Author: Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Anger as abbot told to hide his cross on visit to Western Wall with German minister

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
The Times of Israel

Story by ToI Staff • Yesterday 4:33 PM

AChristian abbot was asked Wednesday by an official at Jerusalem’s Western Wall to hide his cross while accompanying Germany’s education minister to the holy site, drawing censure and an apology in the latest incident of Jewish-Christian tensions in the capital’s Old City.

The incident, which took place outside the prayer area of the Jewish holy site, was filmed and posted online by a reporter for German news outlet Der Spiegel.

Nikodemus Schnabel, the abbot of the Old City’s Dormition Abbey, was stopped by a woman who was said to be an employee of the Western Wall Heritage Foundation, the Haredi-dominated state-run body that administers the site.

The footage shows the woman telling Schnabel the pectoral cross he was wearing was “really big and inappropriate for this place” and asking him to stow it away, as Germany’s Federal Minister of Education and Research Bettina Stark-Watzinger stands by.

“This is very harsh, you’re not respecting my religion. You’re hindering me from my human right,” Schnabel says. “This is not a provocation, I am an abbot. This is my dress. The cross is part of my dress code. I’m a Roman Catholic abbot. You want me to not dress as my faith, that is the reality.”

The visit eventually took place as planned, but Schnabel continued to complain about the incident on Twitter, calling it “not so nice” and blaming the hard-right government, which was sworn in almost seven months ago.

“It is painful to see how the climate in this wonderful city is changing more and more for the worse under the new government,” the abbot wrote. “Jerusalem is big enough for everyone!”

The Western Wall Heritage Foundation issued a statement apologizing “for the distress that was caused,” but defending the actions of the woman while also noting that the site is open to all and there are no rules “on this issue” there

“The usher approached and innocently and politely asked whether the cross could be covered to prevent discomfort as happened recently in the Old City, out of a desire to respect the guest and the place. After he refused, his entry was of course not prevented and the usher respected [this] and headed off,” the statement read.

While there have long been occasional incidents of vandalism and harassment against Christian clergy in Jerusalem’s Old City, there has been a noticeable rise in attacks in recent months.

In November, two soldiers from the Israel Defense Forces’ Givati Brigade were detained on suspicion of spitting at the Armenian archbishop and other pilgrims during a procession in the Old City. In early January, two Jewish teens were arrested for damaging graves at the Protestant cemetery on Mount Zion.

The next week, the Maronite community center in the northern city of Ma’alot-Tarshiha was vandalized by unknown assailants over the Christmas holiday.

Jerusalem’s Armenian community buildings were also targeted by vandals, with multiple discriminatory phrases graffitied on the exterior of structures in the Armenian Quarter. On a Thursday night in late January, a gang of religious Jewish teens threw chairs at an Armenian restaurant inside the city’s New Gate. Vandalism at the Church of the Flagellation occurred the very next week.

And in March, a resident of southern Israel was arrested after attacking priests with an iron bar at the Tomb of the Virgin Mary in Gethsemane.

Some tie the rise in aggressive behavior recently to the composition of the current Israeli government, which is made up of ultra-Orthodox and extreme-right factions fiercely protective of Israel’s Orthodox Jewish character and strongly opposed to public displays of Christian worship.

President Isaac Herzog earlier this month condemned the growing trend, calling it “a true disgrace.”

“I utterly condemn violence, in all its forms, directed by a small and extreme group, towards the holy places of the Christian faith, and against Christian clergy in Israel,” Herzog said at a state memorial ceremony for Zionist visionary Theodor Herzl.

“This includes spitting, and the desecration of graves and churches,” he added, noting that the phenomenon has been on the rise “in the last weeks and months especially.”

Lazar Berman contributed to this report.

 

‘Aurora’s Sunrise’ Animated Doc on Armenian Genocide to Hit North American Theaters

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

Inna Sahakyan’s harrowing film tells the story of Aurora Mardiganian, who escaped the Armenian Genocide before embarking on an odyssey that took her to the heights of Hollywood stardom.

By AWN Staff Editor | Wednesday, at 12:23pm
In 2D, CG, Films, People | ANIMATIONWorld, Headline News | Geographic Region: All

Bars Media Films announced its first-ever animated feature, Aurora’s Sunrise, will soon have its North American theatrical release, opening Aug. 11 in New York City at Village East by Angelika and New Plaza Cinema, Aug. 18 in Los Angeles at Laemmle Glendale, and Sept. 1 in Toronto at Hot Docs Ted Rogers Cinema, with director Inna Sahakyan in-person for Q&As at all three. The film will also roll out in other cities across the U.S. and Canada throughout August and the Fall.

The feature was the first-ever animated documentary film made in Armenia and was Armenia’s Official Selection for 95th Academy Awards for Best International Feature Film. Directed by Inna Sahakyan, Aurora’s Sunrise premiered in competition at Annecy IAFF2022 and then became a festival favorite, winning more than 10 awards, including the Asia Pacific Screen Awards 2022 for Best Animated Film, Movies that Matter 2023 Audience Award and Special Mention Winner, Audience Favorites at IDFA 2022, Audience Awards at Animation is Film 2022 and FIFDH Geneva International Film Festival and Forum on Human Rights 2023 for Grand Prix, among others.

Read AWN's interview with the director: ‘Aurora’s Sunrise’ Marks a New Era in Armenian Storytelling

In 1915, as WWI raged on, the Ottoman Empire singled out its entire Armenian population for destruction. Only 14 years old at the time, Aurora Mardiganian’s story was tragically relatable. Forced onto a death march towards the Syrian desert, she lost her entire family before being kidnapped and sold into sexual slavery. Four years later, through luck and extraordinary courage, she escaped to New York, where her story became a media sensation. Starring as herself in the silent epic Auction of Souls, an early Hollywood blockbuster, Aurora became the face of one of the largest and most successful charity campaigns in American history, as one of the first women activists fighting against the injustices of war. With a blend of vivid animation, interviews with Aurora herself, and 18 minutes of surviving re-discovered footage from her lost silent epic, Aurora’s Sunrise revives a forgotten story of survival, hope, and the endurance of the human spirit.

“The Armenian genocide is the enduring pain of my nation,” said director Inna Sahakyan. “I was afraid of telling stories that only confirmed Armenians as a nation of victims with no historical agency and nothing but tragedy running through our veins. That is, until I stumbled upon an interview with Aurora Mardiganian while going through archival interviews with Armenian Genocide survivors at the Zoryan Institute. Through her words and expressions, an incredible but ordinary heroism shone: this woman survived a genocide but refused to be a victim. This is the character I wanted to build in Aurora’s Sunrise, resilient, powerful and heartwarming all at once.”

Source: Bars Media Films

Azeri smear campaign against France seeks to prevent other countries making assessments regarding Nagorno Karabakh – PM

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

 11:46, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijan targets any international organization or country that issues an objective assessment to the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh and the Azerbaijani actions, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned on July 6. He said these actions are part of Azerbaijan’s policy of ethnic cleansing against Armenians in Nagorno Karabakh.

“In his regard, Azerbaijan has been carrying out a large-scale smear campaign against France for many months, because targeted assessments and warnings are raised in both official and public platforms there regarding the illegal actions taken by Azerbaijan against the Armenians of Nagorno Karabakh. The goal of this smear campaign is to prevent possible targeted assessments regarding the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh by other countries. For its part, Armenia, expressing gratitude to France, must take all measures so that more and more countries and international organizations issue targeted assessments regarding the ongoing humanitarian crisis in Nagorno Karabakh,” Pashinyan said at the Cabinet meeting.

Armenia must react to the entire situation through continuous diplomatic work, he added.

“As difficult as it gets morally, politically or emotionally, we must never lose self-control,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan again rules out extraterritorial corridor

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

 12:21, 6 July 2023

YEREVAN, JULY 6, ARMENPRESS. Armenia has never assumed any obligation to provide an extraterritorial corridor and will never accept any such interpretation, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan said on July 6.

“Azerbaijan continues to accuse Armenia of not fulfilling obligations on ensuring transport connection through its territory with some ambiguous interpretations. I have to repeat that Armenia has never, neither verbally nor in writing, assumed any corridor obligation and will not accept any such interpretation. By reading the 9 November 2020 agreement anyone can see that Armenia hasn’t assumed any corridor obligation,” Pashinyan said.

Pashinyan said that Armenia is ready for the unblocking of regional connections under the sovereignty and jurisdiction of the countries.

“For a long time the Armenian government has put into circulation a draft decision envisaging the opening of three border checkpoints on the Armenian side of the Armenia- Azerbaijan border. This decision is not being adopted because of Azerbaijan’s destructive approach, which hasn’t even initiated such a process and doesn’t want to provide a road for Armenia. The logic is that Azerbaijan should also make the same decision, so that these checkpoints get installed on both Armenia’s side and Azerbaijan’s side, in order for the regional and transport infrastructures to be unblocked. Azerbaijan is not doing this and Azerbaijan is behaving this way because it hasn’t abandoned its 30-year policy of subjecting the Republic of Armenia to blockade,” Pashinyan said.

Why does Russia need a consulate in the south of Armenia on the border with Azerbaijan? Opinions

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
  • Tigranuhi Martirosyan
  • Yerevan

Russian consulate in Syunik

Russia has decided to open a consulate in the Syunik region of Armenia, bordering Azerbaijan. Armenian analysts believe that it only at first glance seems to be an important step that can bring relations between the two countries to a new level. They explain that the functions of the consulate are the provision of visas to this country and the solution of the problems of citizens of their country. In Syunik, there is no need for either the first or the second. You do not need visas to travel to Russia, there are no Russian citizens in this area.

Experts believe that the decision to increase the diplomatic presence in the south of Armenia is not at all diplomatic, but political and dangerous for Armenia.

  • Armenia at a crossroads: will the country leave Russia’s sphere of influence
  • Pashinyan speaks before parliamentary commission on the Karabakh War
  • “There will be no pro-Armenian decisions”: Armenian analysts on Mirzoyan-Bayramov meeting

Russia became interested in the Syunik region after the 44-day war in 2020, when negotiations began on unblocking transport and providing Azerbaijan with a road through the territory of Armenia to connect with Nakhichevan. We are talking about the so-called “Zangezur corridor”, which Armenia declares unacceptable both in terms of terminology and the mechanisms proposed for its activation. The term “corridor” is considered unacceptable here, since it implies the loss of sovereignty in this territory.

Once again, a protest about this was heard when Pashinyan and Aliyev in Moscow began to publicly discuss this term in the presence of Putin.

Yerevan is discussing the visit of the Armenian Prime Minister to Moscow, in particular, the moment when the Armenian Prime Minister interrupted the Russian President to react to Aliyev’s speech

The Prime Minister of Armenia once again stated that the corridor will not be provided, but the country is ready to provide roads while maintaining its sovereign control. The President of Azerbaijan declared his right to take the initiative on the issue of the Zangezur corridor. And he added that Russia also supports it.

Armenian political scientists believe that the interests of the Azerbaijani and Russian sides in this matter coincide: Azerbaijan wants to get a corridor, and Russia wants to control it under the pretext of ensuring security.

Moreover, before Russia announced its intention to open a consulate in Syunik, the Iranian Consulate General opened there.

Foreign Minister Hossein Amir Abdollahian stated that “Iran considers the security of Armenia and the region its security”

Political scientist Hovsep Khurshudyan explains that Syunik attracts the attention of geopolitical centers due to its position at the crossroads. That is why, when negotiations began on the provision of a road through this territory, Russia, Iran and Turkey immediately showed interest.

“Russia, whose influence both in our region and in the world is gradually weakening, is trying to cling to this most important region of Armenia. In particular, the deployment of the EU monitoring mission here, and before that the opening of the Iranian consulate in Kapan, led to the fact that Russia wanted to establish its presence in this important area.

The goal of the West and Iran is to ensure the maximum security of Syunik, that is, the main future trade route between Iran and the European Union, and the goal of Russia is to prevent the creation of this road. Moreover, the Russian consulate, like the Russian military before that, will perform the function of collecting intelligence information for Azerbaijan.”

The director of the Armenian Institute for National Resilience, Gevorg Melikyan, says Russia has been given the responsibility of ensuring the safety of the unblocked roads by a November 9 tripartite statement, although many in Armenia believe that this document does not give Russia such a function.

“If the roads in Syunik open, then, unfortunately, they will be controlled by the Russian Federation, so Moscow’s representation in the Syunik region is increasing. The question will arise whether it is possible to control these roads from Yerevan. Of course it is possible. Just the opening of the consulate shows their attitude to the issue.

The Armenian side constantly states that no, Russia will not control these routes. They maneuver, they say, Armenia will control its roads, but the November 2020 statement is different. And the Russian Federation is taking active steps to show that this is its function.”

Frank answers from the Prime Minister of Armenia in the Prima News program about the geographical and geopolitical problems of the country, relations with neighbors and even personal questions

Armenia is turning into a stage of conflict between geopolitical centers, political scientist Benyamin Matevosyan believes: by gaining a foothold in Syunik, Iran, Russia and the EU do not solve the issue of the region’s security, but create new threats:

“EU monitors will monitor the movements of Russian and Iranian troops, Russian troops will monitor the monitors and Iranian troops, and Iran will monitor the other two. That says it all”.

Director of the Democratic Platform Foundation Garegin Miskaryan believes that the consulate will have another important mission: to change the mood of local residents, to spread pro-Russian sentiment through cultural and educational events:

“It’s a soft instrument. Russia has lost its positions, in the Russian Federation they see that there are no allied relations and are now trying to restore their reputation and position. And they decided to start from Syunik, where they also have plans for the roads.”

According to Miskaryan, Russia is thus trying to show the West that Armenia is allegedly in full solidarity with it.

If the consulate will not serve its main purpose and, as political scientists say, will only deal with the issue of political positioning, then why did the Armenian authorities agree to its opening?

Hovsep Khurshudyan wants the authorities to weigh in on this. He believes that the government, although it has chosen the right path of closer cooperation with the West, is slow on many issues. In some cases, he says, risks are miscalculated, as may be the case with this decision.

https://jam-news.net/russian-consulate-in-syunik/

In Jerusalem, talking about violence against Christians is risky

Vatche Chakhmakhchian
June 21 2023
Recent university conference in Jerusalem on increasing acts of violence against Christians in the Holy City nearly canceled over accusations of antisemitism
By Nicolas Rouger | Israel
June 21, 2023

"Why Do (Some) Jews Spit on Gentiles?" That was the provocative title of a recent conference in Jerusalem aimed at understanding the increasing acts of violence against non-Jews in the Holy City.

But the event – which was organized by the Center for the Study of Relations Between Jews, Christians and Muslims at the Open University of Israel – almost didn't take place after a key aide of Jerusalem's mayor forced the Tower of David Museum to cancel it. Originally scheduled for June 15, the conference was held next day at the Armenian seminary. But only with a reduced number of people were allowed to participate.

The man who forced the cancellation was Arieh King, one of the city's seven vice-mayors who is known for his hostility to the Christian presence in Jerusalem.

In the eye of the storm was Yisca Harani, a Jewish academic and an energetic woman, whose deeply pious father was also a renowned intellectual and one of the founding forces behind the interfaith meeting in Jerusalem.

Harani knows Christians well; she rubs shoulders with monastic communities in the Holy City and often shares their daily lives. As a researcher, she has also become a witness to the physical, psychological and verbal violence to which those recognized as Christians are subjected.

"I became an activist against my will," she explained.

Recording the incidents
The conference on the rise of violence was an opportunity to encourage people to officially note these incidents. Victims, for example, don't often lodge a complaint after being spat at, let alone when their stay in Israel depends on the goodwill of the authorities.

But Harani said that at least one attack, perhaps even more, takes place every day in Jerusalem.

"I think Arieh King found himself in a bad position after targeting evangelicals," said one of the conference's organizers.

Indeed. King led a small gang of teenagers to Jerusalem's Western Wall on May 30 to protest against a group of Zionist evangelical Christians.

"Go home, missionaries," they shouted at the demonstrators.

According to the same source in the organization, King used the conference as a pretext to fuel his argument about antisemitism and the defense of Jewish identity, which would be threatened even from within.

Ancient fears
The historical origins of the fear of Christians, which encourages these hate reflexes, are fueled by violence and anti-Semitism. But they are also encouraged by the resilience of the Jewish people in their perpetual status as a minority in history. It's a status that the State of Israel has changed.

"Today, the Jewish people must adapt to their role as the majority," insisted Karma Ben-Yohanan, professor at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem. She said "the circle of fear" must be broken.

But various observers say these attacks on Christians, which are aimed at gradually erasing their presence and silencing their representatives, are the work of a radical minority. They also say they are immoral and illegal under Jewish religious law.

"Solutions must be found at the source, in education, in the atmosphere in which children grow up," said Alon Goshen-Gottstein, a rabbi who is active in interfaith dialogue.

Political context
Yet Israel's national political climate does not seem conducive to this.

"Violence is on the rise partly because of our new far-right government. It encourages such acts, even indirectly," worried Yossi Havilio, another vice-mayor of Jerusalem, centrist. Havilio, who is a centrist, attended the conference in an act of solidarity.

The phenomenon seems to be increasing. A man was arrested on June 15 after throwing a rock that shattered a stained-glass window in Jerusalem's Cenacle on Mount Zion. And Jewish activists have used magic markers to cross off the names of Christian sites that are indicated on an information board at the entrance to the Old City. Unfortunately, the acts are not limited to Jerusalem.

The Discalced Carmelites at the Stella Maris Monastery at the foot of Mount Carmel in Haifa have been facing the intrusion of ultra-Orthodox Jews the past two weeks who have come ostensibly to pray in the church's grotto known as the Prophet Elijah's cave. Hundreds of people gathered in front of the church on June 18 to show their support for the Catholic friars.

 

Complete unblocking of Lachin Corridor will contribute to de-escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh. Zakharova

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

 19:00,

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The complete unblocking of the Lachin Corridor will contribute to the de-escalation of the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, ARMENPRESS reports, the official representative of the Russian Foreign Ministry, Maria Zakharova, said during the weekly briefing, commenting on the latest incident in Nagorno-Karabakh.

According to her, Moscow is concerned about frequent armed incidents in Nagorno-Karabakh and violations of the ceasefire regime.

"We call on the parties to exercise restraint and settle all disputed issues in a peaceful, political-diplomatic way, in cooperation with the command of the Russian peacekeeping troops. And we believe that prompt steps to unblock the Lachin Corridor and create conditions for the normal life of the civilian population will contribute to the de-escalation of the situation," said Zakharova.

On the night of June 28, the armed forces of Azerbaijan shelled the Armenian positions located in Martuni and Martakert regions of Nagorno-Karabakh, drones were also used. 4 Armenian soldiers were killed.




US encouraged by Armenia, Azerbaijan peace efforts as Washington talks begin

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

WASHINGTON, June 27 (Reuters) – The United States is encouraged by recent efforts by Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage productively on a peace process, State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said on Tuesday as Washington hosts the two countries' foreign ministers for talks.

Earlier on Tuesday, Secretary of State Antony Blinken met with Armenian Foreign Minister Ararat Mirzoyan and Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Jeyhun Bayramov ahead of talks between the two, and emphasized that direct dialogue is key to solving the conflict in the South Caucasus, Miller said. (Reporting by Daphne Psaledakis and Simon Lewis; editing by Jonathan Oatis)

U.S. vows continuous support to Armenia-Azerbaijan peace process

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

 10:03,

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The United States is encouraged by recent efforts of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage productively on the peace process and will continue to assist them any way that we can to build on that momentum, U.S. State Department spokesperson Matthew Miller said at a June 27 press briefing.

“The United States is pleased to host Foreign Minister Mirzoyan of Armenia and Foreign Minister Bayramov of Azerbaijan to facilitate negotiations this week as they continue to pursue a peaceful future for the South Caucasus region. Secretary Blinken was honored to welcome the foreign ministers at the opening meetings this morning at the George P. Schultz National Foreign Affairs Training Center. The Secretary met both individually with each minister, and held a meeting with the two of them together, and emphasized in each meeting that direct dialogue is the key to resolving issues and reaching a durable and dignified peace. The United States is encouraged by recent efforts of Armenia and Azerbaijan to engage productively on the peace process, and we will continue to assist them any way that we can to build on that momentum. Today was the first day of meetings that will continue through Thursday, and we will have further updates as the week goes on,” Miller said.

On June 27, in Washington D.C., Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan met U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken.

During the meeting, regional security and stability issues were discussed. The interlocutors touched upon the normalization process of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The importance of the following issues was stressed: ensuring the delimitation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan based on the Alma-Ata Declaration and the map of 1975, withdrawal of the troops from the border, as well as appropriately addressing the rights and security issues of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh as an important factor for the lasting peace in the region.

The interlocutors also exchanged views on issues of unblocking the region's transport infrastructure.

Ararat Mirzoyan briefed upon the humanitarian crisis resulting from the illegal blockade of the Lachin corridor. Minister Mirzoyan emphasized the imperative for Azerbaijan to renounce warmongering rhetoric as well as to release all Armenian prisoners of war.




Pashinyan testifies at parliament select committee on 2020 war

Vatche Chakhmakhchian

 10:00,

YEREVAN, JUNE 27, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan arrived in parliament for his second appearance at the parliament select committee on the 2020 war where he is expected to testify.

During the first session last week the Prime Minister made a speech at the hearing.

On June 27 PM Pashinyan will take questions from lawmakers.

Opposition factions are boycotting the hearing.