Author: Mary Lazarian

Jose Mourinho is closer to fielding Henrikh Mkhitaryan for only the sixth time in a competitive match after reporting Manchester United’s first Armenian star is now fit and training well, Manchester United’s official website reports.

Mkhitaryan has been unavailable since making his solitary start for the Reds in the Manchester City match at Old Trafford – prior to that, he had come on as a substitute in the Community Shield triumph against Leicester City and opening three Premier League victories over Bournemouth, Southampton and Hull City.

When asked at his pre-match press conference if Henrikh could return in Thursday’s Europa League clash at home to Fenerbahce, the United manager replied:

“He was injured and he was injured for quite a long time. Now, he’s not injured anymore.

“He’s training with the team without any limitation. I cannot confirm if he’s [ready] for tomorrow or not, but he’s fit and it’s now time for him to go back to the levels we know that he can achieve.”

Pope Francis has once again appealed for peace in Syria. At his General Audience on Wednesday, the Pope said, “dramatic news concerning the fate of the people of Aleppo, with whom, through prayer and spiritual closeness, I feel united in suffering,” Radio Vatican reports.

The Holy Father continued, “In expressing my deep sorrow and lively concern for what is happening in that already battered city – where children, the elderly, the sick, young and old, all are dying – I renew my appeal to everyone to commit themselves with all their strength to the protection of civilians as an imperative and urgent obligation.”

Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis appealed directly to those responsible for the bombing, warning them that they will be “accountable to God” for their actions.

Since a ceasefire collapsed last week, rebel-held areas of Aleppo have been heavily bombarded, raising international concern over the plight of their 250,000 residents. On Wednesday morning, the Syrian military announced it was launching “concentrated air strikes” in Aleppo and nearby areas, targeting insurgent-held areas in the surrounding countryside.

On August 23, 1990 the Supreme Council of the Soviet Socialist Republic of Armenia adopted Armenia’s Declaration of Independence, ending decades of Soviet rule and beginning a new chapter in history.

The adoption of the Declaration marked the start of the process of establishment of independent statehood positioning the question of the creation of a democratic society based on the rule of law.

The country was renamed the Republic of Armenia and a year later, on September 21, 1991 Armenia became an independent state.

With the purpose of guaranteeing the security of the Republic of Armenia and the inviolability of its borders, the Republic of Armenia created its own armed forces, internal troops, state bodies and public security under the jurisdiction of the Supreme Council.

Under the Declaration, the Republic of Armenia guaranteed the use of Armenian as the state language in all spheres of the Republic’s life, created its own system of education and of scientific and cultural development.

 

Manchester United fans have already created brilliant chant for Henrikh Mkhitaryan who joined United from Borussia Dortmund earlier this summer, reports.

Supporters have finally managed to get over the trickiness of the Armenian’s seven-syllable name since his £27million signing at the beginning of July.

“Whoa Mkhitaryan, Henrikh Mkhitaryan, he’s our midfield Armenian,” is how the simple but effective chant goes, to the tune of Sting’s classic Englishman In New York. 

And Mkhitaryan is clearly loving his new chant after he ‘liked’ the video of Twitter.

أهزوجة مختاريان
Whoa Mkhitaryan,
Henrikh Mkhitaryan,
he's our midfield Armenian.

— ماجد السهلي . (@maged_aloosh)

An Indian military plane with more than 20 people on board has gone missing over the Bay of Bengal, the Indian Air Force (IAF) has confirmed to the .

The Antonov-32 transporter aircraft took off from Chennai (Madras) at 08:30 local time (03:00 GMT), bound for Port Blair in the eastern archipelago of Andaman and Nicobar.

It was scheduled to land at 11:30. A search operation has been launched.

The IAF operates more than 100 Antonov-32 aircraft.

A navy spokesman told the Reuters news agency that surveillance planes and ships were looking for the missing aircraft, which was carrying service personnel to strategic islands near the Malacca Straits, where India has a military base.

By Yair Auron

On May 31, a few days before the lower house of the German Bundestag recognized the murder of the Armenian people – an act that reverberated worldwide – there was supposed to be a discussion of the subject in the Knesset. However, it was postponed under pressure from the Foreign Ministry (which is headed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu). The discussion is due to take place in the Knesset on Wednesday.

This is a discussion of great importance for the battle that has been waged for years for Israeli recognition of the Armenian genocide. In the past year I hoped that if not the Israeli government, at least the Knesset would finally recognize it. But apparently there is very little chance of that, in light of the rapprochement agreement signed with Turkey. After all, who would endanger the agreement because of a negligible thing like whether or not there was a genocide of another nation.

There’s no chance that the Israeli government will recognize the Armenian genocide, but during the course of the year commemorating the 100th anniversary of the murder of the Armenian people, there was nevertheless a hope that perhaps the Knesset would do so. But apparently that hope is also evaporating.President Reuven Rivlin has in the past expressed profound identification with the suffering of the Armenians. When he served as Knesset speaker he even said that Israel should recognize the Armenian genocide. It’s a shame that he has refrained from repeating that since being elected president, saying only “I haven’t changed my mind.”

In a discussion in the Knesset Education Committee in July 2015, in which Edelstein participated, all the speakers from the coalition and the opposition supported recognition. Only a representative of the Foreign Ministry had reservations, claiming that the concept of “genocide” has become politicized, and therefore Israel should not use it. Imagine if any European government were to claim that the “Holocaust” is a political concept, and therefore their government should not use it.

At the conclusion of the discussion the Education Committee called on the Knesset to recognize the genocide and on the Education Ministry to teach about it, but nothing happened. The annual discussion to take place in the coming days is the moment of truth: The thawing of relations with Turkey and the weapons deals between the governments of Israel and Azerbaijan, worth billions of dollars – weapons designated for clashes with the Armenians – are not glad tidings for the chances of recognition.

Even if people and institutions in Israel won’t be happy to hear these words, they must be said: Israel denies the Armenian genocide. We are one of the only democratic countries in the world, if not the only one, to do so, and to support Turkey’s stubborn policy of denial. The United States neither recognizes nor denies the genocide. When we deny the Armenian genocide, we are desecrating the memory of its victims. In my opinion, in so doing we are also desecrating the memory and the victims of the Holocaust.

Because of this last sentence, which I refused to omit, the administration of Yad Vashem rejected a scientific article that I was invited to write for the institution’s newsletter, Teaching the Legacy. But I will continue to say and to write that sentence until the State of Israel, if only via the Knesset, recognizes the Armenian genocide.

Today it’s already known and has been proven: When we deny a genocide that took place in the past, we are preparing the ground for a future genocide.

The discussion in the Knesset should arouse great interest in the world, and of course among the Armenians in Armenia and in the Diaspora, and hopefully here too. Those who are fighting for recognition are requesting “a vote now.” Transferring the discussion to the committee was an important step for years, but it has become a cynical political means to conceal the truth. We continue to deny.

Israeli recognition (which is not anticipated, to my regret) would probably lead to recognition of the Armenian genocide by the entire world. If Israel recognizes it, U.S. President Barack Obama won’t be able to continue to remain on the sidelines either. What is true of genocide is also true of the battle against its denial: Anyone who is not on the side of the victims is on the side of the deniers.

Prof. Auron is a genocide scholar who has been working for years for recognition by Israel and the world of the Armenian genocide.

President Serzh Sargsyan has left for the Nagorno Karabakh Republic for a working visit, the President’s Press Office reports.

Armenian football fans in Lebanon are backing Germany in this year’s European Championship, reports.

Abboul Al Damouri, an Armenian living in the capital Beirut, says he has supported Germany in the past.

But this year, following Germany’s recognition of the mass killing of Armenians by Ottoman Turks 100 years ago as ‘genocide’, he wants to shout his allegiance from the rooftops.

Sounding his horn loudly, he drives through the capital’s busy streets on a bicycle festooned with German flags and colours.

To show their support for Germany in Euro 2016, many residents of the Armenian neighborhood of Burj Hammoud in East Beirut have hung German flags in the streets.

They say it is in gratitude for the German parliament approving a declaration earlier this month recognising the 1915 killings as genocide.

Armenian restaurant owner, Kaburk Jokjokian, is even offering food free of charge to German fans.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Russia has been handed a suspended disqualification from Euro 2016 over crowd disturbances at the game against England in Marseille, Sky News reports.

UEFA announced its decision as a group of Russian football fans faced being thrown out of France – and GoPro footage appeared to demonstrate that attacks on English supporters in Marseille before the match were well-planned.

UEFA also fined the Russian football federation €150,000 over violence inside the Stade Velodrome.

The identities of 29 fans were being checked at a hotel near the southern French port city, but authorities told AFP a decision had already been taken to move some of them to a holding centre at the border.

French police are checking to see if any of the Russians are on a list of supporters “considered a risk”, said Francois-Xavier Lauch, a top local official in the Alpes-Maritimes area.

The head of a Russian supporters’ group said a bus carrying fans on their way to Lille – where there are fears of further violence this week – was stopped near Cannes.