Category: 2018

DPA international (Englischer Dienst), Germany
 Friday 6:37 PM GMT



German reporter Deniz Yucel walks free after a year in Turkish jail

by  Bill Heaney, Bernd Roeder and Niels C Sorrells in Berlin, Michael
Fischer in Munich, and Shabtai Gold, Linda Say and Can Merey in
Istanbul

Berlin (dpa) -

The journalist whose arrest in Turkey last February became a major
sticking point in relations between Berlin and Ankara walked free on
Friday after a year of incarceration.

German Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel, who earlier called Deniz
Yucel's release "a good day for us all," said the journalist had
departed for the airport.

"I want to especially thank the Turkish government for its support in
speeding up the legal process," Gabriel said, who revealed that he had
twice met Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the matter, a
detail he had never publicized before.

A photograph of Yucel hugging his wife outside prison was tweeted by
his lawyer Veysel Ok and by his employer, German newspaper Die Welt.

The image shows the pair embracing as Deniz holds a bunch of parsley -
a "flower of our love," Deniz explained in an article for Die Welt in
December. The high walls of the prison and barbed-wire-topped fencing
can be seen in the background. His wife, Dilek Mayaturk-Yucel, had
earlier tweeted: "Finally!!! Finally!!! Finally!!! Deniz is free!"

"Of course I am delighted for him, for his wife and family," German
Chancellor Angela Merkel said, thanking all those who had worked for
his release.

"It shows perhaps that dialogue is not always useless. You never know
exactly how things are going to turn out."

Yucel, 44, was arrested in Istanbul in February 2017 and remanded in
custody on suspicion of terrorism-related offences, but he had yet to
be officially charged of any crime by state prosecutors.

A Turkish court ordered Yucel's release after accepting an indictment
from prosecutors which asked for up to 18 years in prison for the
journalist on charges of "making propaganda for a terrorist
organization" and "inciting people to hatred and hostility."

The three-page indictment alleged Yucel used the term "Armenian
genocide," and had contact with members of the outlawed Kurdistan
Workers' Party (PKK) and followers of cleric Fethullah Gulen, whom the
government accuses of orchestrating a failed coup in 2016.

Yucel allegedly has one book by Gulen, according to the charges, which
also mentioned a joke the journalist once related about Turks and
Kurds.

Erdogan expressed his views on Yucel on a number of occasions, saying
he was "clearly an agent terrorist" and a "German agent." The
president said there was footage and evidence to prove his claims.

Die Welt editor-in-chief Ulf Poschardt on Friday lauded the media's
cooperation in Yucel's case, thanking those who didn't publish
information that could have put him in danger while in detention.

However, Poschardt added, the fight is far from over, promising to
continue trying to free the 150 journalists still in Turkish jail.

The former editor-in-chief of Cumhuriyet, Can Dundar, who lives in
exile in Europe, was less optimistic, warning that Yucel's release
would have negative consequences on press freedom in Turkey.

"Erdogan now knows that it's possible to negotiate over journalists,"
he said. "Erdogan received something in return, we just don't know
what yet. Why shouldn't he imprison ever more journalists?" he said.

Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim had hinted ahead of a meeting
with Merkel in Berlin on Thursday that there would be movement in the
Yucel case. "I hope that he will be released soon. I am of the opinion
that there will be a development soon," Yildirim said in an interview
with German state-run broadcaster ARD.

He insisted Turkey's judiciary is independent.

After Yucel was released, Yildirim expressed hope that the two
countries would "jointly" take steps to improve their relationship.

"It seems that some problems in Germany-Turkey relations in the past
period have been resolved today," Yildirim was quoted by the Turkish
Anadolu news agency as saying in Munich, where he was attending the
annual global security conference. "God willing, it will get better."

Since the end of 2017, Turkey has been seeking to improve its battered
relationship with Europe, and especially Germany, a key trading
partner and home to millions of people of Turkish descent.

Some members of the Turkish community in Germany expressed joy.

"We are hugely delighted that he has been set free," community leader
Gokay Sofuoglu told dpa, describing him as "a positively zany,
freedom-loving journalist."

National News Agency Lebanon (NNA)
 Friday


Aoun receives invitation from his Armenian counterpart to attend
Francophone Summit



NNA - President of the Republic, Michel Aoun, on Friday received an
official invitation from his Armenian counterpart, Serzh Sarkisian, to
attend the 17th Francophone Summit set to take place in Yerevan
upcoming October.

Armenian Ambassador to Lebanon, Samvel Mkrtchian, handed the
invitation letter to President Aoun during a visit to the Baabda
palace today.

The letter indicated that Armenia has suggested that the Summit takes
place under the title of "Living together" given the current
challenges facing the Francophone family and the international
community.

"This title, derived from the core of universal human values, gives us
the opportunity to address the role of Francophone in laying the
foundations for peace, solidarity and growth.. and in working
together," the letter said.

On the other hand, President Aoun welcomed this morning at the Baabda
palace a huge delegation of Mtein- Msheekha in the district of Metn,
who thanked the President for the State Shura Council's issued
decision to restore their outlying lands after being annexed for forty
years to another town.

Aoun underlined his determination to build a free homeland and free
citizens who can unreservedly express their opinions and will, notably
during election of their representatives at the Parliament.

Plus Company Updates(PCU)
 Friday


Vazken Der Kaloustian, MD, Presented with the Albert Nelson Marquis
Lifetime Achievement Award by Marquis Who's Who



MONTREAL, QC: Marquis Who's Who Ventures LLC has issued the following
press release:


Marquis Who's Who, the world's premier publisher of biographical
profiles, is proud to present Vazken Der Kaloustian, MD, with the
Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement Award. An accomplished
listee, Dr. Der Kaloustian celebrates many years' experience in his
professional network, and has been noted for achievements, leadership
qualities, and the credentials and successes he has accrued in his
field. As in all Marquis Who's Who biographical volumes, individuals
profiled are selected on the basis of current reference value. Factors
such as position, noteworthy accomplishments, visibility, and
prominence in a field are all taken into account during the selection
process.


Professor emeritus of pediatrics and human genetics in the Department
of Medical Genetics at McGill University, Dr. Der Kaloustian is a
board-certified physician who has been affiliated with the university
for more than two decades. Licensed to practice medicine in Lebanon,
as well as Quebec, Canada, and several states in the United States, he
worked in various capacities at the university, including as director
of the medical genetics training program, head of the division of
medical genetics, and founder and director of the national unit of
human genetics in Lebanon. Throughout his career in academia, Dr. Der
Kaloustian also taught as a professor at the American University of
Beirut for several years. He began his teaching career in 1965 as a
teaching fellow in pediatrics at Harvard University for one year,
followed by serving as an instructor of pediatrics at the American
University of Beirut from 1968 to 1970. He began teaching at McGill
University as a professor of pediatrics and genetics in 1988.

Dr. Der Kaloustian has been an invited speaker for dozens of seminars,
symposiums, and other events, including at Beaumont Hospital in
Michigan, Erasmus University in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, and the
University of Pittsburgh in Pennsylvania, and was a keynote speaker at
the University of Guadalajara's First International Symposium on
Genodermatosis. Additionally, he has been affiliated with a great
number of professional organizations, including the Canadian College
of Medical Geneticists, The American Society of Human Genetics, and
the American College of Medical Genetics and Genomics. He has been
active on the international scientific advisory committee of The
Cyprus Institute of Neurology and Genetics since 2008.

Throughout Dr. Der Kaloustian's career, he has been honored with a
Medal of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia, a Gold Medal Award
from the American University of Beirut Alumni Association, and a Medal
from the Hamazkayin Armenian Educational and Cultural Association. He
has also authored and co-authored several books, including "Genetic
Diseases of the Skin" in 1979, "The Kidney in Genetic Disease" in
1986, "Congenital Anomalies of the Ear, Nose and Throat" in 1991, as
well as more than 160 articles in peer-reviewed journals, chapters to
15 books, and numerous papers and reports for international
organizations. He has also been a reviewer for several professional
journals, was an editorial board member for "The American Journal of
Medical Genetics" and "The Lebanese Science Bulletin," and was a board
member for "The Birth Defects Encyclopedia."

Born in Antioch, Turkey in 1937, Dr. Der Kaloustian later studied at
the Hamazkayin Armenia College and the International College in
Beirut, Lebanon, before earning a bachelor's degree and MD at the
American University of Beirut in 1959 and 1963, respectively. Becoming
an assistant resident in pediatrics at the university, he then
traveled to the United States to complete a residency in pediatrics at
Boston Children's Hospital, followed by a fellowship in human genetics
in the department of pediatrics and a master's degree at The John
Hopkins University. By 1974, Dr. Der Kaloustian had completed a second
short fellowship in the Department of Cell Biology and Genetics at
Erasmus University before completing another fellowship in the
Department of Pediatrics in the Genetics unit at The Johns Hopkins
Hospital in 1982. Making his way to Canada in 1986, he and his wife
Lena Sethian have remained there ever since. They have two daughters.
Notably, Dr. Der Kaloustian has been cited in over 30 editions of
Who's Who, including Who's Who in Medicine and Healthcare, Who's Who
in America and Who's Who in the World.

In recognition of outstanding contributions to his profession and the
Marquis Who's Who community, Vazken Der Kaloustian, MD, has been
featured on the Albert Nelson Marquis Lifetime Achievement website.
Please visit www.ltachievers.com for more information about this
honor.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Friday


Giuseppe Caccavale's book on Armenia out now in Italy



YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. The presentation of Armenia. Ossip
Mandelstam. Dessins by Italian art critic Giuseppe Caccavale was held
February 13 in Rome’s National Gallery of Contemporary Arts. The event
was held in cooperation with the Armenian Embassy in Italy, the
foreign ministry told ARMENPRESS.

Giuseppe Caccavale, Italian novelist Erri De Luca and art critic
Marcella Cosu were among speakers at the event.

H.E. Victoria Baghdasaryan, Ambassador of Armenia to Italy, delivered
opening remarks.

Giuseppe Caccavale and Erri De Luca presented Armenia as described by
Ossip Mandelstam – as a crossroad of European and Eastern
civilizations.

Mandelstam’s poems about Armenia, both in the original language and
Armenia and Italian were recited.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Friday


 Sun, clean food, adventures and first Christian nation: Armenia's
tourism image at targeted markets



YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 16, ARMENPRESS. Nowadays most of the tourists mainly
search for adventures, leisure, tasty and healthy food, sun, clean
air, sometimes a place far from city noise.

Ara Khzmalyan – director of the Tourism Development Foundation of
Armenia, gave an interview to ARMENPRESS talking about the ongoing
activities aimed at increasing the tourism flows to Armenia.

-Mr. Khzmalyan, what activities are planned for this year aimed at
increasing the flights and number of tourists to Armenia?

-There is a simple logic according to which the presence of direct
flights greatly contributes to increase in number of tourists. I think
the actions taken by the State Tourism Committee to facilitate visa
procedures will contribute to growth of tourism flow. But the direct
flight must be nourished by marketing measures. People will be
interested in our country and tourism potential, and of course the
business will understand that it’s necessary to open direct flights to
Armenia. For instance, it’s desirable to have a direct flight from
Egypt. We know that there are millions of Christians in Egypt, in
particular, the Coptic Christian community who can prefer Armenia as a
first Christian country.

Last year minister Suren Karayan’s visit to Lebanon showed us that our
country can be a very important destination for religious tourism. The
Armenian community of Lebanon is 200 years old, the awareness on our
country, culture is at the proper level. This year we plan to appoint
a person as a representative to Lebanon whose agency is engaged in
marketing campaigns. The awareness of country is a process which
should never stop and have an end. Our representative will work not
only in Lebanon, but also in the Arab countries of the Gulf. There is
a problem of getting well acquainted with the market, understanding
its features in order to implement targeted marketing programs. He
knows that market quite well and is a Lebanese citizen. These actions
will be taken also in other targeted countries.

We say Russia and usually understand Moscow and St. Petersburg, but
the Russian Federation is a broader concept, rather than the two
capitals. The entire northern part of Russia is considered as the most
lucrative part. This means that serious steps must be taken there
since there is a preference for sun, clean nature, tasty fruits, and
thus, we need to attract these people to Armenia as much as possible.

-What concrete steps and activities are planned to be taken in the
targeted markets, such as Russia, Iran, Arab and European countries,
and China?

-The main task of the Tourism Development Foundation is to increase
awareness on Armenia. This means that most of our activities is
planned for the outside world. In this sense we have a number of
events, international exhibitions, participation in thematic
exhibitions on wine, pilgrimage, cuisine tourism, different
advertising campaigns, holding Days of Armenia. We are going to
publish articles in leading international journals. We also work on
bringing bloggers and journalists to Armenia.

This year we plan to hold the presentation of the Russian Trace in St.
Petersburg. We want to show the traces of Armenian-Russian cultural
and historical ties in our country, such as historical monuments,
written sources, and so on. All these is just needed to be well
covered and presented. This is a new project and creates major
interest among our Russian partners.

-What steps are being taken in terms of infrastructure development so
that we can host more tourists every year?

-Fortunately, we have initiatives which launched last year and
continue this year, such as the opening of hotels, people renovate
their houses and provide to tourists in the form of guesthouses. This
is a very important issue since during the season we face a problem of
hosting tourists in hotels. We take steps to create an entertaining
environment in communities as well.

-What new directions and tourism result can Armenia offer aimed at
attracting new tourists?

-It’s quite a long time most of the tourists are not interested in
smooth and asphalt streets, as well as in comfort. The adventure
tourism rapidly develops, the private sector in Armenia carries out
significant works on this path. There are foreigners who even buy
houses in rural communities.

What the world needs today – clean food, natural and good environment,
sun, sometimes silence, far from city noise. In line with this we have
a great potential which is still not utilized. That is Armenia’s being
as the first Christian country. Pope Francis visited Armenia, more
than billions of people knew about our country’s Christian
significance. Our country is rich of the relics of Christian saints,
architectural monuments. I also want to state that the cuisine tourism
is also developing in Armenia, I don’t remember a guest who is not
impressed with the Armenian cuisine and hospitality.

Interview by Ani Nazaryan

Full interview is available in Armenian