakh Republic.

Dear compatriots,

Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Artsakh Republic. On behalf of the republic’s authorities and myself personally I express my cordial congratulations to all our people in connection with this significant state holiday.

September 2 of 1991 has become a turning point in the life of the Artsakh people and changed the course of its history. Raising its decisive voice in favor of free and independent Artsakh our nation embarked on the state-building process, started to build a democratic state in correspondence with the international norms and principles.

Our chosen path was hard and difficult. Azerbaijan responded to the Artsakh people’s fair and legal claims with violence, massacres and unleashed a bloody war. We were forced to take up arms and by all means defend the freedom and security of our newly independent state, our people’s peace and tranquility, our historical land and our rights.

During the days of ordeal as well as at all times Mother Armenia and the Diaspora were beside Artsakh. Due to the practical support and active participation of the world-spread Armenians we managed to overcome all the trials and difficulties with flying colors, gained victory in the war imposed on us and started to develop and strengthen our precious and cherished Artsakh, our Motherland.
Kind and honest people from various corners of the world, who value humanity and defense of democratic principles above everything else, have been beside us too. The Artsakh people are deeply grateful to all the friends and appreciate their contribution to the formation and development of our independent statehood.

Dear compatriots,

On this festive day we remember with special gratitude all our martyrs, brave sons of the Armenian people, those, who on the cost of their lives paved the path to our Motherland’s bright future. We ought to always keep the memory of our devotees. The best way to do it is the consistent development and strengthening of the free and independent Artsakh.

I once again congratulate all of you on this memorable holiday and wish robust health, successes and all the best to you, peace and welfare to our people.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan signed a compensation deal with Israel Wednesday in an attempt to mend fences between the two countries, Anadolu Agency reports.

In line with the deal, Israel would pay $20 million compensation to the families of the victims of a 2010 Israeli raid on the Mavi Marmara, a Gaza-bound aid ship.

The sum will be transferred in a one-time deposit to a bank account opened by Turkey and shared through diplomatic channels, and the transaction will be completed within 25 business days after the bilateral agreement comes into force.

Diplomatic ties between Turkey and Israel were disrupted in May 2010 when 10 Turkish activists were killed on the Mavi Marmara, which was headed for Gaza to deliver humanitarian aid.

After the transfer, distribution and delivery of the sum will be handled by Turkey, with Israel playing no role.

The agreement will come into force when both sides notify each other through diplomatic channels that the internal legal procedures have been fulfilled.

In addition to the compensation, Israel has agreed to Turkey’s humanitarian presence in the Gaza Strip.

The Armenian national team is placed 102nd (up from 110th last month) in the new FIFA World Ranking published today.

Argentina tops the ranking followed by Belgium and Columbia.

The next FIFA World Ranking will be published on 11 August 2016.

NATO calls on the parties to the Karabakh conflict to ease the tension and refrain from violence, Secretary General Jens Stoltenberg said in Warsaw today, RIA Novosti reports.

“I expect our communiqué to refer to the conflict in Nagorno Karabakh. We call on the parties to ease the tension, refrain from violence and continue the attempts to reach a peaceful and grounded settlement to the Karabakh conflict through negotiations,” Stoltenberg told reporters ahead of the NATO summit today.

“We support all the efforts for finding a peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict based on negotiations,” said Stoltenberg.

“Henrikh Mkhitaryan is a fantastic player,” Manchester United boss Jose Mourinh  told United’s official website.

“Henrikh is a real team player with great skill, vision and also has a good eye for goal,”  Mourinho said.

“I am delighted he has chosen to sign for United.

“I believe he will make an impact on the team very quickly as his style of play is suited to the Premier League.

“We are all looking forward to working with him,” the coach said.

Asbarez – A new book highlighting various aspects of Armenian history and culture has just been published as an initiative of The 100 Years, 100 Facts Project.

Impact of an Ancient Nation: Bridging the Past, Present, and Future with 100+ Facts about Armenia and Armenians by Lena Maranian Adishian and Nareg Seferian is a follow-up to the hugely successful year-long online educational initiative that the pair ran to mark the centennial of the Armenian Genocide in 2015.

“Our thinking as we laid the groundwork for our project was: how do we share our rich legacy as Armenians with a worldwide Diaspora – and with the world at large – in a powerful way during the genocide centennial? To reach the widest audience, we featured our educational series online through our website and social media platforms. But now, a year later, we decided it was time for a printed, commemorative book – something that lasts in a different way, a medium that can be shared across individuals and generations in what we hope will be meaningful and, well, impactful,” Lena said.

Impact of an Ancient Nation includes updated and revised versions of the 100 facts published on the project’s website. In addition, there are five bonus facts researched and written just for the book. The facts cover Armenian history, including entries on the Armenian Genocide, as well as profiles of Armenian Diaspora communities around the world, famous Armenians, music and dance, religion and language, and even sports and entertainment.

“Lena and I really wanted to put together a work that showcases the depth and breadth of the Armenian experience. Certainly, we cover the Armenian Genocide as the major turning point in modern times, but we also highlight many other notable aspects to Armenian history and culture that are worth knowing about, celebrating, and sharing. We hope this book makes its way into households and schools and libraries and classrooms, whether being perused by Armenians or non-Armenians,” Nareg added.

Impact of an Ancient Nation is an excellent educational resource – as a family reference book, Sunday school library addition, a commemorative gift to odar friends, or as a way to share the Armenian heritage with a new generation of children and grandchildren, nephews and nieces, cousins and community members. The page-long facts serve as a great overview of a particular aspect of Armenian history and culture, with resources for further research available in the book’s reference section.

The book is a not-for-profit publication made possible with the generous support of the Arshag and Eleanor Dickranian Foundation (Los Angeles) and the Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation (Lisbon).

Impact of an Ancient Nation is available through the online store at:

The 100 Years, 100 Facts Project ran from April 24, 2014 to April 24, 2015 in six languages receiving more than 150,000 visitors from over 120 countries and all fifty of the United States, garnering thousands of followers through social media accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, Google+, and Reddit.

 

 

 

The German Bundestag is holding a debate on the Armenian Genocide.

Christopher Berdner CDU /CSU

The term genocide is not a legal formulation, we use it to correctly describe the essence of the tragedy. Besides, we need a definite formulation to accept our complicity.

Dietmar Nietan CDU /CSU

Genocide remains genocide and we bow before the memory of the victims. Listen to your heart during the vote. Please, don’t believe all you read in our textbooks and what is being said here in the Bundestag.

When you utter the word genocide, don’t think it’s an offense to Turkey. It’s necessary first of all for strengthening our democracy.

Cem Ozdemir, Alliance ’90/The Greens

Thank you to the coalition for keeping the promise to work out a joint resolution. We tell our colleagues that this is an issue of moral responsibility. This genocide awaits correct presentation in pages of history.  We express our high respect to those Turks who received the order to kill Armenians, but did not obey it.

The story of my Cherkez parents also awaits being called genocide. What’s the most painful is that calling a person “an Armenian” is still seen as an offence in Turkey. I don’t mind being called Armenian.

“When I go home tonight I won’t be arrested or beaten. This isn’t true for my colleagues in Turkey fighting for Armenians.”

Franz Josef Jung, CDU /CSU

We not only accept that it was genocide, but also acknowledge our responsibility for it. We have to differentiate between the guilt of the Young Turk Government and today’s Turkey.

Today’s Turkey is one of our main partners, which have a number of joint programs with. That’s why it’s important to correctly describe the events of the past in order to build a better future.

We demand to provide scholarships and funding to scholars for joint Armenian-Turkish research works, for the creation of a new commission of historians that will contribute to the opening of the borders.

Norbert Lammert

Addressing the lawmakers, President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert first stressed that the Parliament is not a court, not even a commission of historians.

“We, the Germans, are better informed of the dark pages of our history than others, and we have to confess the truth no matter how painful it is. We have to demonstrate a frank and self-criticizing approach. Acknowledgement of the German complicity is very important,” Lammert said.

“Today’s Turkish authorities are not guilty of what happened, but bear responsibility for the events of 100 years ago. This debate is accompanied by protests and rallies. We’re open for any criticism, and take it into consideration, but any attempts to restrict the freedom of speech in the Bundestag are unacceptable. We accept our complicity, this is a fact,” Lammert said.