Photo: Reuters
A loud explosion was heard on Wednesday in an area close to the Russian embassy in the west of the Afghan capital of Kabul, local media reported.
The explosion was likely caused by car bomb; a number of casualties are feared, TOLOnews reported, citing eyewitnesses.
Firefighters are currently battling fire in a building in front of the Russian embassy, Sputnik News reports.
Real Salt Lake has acquired FW Yura Movsisyan as a Designated Player via loan from FC Spartak Moscow in the Russian Premier League, General Manager Craig Waibel announced today. The 28-year-old striker returns to RSL – pending receipt of his ITC from the Russian Federation – after winning MLS Cup with the Claret-and-Cobalt in his final match with the club in 2009, the State of Utah’s lone major professional sports championship since 1973.
“For me, it’s been a long time I’ve been wanting to come back,” said Movsisyan, whose 2016 RSL jersey will reprise the #14 he wore with the Utah side from 2007-09. “Obviously Salt Lake was my first choice because it was such a great place for me and my family. I felt at home in Utah. Leaving with a championship – I want to come back and do that again.
“I want to win more championships with Salt Lake – with the club that I was part of the evolution. I was part of the team that went basically from the bottom to being champions. This is what I want to do again and what I’m excited about. For me, it’s an amazing thing to come back.”
The 2016 season will mark the Armenian International’s second stint with RSL, having previously played with Real Salt Lake from 2007-2009, coming to Utah via trade with the then-Kansas City Wizards. In three MLS campaigns on the Wasatch Front, Movsisyan played 53 regular-season matches with the Claret-and-Cobalt, scoring 15 goals while helping RSL to the 2009 MLS Cup title.
Movsisyan owns the distinction of notching a stoppage-time equalizer at Colorado in the 2008 regular-season finale to vault RSL into the postseason for the first time, and notching the club’s first-ever playoff goal a week later against the club’s expansion brethren CD Chivas USA. Movsisyan currently ranks sixth overall in club history with 15 MLS regular-season goals scored.
“Yura is a goalscorer,” said Waibel, the former MLS Cup and Lamar Hunt U.S. Open Cup Champion now in his first full year as RSL General Manager. “He’s always been a goalscorer and statistically speaking, his numbers are undeniably productive no matter where he’s played. He’s at an age right now and at a point of his life right now, he had a priority with his wife that they wanted to move back to the States. Everything just added up to make sense for him to come. We have an undeniable interest to bring in good soccer players and goalscorers and Yura is one of those. We believe he’s a double-digit goalscorer and we’re really excited to get him back out on the field and start producing.”
Photo: Allen J. Schaben / Los Angeles Times
Kate Winslet received a Golden Globe Award for her role in “Steve Jobs.”
In Danny Boyle’s “Steve Jobs,” Kate Winslet took everything in stride as Joanna Hoffman, Steve Jobs’ Polish Armenian marketing matriarch at Apple.
She navigated product launches, technological innovation and Jobs’ erratic personality with a cool head. But in real life, backstage at the Golden Globes after accepting her award for supporting actress on Sunday, the British actress was far more emotional.
“I really am so shocked right now, so shocked,” she said. “I never expected it, never, ever. Standing here I keep thinking this is not happening; I honestly, truthfully did not expect this at all – and I am so thrilled,” according to
President Serzh Sargsyan met today with the Minister for National Defense of the Hellenic Republic Panos Kammenos. The President welcomed the guest and expressed hope that the Greek Minister will have constructive and productive meetings in Yerevan, giving a new impetus to the cooperation of the two friendly states in the area of defense, which has traditionally been one of the cornerstones of the Armenian-Greek interstate relations.
Underlining that warm relations between Armenia and Greece were formed on a strong historical basis, Serzh Sargsyan stressed the importance of common approaches towards different issues of international agenda, as well as the role of Greece in the context of Armenia-EU and RA-NATO relations, cooperation in the area of peacekeeping.
The President highly valued regular reciprocal visits between the Defense Ministries of the two countries, which allow to discuss prospects of cooperation in bilateral as well as multilateral formats, and welcomed agreements reached during Minister Kammenos’s visit aimed at deepening and invigorating the bilateral cooperation.
The Minister for National Defense of Greece thanked the President for the warm welcome he received in Armenia and for the mutual readiness to develop cooperation in the area of defense. He assured the President of Armenia that excellent cooperation has already been established with the Ministry of Defense of Armenia and that the Armenian-Greek military and technical cooperation will continue to grow through the mutual efforts, including areas of military education and peacekeeping.
At the meeting, the parties spoke also about the regional as well as international security issues and challenges, and the current stage of the NK peace process.
Germany and several other nations are to discuss with Turkey ways of settling thousands of Syrian refugees ahead of the final EU summit of the year, the BBC reports.
Those attending the meeting will discuss a proposal to resettle Syrians straight from camps in Turkey.
But German Chancellor Angela Merkel, the driving force behind the plans, faces resistance from other EU states.
Thursday’s full EU summit in Brussels is seRecord numbers of people have arrived in Europe this year, prompting some states to build fences and introduce border controls in defiance of the EU’s border-free Schengen area.t to focus heavily on the migrant crisis which has divided members.
Asbarez – The closing night film at the Lake Van International Film Festival, the psychological thriller 1915 received a resounding ovation from the Kurdish and Turkish audience in attendance—and earned the Special Jury Prize at a ceremony in downtown Van on December 11, 2015. The film, co-directed by Garin Hovannisian and Alec Mouhibian, had been at the center of much controversy in the lead-up to the screening, as local anti-Armenian groups condemned the festival and threatened the festival organizer for inviting such a film to what is considered Eastern Turkey.
Executive produced by Armenia’s first foreign minister, Raffi Hovannisian, starring Simon Abkarian and Angela Sarafyan, and featuring an original score by Serj Tankian, the film is a tribute to the legacy of the Armenian Genocide of 1915.
Representing the film in Van, Garin Hovannisian took on Turkey’s century of denial and spoke out forcefully about the Armenian Genocide—at the same time recognizing the courage of those intellectuals and organizers who have initiated such a discussion 100 years later. In an interview with Van TV at the Holy Cross Church on Akhtamar Island, Hovannisian said: “This is the spiritual and symbolic heart of the Armenian kingdom. We do not feel like strangers in this land. We feel that we have come home.”
The Kurdish interviewers, in their turn, apologized to the Armenian people on behalf of the Kurdish and Turkish peoples. Even on national television, they did not mince words about “the genocide” and added: “We hope that we can have a common life here. We wish the past did not exist.” Similar sentiments were conveyed all through the week in Van, where a movement to recognize the Armenian connection to this land is well under way.
1915 was produced in partnership with the Armenian Center for National and International Studies and the RVVZ/IDeA Foundation.
On 9 December 2015, the Permanent Mission of Armenia to the United Nations, in partnership with the President of the UN General Assembly and the UN Office on Genocide Prevention and the Responsibility to Protect, co-hosted the first annual observance of the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of This Crime at the Trusteeship Council Chamber of the United Nations Headquarters.
Attended by a large number of representatives of UN member states and observers, international organizations, think-tanks, civil society organizations and media, as well as members of Armenian-American community and school students, the meeting in observance of the International Day began with a minute of silence in remembrance of the victims of genocide. Opening remarks were delivered by the President of the 70th Session of the UN General Assembly Mr. Mogens Lykketoft, the Deputy Secretary-General of the UN Mr. Jan Eliasson and the Ambassador and Permanent Representative of Armenia to the UN Mr. Zohrab Mnatsakanyan. The panel featured the UN Special Adviser on the Prevention of Genocide Mr. Adama Dieng, the Special Rapporteur on the promotion of truth, justice, reparation and guarantees of non-recurrence Mr. Pablo de Greiff, President of the International Center for Transitional Justice Mr. David Tolbert and First Vice President of the International Association of Genocide Scholars, Assistant Professor of Holocaust and Genocide Studies at Stockton University Prof. Elisa von-Joeden-Forgey. Statements on behalf of the UN member states were delivered by Chairpersons of regional groups.
In his remarks, Ambassador Zohrab Mnatsakanyan noted that the International Day, established pursuant to the UNGA Resolution 69/323 of September 11, 2015, calls for a manifestation of a collective sense of a duty before all victims of the crime of genocide. He reconfirmed Armenia’s commitment to promote and support international efforts to underpin the significance of the 1948 Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and to consistently and resolutely construct rigid foundations for prevention. In this regard, the Ambassador of Armenia recalled the unanimous adoption of the respective resolutions initiated by Armenia and adopted by the General Assembly and the Human Rights Council earlier this year, expressing appreciation to all the partners for their unwavering support. He recalled that in April 2015 Armenia hosted a Global Forum Against the Crime of Genocide.
Referring to the remarks by the President of the General Assembly and the Deputy Secretary General, who said, earlier, that, by honoring the memory of the victims of the Genocide, the international community reaffirmed its commitment to prevent this horrendous crime, Zohrab Mnatsakanyan noted that the International Day would render dignity to the victims of past inaction and would help reclaim justice. Mr. Mnatsakanyan further remarked that 9 December would not merely mark the adoption of a landmark international legal instrument, but also send a powerful message to ignite political, legal and moral responsibility “for defying and ultimately halting the repetitive nature of this crime”, as a “moral and political imperative” to consistently elaborate a rigid system of prevention.
“Those who do not learn from history are condemned to repeat it”, stressed the Ambassador of Armenia, suggesting that, to eliminate genocidal tendencies, it will be imperative to analyze the causation of past cases, and that “every pattern of discrimination, every violation of rights affecting vulnerable groups, every exclusionary ideology, climate of impunity, denial of genocide and hate speech, as well as incitement to violence” are exactly compelling early signs, which beg early action.
The panelists elaborated on the nature, causes, and consequences of genocide, empirical analysis of genocidal patterns, and their relationship to long-term prevention, the importance of memorialization and dignity of genocide victims, their right to remedies and reparations, guarantees of non-recurrence and accountability, the links between genocide and other human rights violations, and prevention and punishment of genocide.
The UN Secretary-General issued a message on the first observance of this International Day, calling upon the international community “to recognize the need to work more concertedly to protect individuals from gross human rights violations and uphold our common humanity”.
The event, which also featured musical performance by the UN Symphony Orchestra, was widely publicized in the UN, as well as in local and international media. The UN Department of Public Information launched a social media campaign “#GenocideVictimsDay” and “#PreventGenocide”, a special slogan (“Remember the Victims Prevent Genocide”) and logo for the International Day.
The event was webcast and the archived video is available online. For more information on the International Day please visit –
Background: Upon the initiative of Armenia, in September 2015, the UN General Assembly unanimously adopted resolution A/RES/69/323 proclaiming this International Day, which encourages all Member and Observer States, all organizations of the United Nations system and other international and regional organizations and individuals to observe the International Day in order to raise awareness of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and its role in combating and preventing the crime of genocide, as well as to commemorate and honor its victims. It acknowledges that victims of this crime call for a form of memorialization, which plays an important role in the prevention of genocide. 9 December also marks the day of the adoption of the Convention in 1948. The resolution 69/323 followed up on another important resolution, initiated by Armenia and adopted by the UN Human Rights Council in March 2015 which recommended to the UN General Assembly to proclaim such International Day. These resolutions and the first observance event add to the continued efforts of Armenia to promote consolidated international action against the crime of genocide.
“The Armenian Genocide Centennial became a symbol of collective memory, gratitude and regeneration of the Armenian people,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Tert.am.
Question: What steps were taken on the international arena in 2015, the Centennial year of the Armenian Genocide?
Edward Nalbandian: Thousands of events were held throughout the world within the framework of the Armenian Genocide Centennial.
The events organized ahead of the commemoration and during this year, as well as the future events are only the visible part of the work. Each event is a result of complex efforts. Our diplomacy has taken and continues to take relevant steps towards the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide, as well as raising international public awareness about it.
On March 27, in Geneva the UN Human Rights Council adopted by consensus the Genocide Prevention Resolution initiated by Armenia. More than 70 states joined Armenia and co-authored the resolution.
This was not Armenia’s first initiative. We initiated such resolutions also in 2013 and, even before, which is a reflection of Armenia’s consistency in its genocide-prevention efforts.
The resolution considers the attempts to deny or justify the crime of genocide as a serious obstacle for the prevention of genocide.
By the Resolution the Human Rights Council recommended the UN General Assembly to proclaim December 9, the day when the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide was adopted, as the International Day of Commemoration of the Victims of Genocide. The UN General Assembly confirmed it by adopting the resolution initiated by Armenia.
During the Armenian Genocide Centennial the European Parliament, which represents 28 countries, adopted a special resolution that condemns denialism and calls on Turkey to come to terms with its past, to recognize the Armenian Genocide and thereby to path a way for the reconciliation between the Armenian and the Turkish peoples.
Other numerous European structures adopted resolutions on the Genocide Centennial. Over two hundred MPs, representing forty countries of the Council of Europe’s Parliamentary Assembly, issued a statement. Statements were also made by such institutions as the Euronest Parliamentary Assembly, the European People’s Party, the European Green Party and others.
Question: And what were the developments beyond the European continent?
Edward Nalbandian: Indeed, it was not limited by European institutions only. The Latin American Parliament (Parlatino), which unites 23 legislative bodies of the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean, adopted a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide.
In October, the Yerevan Ministerial Conference of the International organization of La Francophonie, which represents 80 countries, adopted the “Genocide Prevention Resolution”, initiated by Armenia. On April 24 Michaëlle Jean, the Secretary-General of the same organization, made a statement, by which she paid a tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide and expressed support to the Armenian people.
Question: You have presented the steps taken by international institutions. What would you outline in regard to the reactions of various leaders, countries?
Edward Nalbandian: Leaders and heads of different countries, governments and parliaments expressed their solidarity with the Armenian people.
Pope Francis I, the spiritual leader of more than a billion Catholics of the world, during the special Mass at St. Peter’s Basilica on April 12, delivered a very important message on the Armenian Genocide Centennial, which gained international publicity.
On April 24, the heads of various states took part in commemorative events of the Armenian Genocide both in Yerevan and in their respective countries, and addressed important messages.
It is noteworthy, that the President of the Federal Republic of Germany, while speaking about the Armenian Genocide, outlined Germany’s share of responsibility in that crime.
And not only the leader of Germany: while condemning the Armenian Genocide, the executive body of Austria also spoke about the responsibility of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
The executive bodies of Russia, Argentina, Bolivia, Chile, Paraguay, Brazil, Canada, Belgium, Luxembourg, and other countries adopted new resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide or reaffirmed already adopted ones.
In different countries of the world provincial, municipal councils issued declarations and resolutions recognizing the Armenian Genocide and condemning the denial, and that process became extraordinarily widespread this year.
Question: Mr. Nalbandian, what was the reaction of the international public opinion on the Centennial?
Edward Nalbandian: In all continents of the world thousands of articles were published and programs were broadcasted, including CNN, BBC, Euronews, Россия 24, Russia Today, France 24, Al Jazeera, Deutsche Welle, Reuters, RAI, AFP, New York Times, Washington Post, Le Monde, Figaro, Independent, Times.
I enumerated only a small portion. Many other prestigious media outlets raised a powerful wave of information and awareness through their reports, articles and interviews. As a result, the steps undertaken by Ankara in order to cast a shadow, hinder the events organized around the world on the occasion of the Armenian Genocide Centennial, had a boomerang effect just for Turkey, thereby ruining its initiatives. It is noteworthy, that hundreds of publications appeared in the Turkish media, and on April 24, “Hurriyet”, the most popular Turkish newspaper, published an extensive interview with the President of the Republic of Armenia.
Within the context of the international public opinion awareness campaign another important step was the publication of a special issue of the “Politique Internationale” journal, one of the most renowned international political science journals published in Paris, composed of 330 pages, in English and French languages, dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial, in which among other articles, the publications of the President of Armenia, France’s incumbent and former Presidents, as well as articles of numerous renowned genocide scholars were included. A number of international prestigious magazines published special editions dedicated to the Armenian Genocide Centennial.
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs had its important contribution both in organizing the Global Forum “Against the Crime of Genocide” in Yerevan on April 22-23, and ensuring the participation of around five hundred high-ranking politicians, parliamentarians, religious leaders, scholars and experts from more than 50 countries, and, overall, in holding of the forum.
Indeed, the abovementioned is only a part of activities carried out for the proper commemoration of the Armenian Genocide Centennial in international arena.
The Centennial became a symbol of collective memory, gratitude and regeneration of the Armenian people. The new international wave of the Genocide recognition and condemnation is a vivid evidence of the determination, that leads us in our mission to prevent genocides and crimes against humanity.
Photo: AFP 2015/ OZAN KOSE
Turkey has refused US demands to close the part of the border with Syria which is controlled by ISIS militants, reports, quoting Turkish sources.
Ankara said that it is impossible to close the border and ISIS terrorists may boost their forces in response, according to The Hurriyet Daily News.
Turkish Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu also underscored that if the border is closed Ankara will not be able to accept refugees from Syria.
However, closing the border along the area controlled by ISIS would create obstacles for smuggling the oil Turkey buys from the terrorists. Recently, Russia accused Ankara of buying illegal oil from militants in Syria and transporting it to three ports across the Turkish-Syrian border.
The Russian Defense Ministry provided evidence of Turkey buying and transporting illegal oil, including images of oil-carrying tank trucks near the border. The ministry claimed Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan and his family are involved in selling illegal oil.
Earlier, Washington proposed to close 98 kilometers of the Turkish-Syrian border and deploy additional forces to the area. According to estimates, the measure would require nearly 30,000 troops and building watchtowers each three meters along the borderline.
Davutoglu said the county does not have enough money and asked the US to partially fund the initiative.
Earlier, a representative of the US State Department admitted that illegal oil from Syria has been delivered to the Turkish market. Washington asked Ankara to close the border. The US also said it did not believe Erdogan was involved. However, its stance toward Erdogan may change if the border remains open for oil smuggling.
Pope Francis has confirmed that next year he plansto visit Mexico and hopes to be able to visit Armenia, Reuters reports.
“But I am old and these trips are heavy,” he said.
The pope made the statement in an hour-long news conference aboard the plane returning him to Rome at the end of a six-day trip to Africa.