ITAR-TASS, Russia
December 01, 2017 Friday 1:51 PM GMT
Kiev fails to fulfil its duties as PABSEC chair - Russian foreign ministry
MOSCOW December 1
Ukraine has failed to perform its duties as the chair of the
Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic Cooperation (PABSEC),
the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.
MOSCOW, December 1. /TASS/. Ukraine has failed to perform its duties
as the chair of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation (PABSEC), the Russian Foreign Ministry reported on Friday.
"It is becoming clear that Ukraine is failing to fulfil its
obligations as the PABSEC chair: there are violations of the general
norms and principles of work of multilateral organizations, the
failure to provide full-format participation in the events for
delegations and a breach of the basic principles of parliamentarism,"
the ministry stressed.
The ministry reiterated that the Russian parliamentary delegation has
not received an invitation to the PABSEC General Assembly session in
Kiev, "which also violates the order of the PABSEC operation."
"Unfortunately, these violations of the delegations’ rights occur
under the passive eye of its other members. This issue is thought to
require a serious discussion within the Assembly," the Foreign
Ministry stated.
"As for the Ukrainian amendments themselves, they were introduced to a
pre-agreed draft declaration at the last moment and had a provocative
character," the ministry noted. "The Ukrainians abused, in fact, their
chairmanship functions, having ‘twisted the PABSEC delegates’ arms’
and achieved the adoption of non-balanced wordings that go beyond the
economic theme that the Parliamentary Assembly of the Black Sea
Economic Cooperation should be dealing with."
"Moreover, the final declaration of the session that was dedicated to
the 25th anniversary of the Assembly and had to be steeped in the
spirit of unification fell prey to Ukraine’s destructive aspirations,"
the ministry noted.
The Foreign Ministry also pointed out that, according to the received
information, "Ukraine’s chairmanship in fact barred the Armenian
parliamentary delegation from joint work on the amendments and the
final declaration on the issues of fundamental nature." "The Armenian
delegation finally had to leave the conference hall in protest," the
ministry reported.
PABSEC-2017
The PABSEC was established on February 26, 1993, and includes 12
countries: Albania, Azerbaijan, Bulgaria, Armenia, Greece, Georgia,
Moldova, Romania, Russia, Serbia, Turkey and Ukraine. According to the
organization’s regulations, on July 6, 2017, Ukraine took over the
PABSEC chairmanship for a six-month term. Albania will be chairing the
PABSEC for the next six months.
This year Russia did not participate in the PABSEC session in Kiev due
to the absence of an invitation from Ukraine which had to be sent by
Verkhovna Rada Chairman Andrey Paruby. The head of the Russian
delegation at this organization, Mikhail Yemelyanov, called it an
unprecedented case.
The offensive incident occurred when Armenia’s delegation was not
invited to discuss the final text of the declaration. According to
Armenia’s parliament, the PABSEC General Assembly finally adopted the
declaration with regard to Ukraine’s amendment on the necessity to
help restore the territorial integrity of the Black Sea Economic
Cooperation member states which runs counter to "the comprehensive
principles of the international law: the principles of the non-use of
force and the threat of force, territorial integrity and the peoples’
rights to free self-determination." The Armenian delegation left the
PABSEC conference hall in Kiev in protest.
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
December 2, 2017 Saturday
Ethnic Armenian MP of Syria, Baroness Caroline Cox of UK discuss
community situation
YEREVAN, DECEMBER 2, ARMENPRESS. Representatives of UK’s House of
Lords (Upper House of Parliament) have discussed the current state of
the Armenian community of Syria, among other issues, during a meeting
in the Syrian Parliament. Ethnic Armenian Member of Parliament of
Syria Nora Arisyan was also taking part in the meeting.
“Numerous issues were discussed during the meeting with
representatives of the House of Lords, which concern the restoration
and situation of Syria, re-establishment of security. The Armenian
community was also discussed”, Arisyan told ARMENPRESS.
The ethnic Armenian MP presented to the UK parliamentarians that many
churches and schools have been destroyed during the war, and
restoration works are underway.
Arisyan told President of the delegation Baroness Caroline Cox that
Armenians are living in a united and harmonious Syrian friendship,
which is in line with cultural diversity.
Monastery of Saint Thaddeus, A UNESCO-Inscribed Tourist Spot in Iran
News ID: 1583425 Service: Tourism
December, 02, 2017 – 18:30
Alternatively known as Qareh Klise (meaning black church), the property presents important vestiges of Armenian culture in the region.
Together with St. Stepanos Monastery and the Chapel of Dzordzor, Qareh Klise was placed on the UNESCO World Heritage list in 2008 under the name “Armenian Monastic Ensembles of Iran”.
All the three sites are located in West Azarbaijan Province and are of high significance from both historical and cultural perspectives. They bear credible testimony to interchanges with the ancient regional societies in particular the Byzantine, Orthodox and Persian.
UNESCO experts say these edifices are examples of outstanding universal value of the Armenian architectural and decorative traditions.
Narratives say Qareh Klise was built as a memorial to Judas Thaddeus, who traveled to Mesopotamia and Persia as one of the Twelve Apostles of Jesus.
Splendid outside, yet quite plain indoor, the monastery shows off elaborate bas-reliefs of flowers, animals and human figures on its façade and exterior walls. It bears verses of Old and New Testament in Armenian calligraphy as well.
The church has largely been underwent stages of renovation projects, notably following an earthquake in 1319 CE, and later in the early 19th century upon the order of Qajar prince Abbas Mirza.
St. Thaddeus has always been a place of high spiritual value for Christians and other inhabitants in the region. Every summer, it hosts gatherings of pilgrims coming from Iran and Armenia to observe special religious ceremonies such as Holy Communion and baptism.
Armenian director's Karabakh movie named best at Pomegranate fest
The feature film "The Last Inhabitant" by Armenian filmmaker Jivan Avetisyan about the ongoing conflict in Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) was named the best feature film in Pomegranate Film Festival in Toronto, Canada.
The movie was among the 40 other films submitted for consideration, with Canadian-Armenian filmmaker Atom Egoyan, Arsinee Khanjian, actor/producer Dean Cain, Montel Williams and many others in attendance.
Avetisyan's eighth feature film, "The Last Inhabitant" centers around Abgar, the only Armenian of Christian faith left in the village of Gyurjevan, now devastated and in near ruins, after everyone else has been deported. Because of his skills as a stonemason, he is assigned to help build a mosque by the Azeri occupants. He also has to take care of his daughter Yurga, traumatized after witnessing her husband’s murder. As the situation deteriorates around them with increasing enemy danger and lack of food, they find solace in their memories of an idealized past, when peace and happiness still prevailed. The last resort for those who have not much to hope for. With its often elegiac and poetic approach the film is able to achieve a touching portrait of survival and at the same time humanizing the protagonists and their fate, how tragic it may be.
Earlier, the film was named the best feature film by the Scandinavian International Film Festival, while actor Aleksandr Khachatryan, meanwhile, won the best actor award in Finland.
Armenia’s Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has become a grandfather of twins – his daughter gave birth to a boy and a girl.
Hayk Harutyunyan, deputy minister of energy infrastructures and natural resources, who is the son-in-law of the Prime Minister, said on Facebook that his twins have been born.
Minority schools in Turkey, of which there are 24 currently, are struggling to survive as the populations of their communities dwindle.
The representatives of some of these schools, which are today facing the risk of closure, demand resources are allocated more fairly to them and are given a status other than “private schools” by the state.
Turkish Minority Foundations representative Toros Alcan told daily Hürriyet that one of the most pressing issues they faced was that the Education Ministry considered minority schools in the country as “private schools.” But because minority schools do not seek profit, they suffered a “status problem,” he said.
“This is why the donations granted [to minority schools] are seen as income. It should not be forgotten that we are public schools,” Alcan said.
“In Turkey, the Greek population today is between 2,500 and 3,000. There are currently six Greek schools. In the 1950s, this number was around 60 to 70. In the 2000s, it fell to 10. The only institution opened in the last years is the Gökçeada Greek School,” the head of the Association for Support of Greek Community Foundations in Turkey (RUMVADER), Andon Parizyanos, said.
“Because they have no students left anymore, the Greek primary schools in the Istanbul neighborhoods of Kadıköy, Kurtuluş, and Feriköy have been closed down. Our education institutions are gradually decreasing in number. In places that used to swarm with children, there are only 50 students now. For the number of students to increase, guest students can also be given diplomas. Improving the quality of our schools and teaching the Greek language to mixed-raced children are important to us. Our income is not enough, the foundations are having financial difficulties,” Parizyanos added.
“Our only wish is that the contribution of Greek mosaics to the Turkish culture continues. The increase in the number of mixed-marriages and a decrease in the [minority] population have an impact on the decline of the number of students,” the head of the Zoğrafyon Greek High School in Istanbul, Yani Demircioğlu, told daily Hürriyet. Only 50 students are currently enrolled in the 124-year-old school.
Turkey’s Education Ministry offers tuition assistance for those attending minority schools, which is also the case for students in private schools. The ministry paid 8.7 million Turkish Liras ($2.2 million) for 2,685 students attending minority schools in the 2014-2015 academic year, 9.4 million liras for 2,681 students in the 2015-2016 academic year, and 7.2 million liras for 1,910 students in the 2016-2017 academic year.
Sixteen Armenian schools in Turkey
For Turkey’s Armenian community, the meager number of schools for their children is also a problem. With a population of 60,000 and 16 schools across the country, only 3,000 students receive education in Armenian schools.
“There were around 9,000 students in 25 schools at the end of the 1950s. Now, there are 3,000 students in 16 schools. When the education system in Turkey changes, it affects our schools, too. Because high school and university entrance exams are conducted by a centralized education system, parents want classes like physics and mathematics to be taught in Turkish, which we have the right to offer in Armenian,” Istanbul Dadyan Armenian School’s founder Arsen Arşık said.
Only one Jewish school
The only school in Turkey for the Jewish community is the Ulus Private Jewish Schools in Istanbul, which offers education to kindergarten, primary, middle school, and high school students. The total number of students is 600 at the school, which offers all classes in Turkish. Hebrew and English are taught as second languages.
Three students attend Büyükada Greek Primary School
Once a home for many Greeks in Istanbul, the Büyükada island, off the coast of Istanbul, hosts one of the six Greek schools left in Turkey. But the school currently has three students only, two of whom are seven years old and the other is nine. They have two Greek teachers and one Turkish teacher. The students do not use the original building of the school, as it had received severe damage in the 1999 Marmara earthquake.
The Greek schools, like other minority schools, are in limbo, too. Established by various minority foundations, the schools are tied the Education Ministry. In these schools, students are required to take Turkish, geography, and history classes in Turkish. Other classes such as physics, music, and mathematics are taught in Greek. The curriculum, however, is determined by the ministry. The ministry appoints some Turkish teachers to the schools and makes it compulsory for the school principal’s assistant to be Turkish.
(Los Angeles) – The Los Angeles Committee of Human Rights Watch will present its inaugural Promise Award to the song The Promise on November 14, 2017, Human Rights Watch announced today.
Inspired by the film and song that powerfully depicted the atrocities committed against the Armenian people, the award recognizes an outstanding song, television show, or film that advances the values of equity and justice in an original and powerful way. Fittingly, the inaugural honor will be given to the late legendary singer and songwriter Chris Cornell in recognition of his song, The Promise. The award will be presented at The Voices for Justice Human Rights Watch Annual Dinner at the Beverly Hilton Hotel, at 6:30 p.m. on November 14.
The pioneering recording artist Chris Cornell, who sadly passed away in May, wrote the title song for the film, The Promise, the first major Hollywood film about the Armenian genocide. The song and its video fittingly weave the genocide with humanitarian crises of today. The song focuses on courage, perseverance, and hope – connecting with emotions that characterize and amplify the worldwide struggle for human rights. Cornell donated all proceeds from the song to benefit refugees and children, and his song continues to inspire millions as an anthem for the human rights movement.
“We are proud to name this award after The Promise, and present the inaugural award to Chris Cornell’s inspiring song,” said Justin Connolly, director of the Human Rights Watch Los Angeles Committee.
The Promise film has greatly raised awareness about the atrocities during the Armenian genocide in 1915 and recruited the general public and leaders from around the world to fight for human rights with its #KeepThePromise social media campaign. All proceeds from the film are being donated to non-profit organizations and humanitarian causes – including the establishment of The Promise Institute for Human Rights at UCLA.
The renowned singer, songwriter, film composer, and human rights activist Serj Tankian – also known for leading the Grammy-winning band, System Of A Down – will present the award. Tankian also served as the executive music consultant for The Promise and also contributed a song for the film’s soundtrack.
The Los Angeles Committee supports Human Rights Watch through outreach, advocacy and fundraising. It is part of a network of committees across 22 cities in East Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and North America. For more than 25 years, the committee has dedicated itself to broadening awareness of human rights issues throughout Southern California
University students protest against the law on military service
BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN
For the past three days students from university students in Yerevan have been staging demonstrations protesting a new law passed by parliament that would eliminate deferment from Armenia’s mandatory military service for students attending university, essentially calling for all males to enlist in the military at the age of 18.
The student protesters argue that without the determents currently in place it would become harder to go to college and “become scientists or scholar.”
Prime Minister Karen Karepetyan meets with leaders of student protests against new law on military draft on Nov. 9
On Thursday, several organizers of the student protests met with Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan, who was accompanied by Armenia defense and education ministers, Vigen Sargsyan and Levon Mkrtrchyan, who had already met with student leaders a day before.
Much to the dismay of the students, Karapetyan was steadfast in defending the measure, which the government argues only impacts a small percentage—15 percent—of students who receive scholarships to study at state universities. Students who pay for higher education already are drafted at 18.
The prime minister also told the students to offer amendments that may be considered at the time of implementing the measure.
“The opposite side did not share our view. Therefore, we will continue our struggle,” one of the protest leaders told more than a 100 fellow students rallying outside the prime minister’s office in Yerevan, reported Azatutyun.am. Another leader urged the students to continue the boycott that began on Tuesday.
On Nov. 8, Armenia’s education minister, Levon Mkrtchyan, met with protesting students
Mkrtchyan, the education minister, gave the students a similar explanation when he met with them on Wednesday.
“When it comes to serving the homeland, no citizen of the Republic of Armenia will have privileges,” Mkrtchyan told several organizers, according to Azatutyun.am. He argued that more than 85 percent of male students attending state-run universities are already drafted for military service at 18.
“There is quite strong political support behind [the bill] … I don’t think that this bill is subject to withdrawal,” added Mkrtchyan.
Should there be a larger discussion about—the elephant in the room—what has given impetus to this bill?
Will children of government officials also enlist at 18 or will they use their parents’ positions to avoid military service? And, is emigration of young people from Armenia impacting service in Armenia’s Armed Forces?
President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev has received a delegation led by head of the France-Azerbaijan Friendship Group at the National Assembly of the French Republic Pierre-Alain Raphan.
The head of state congratulated Pierre-Alain Raphan on his election to the French parliament and expressed satisfaction with the fact that he leads the France-Azerbaijan Friendship Group.
The visit of Pierre-Alain Raphan to Azerbaijan creates a good opportunity for better acquaintance with the country, said President Aliyev.
Touching upon bilateral relations, the head of state noted that the French-Azerbaijani relations are at a very high level today, and cooperation in political, economic, energy and infrastructure spheres gives good results.
President Aliyev stressed the importance of activities of many French companies in Azerbaijan over many years.
The head of state said that France, as co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, also plays its role in the settlement of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.
However, the Armenian lobby disseminates fictitious and false information about Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh in various countries and tries to mislead the international community and prevent a fair resolution of the conflict, added the president.
Having said that the agenda of Azerbaijan-France bilateral relations is quite extensive, President Aliyev noted with certainty that these ties will become even stronger in the coming years.
Pierre-Alain Raphan, for his part, said that he is proud of meeting with President Ilham Aliyev in Baku, and feels joy of leading the France-Azerbaijan Friendship Group.
“All of us, including French President Emmanuel Macron, want the French-Azerbaijani relations to rise to an even higher level,” he noted.
Pierre-Alain Raphan noted the need for further efforts to strengthen political, economic and cultural ties between the two countries.
He also stressed the importance of bringing the realities about Azerbaijan to the attention of French society. Touching upon the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Pierre-Alain Raphan said that France is committed to the resolutions existing in connection with the settlement of the conflict.
The two sides also exchanged views on cooperation in the spheres of space industry, construction, transportation, water management, metro, railway, military-technical and others.
Russian President Vladimir Putin arrived in Iran on Wednesday to meet with top leaders as tension between Tehran and Washington mounts over a 2015 nuclear deal between Iran and six major powers, Reuters reports.
State TV reported that Putin would discuss issues with Iranian officials including regional crises such as the Syrian conflict, the nuclear deal and economic and bilateral ties.
Moscow and Washington are at odds over an array of issues and Russia has criticized U.S. President Donald Trump’s decision not to certify the nuclear deal on October 13.
Russia and Iran are allies in Syria and the main backers of President Bashar al-Assad, while the United States, Turkey, Saudi Arabia and other Gulf Arab states support opposition groups seeking to overthrow him.
Putin will also take part in a three-way summit between Russia, Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan, state TV said.