Author: Suren Karakhanian

Pope’s visit to Armenia was both of religious and inter-state character, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in an interview with Al Mayadeen TV, a pan-Arab news station.

“The fact of the Pope visiting Armenia is very important by itself, but the essence and content of that visit make it even more valuable,” the President said. He reminded that the Pope had described the trip as “pilgrimage to the first Christian nation.”

He attached importance to the Pope’s messages of peace, inter-religious dialogue and calmness. “I think all countries of our region should accept these messages and implement them,” he said.

“Pope’s trip was a visit to peace, a visit preaching peaceful co-existence and tolerance,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

As for Turkey’s reaction to the Pope’s remarks on Armenian Genocide, President Sargsyan said “Turkey angrily reacts to the actions of all countries recognizing the Armenian Genocide, and there was nothing surprising for us here.”

Many ask why the Pope used the word genocide here. “Why should a religious or political leader who has his views on certain things and events, refrain from calling them by their names?”

“Many thought Pope Francis would not use the word ‘genocide’ again after the Mass served on the 100^th anniversary. “Pope is not a person that can change his convictions because of pressures or angry reactions. The Pope used the word many times, when he was still in Argentina. For decades he has been friends with heirs of Armenian genocide survivors,” President Sargsyan said.

“Turkey will once react calmly to these facts,” the President said, adding that the situation was different 10 years ago. “No one would imagine 10 years ago that the Armenian Genocide could be commemorated in Istanbul or Ankara on April 24.”

“Turkey will once recognize the fact of genocide,” he said.  He noted that Germany came out winner by acknowledging the fact of Holocaust.

“We do not blame the Turkish people of having perpetrated the genocide. We blame the then authorities of the country, who undertook to eliminate the Armenian people. Today we blame those who deny the genocide. No one has ever heard me say a sore word about the Turkish people,” President Sargsyan said.

German Foreign Minister, OSCE Chairman-in-Office Frank-Walter Steinmeier will visit Armenia June 29-30, Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

The German Foreign Minister will have meetings with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

The meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the two countries will be followed by a joint press conference.

Pope Francis and Catholicos of All Armenians Karekin II are leading a Divine Liturgy in the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, at the St. Trdat Open Air Altar.

Borussia Dortmund midfielder Marco Reus was dropped from Germany’s European Championship squad on Tuesday, and captain Bastian Schweinsteiger made the final cut despite injury, the Associated Press reports.

Reus, who had been struggling at the team’s training camp in Ascona, Switzerland, was omitted from the final list of 23 players, along with Hoffenheim defender Sebastian Rudy and Bayer Leverkusen players Julian Brandt and Karim Bellarabi.

“The doctors could not give a clear prognosis,” Germany coach Joachim Loew said of Reus. “He has huge health problems and can only walk straight at the moment. More wasn’t possible in training so far.”

Loew said there were too many doubts over whether Reus could recover in time for the tournament in France.

“It’s a bitter decision for us and for him, a disappointment for us all, because a Marco Reus in form, healthy and fit, would have been a huge addition,” Loew said. “But for technical reasons we have to take this decision as we know this tournament will be very strenuous.”

Reus also missed Germany’s World Cup win in 2014 because of injury in a friendly match against Armenia.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will leave for Brussels on May 23 to participate in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of EU member states and Eastern Partnership Countries, Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov received today Member of Bundestag Ulla Jelpke and members of the Hamburg Parliament Martin Dolzer and Hasan Burgucuoglu.

Edward Sharmazanov hailed the relations established between Armenia and Germany and praised Germany’s support to our country.

The Vice-President of the National Assembly welcomed the German lawmakers’ planned visit to Artsakh, saying it’s a good opportunity to see everything on the ground, especially considering that Germany is currently presiding over the OSCE.

Sharmazanov briefed the guests on the Azeri aggression against Nagorno Karabakh in April this year. “You know that the aggression claimed the lives of not only servicemen, but also civilians. We must stop this. The people of Artsakh have self-determined and the international community will recognize their right to self-determination sooner or later. We aim to reach the international recognition of Artsakh in a peaceful way.”

Referring to the consideration of the Armenian Genocide recognition bill in the German Bundestag scheduled for June 2nd, Sharmazanov noted that “only through recognition and prevention will it be possible to close the path for perpetration of new genocides.”

Member of Bundestag Ulla Jelpke said their party is striving to reach not only recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but also the acknowledgement of the German responsibility. The German lawmaker voiced support for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

– First Secretary of the Social Democratic Party of Germany (SDP) Thomas Oppermann said, “On June 2, Bundestag will make a decision recognizing the mass killing of Armenians during World War I as genocide.”

First Secretary of SDP Thomas Oppermann said that he wants “the motion concerning the mass killing of Armenians in 1915”, which was put on the agenda long ago, to be accepted despite Turkey’s objections. According to Deutsche Welle, Oppermann spoke to Tagesspiel and said, “On June 2, Bundestag will make a decision recognizing the mass killing and deportation of Armenians during World War I as genocide.” He also stated that Turkey’s possible reactions shouldn’t be an obstacle to this step.

“Unnecessary sensitivity should be avoided”

Mentioning the comedian Böhmermann crisis, Oppermann said, “It was Angela Merkel’s mistake to allow for prosecution, though her coalition partner SPD objected to it.” Noting that the same mistakes shouldn’t be made, Oppermann stated: “This is exactly why we should avoid displaying unnecessary sensitivity to Turkey about the recognition of the genocide.”
According to Der Spiegel, the parliamentary groups of Christian Union Parties CDU/CSU and SDP prevented the draft resolution that recognizes the genocide. In the news report, it is stated that second and third readings of the resolution were dragged out for a long time.

In Germany, President Joachim Gauck and President of the Bundestag Norbert Lammert used the word “genocide” in their genocide’s 100th anniversary speeches, but Bundestag hasn’t used the word “genocide” for now.

Iranian Armenians gathered at a cathedral in Tehran on Sunday to commemorate victims of the killings of ethnic Armenians by Ottoman Turks over a century ago, reports.

Armenia’s First Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan met with Mrs. Caroline Douilliez, Head of the ICRC delegation in Armenia

The parties discussed issues related to the search for and recovery of the bodies of the soldiers killed as a result of the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan.

David Tonoyan expressed gratitude to the Head of the ICRC Delegation for organizing the exchange of bodies with the mediation of the ICRC and OSCE representatives.

The Deputy Defense Minister informed Mrs. Douilliez that all 18 bodies handed over the Armenian side were mutilated, which not only violates the second paragraph of  Common Article 3 of all 1949 Geneva Conventions (…To this end, the following acts are and shall remain prohibited at any time and in any place whatsoever with respect to the above-mentioned persons: (a) violence to life and person, in particular murder of all kinds, mutilation, cruel treatment and torture), the 1st paragraph of Article 130 of the 1949 4th Geneva Convention, the provisions of  Article 4.2. of the Second Protocol Additional to the Geneva Conventions, but also constitute a heavy crime under the criminal jurisdiction of any legal state.

David Tonoyan noted that the Armenian side will pursue the condemnations of the crimes committed by the Azerbaijani armed forces by the international community and specialized bodies.

Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan met with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, James Warlick and Pierre Andrieu, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The meeting was dedicated to the recent Azerbaijani aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Minister Ohanyan referred to the military actions at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan and the current situation.

Seyran Ohanyan drew the attention of the Co-Chairs to the peculiarities of Azerbaijan’s obvious aggression, including the war crimes against Armenian servicemen and civilians, as well as other violations of provisions of the law of armed conflict.

The Defense Minister noted that the Azeri military aggression was rebuffed and the further actions were prevented thanks to the heroic and skilled actions of the NKR Defense Army.

The Minister said Armenia is still ready to continue negotiations on the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

The Armenian Minister stressed the need of reinforcing any ceasefire with a legally binding agreement as a prerequisite for easing the military confrontation in the conflict zone.