Category: 2019

Asbarez: Governor Newsom Signs Bill to Offset GCC April 24 Campus Closure Costs

Hovsep Chakrian
  • Community

    •  

  • Featured Story

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

12 hours ago

Senator Portantino (right) and GCC President David Viar’s testimony on behalf of SB 568 during a higher education assembly in June, 2019

SACRAMENTO—On Wednesday, the Glendale Community College Armenian Genocide Commemoration Bill, SB 568, authored by State Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D–La Cañada Flintridge), was signed by Governor Gavin Newsom.

Prior to the passage of SB 568, GCC would have had to forfeit nearly $500,000 if it were to close on April 24 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide. Unlike the K through 12 Education Code, which gave the GUSD the ability to properly respect and close on April 24, Community Colleges had no such authority prior to today. This situation created an emotional and practical problem for many Glendale families where one child attended GCC and another attended a school which closed. It also created a significant financial difficulty for GCC in order to properly respect such an important and solemn day for many of the school families and the greater GCC community. To rectify the situation, GCC Board Members requested legislative help from Senator Portantino. As a long-time friend and supporter of the college and the Armenian American Community, Senator Portantino respectfully took up the cause. Today’s action is the final appropriate result!

“Two years ago, I was honored to have been asked by GCC Board members to help offset the cost of closing on April 24th. Today, I am very proud to have sent a bill to the Governor to help our Armenian Community, greater community, the faculty, administrators, and students of GCC solemnly and appropriately commemorate the Armenian Genocide without unnecessary financial pressure. I am grateful to Governor Newsom, who continues to support and recognize the importance of the Armenian American Community in California, for his signature, sensitivity and understanding of this situation,” commented Senator Portantino.

Senator Portantino, who has a long and positive relationship with the Armenian American and Glendale Community College community, negotiated directly with the Community College Chancellor’s Office to bring an amenable solution to this issue. The bill received bipartisan support in the Senate and the Assembly. The signing of SB 568 is the culmination of those discussions and actions.

“Glendale Community College commends Senator Portantino for his leadership and the Legislature and Governor Newsom for their support in enactment of this important law. GCC will use this legal day of remembrance, and other opportunities throughout the year, to educate our students and communities about the Armenian Genocide to assure such atrocities never happen again,” said Dr. David Viar, Superintendent/President of GCC.

“On behalf of the Board of Trustees of Glendale Community College, I thank Senator Portantino’s tireless effort on behalf of our students. We are extremely grateful that the Senator championed this issue and enabled us to commemorate the Armenian Genocide by closing our campuses without incurring a financial penalty,” added Board of Trustees President Dr. Vahé Peroomian.

GCC President Dr. David Viar and Executive Vice President Dr. Anthony Culpepper travelled to Sacramento over the last year to offer testimony in support of SB 568. In addition to Chairing the Senate Appropriations Committee, Senator Portantino also Chairs the Senate Select Committee on California, Armenia & Artsakh Trade, Art, Cultural and Economic Exchange. He recently helped facilitate the formal Memorandum of Understanding between California and the Republic of Armenia, which included the establishment of a California Trade Desk in Yerevan. He was in New York with Governor Newsom, Prime Minister Pashinyan, and High Commissioner Zareh Sinanyan for the historic MOU signing event.

“It is such good karma that I was sitting in Yerevan when I received the news from the Governor’s office that SB 568 was signed. Clearly, the benefits of SB 568 go far beyond financial. When GCC closes on April 24th it educates many non-Armenians about the historical significance of April 24th and the horror of the first Genocide of the 20th Century,” concluded Senator Portantino.

Civilians Scramble to Flee as Turkey Launches Strikes on Northern Syria

Kajoyan Gevork
  • Featured Story

    •  

  • International

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

10 hours ago

Smoke billowing from buildings in Ras al Ain, Syria after Turkey began bombing Syria on Oct. 9 (Delil Souleiman/Agence France-Presse)

ANCA supports “harshest sanctions on Turkey for attacks upon America’s Kurdish allies or civilian populations.”

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s long-planned invasion of northern Syria, which is mainly populated by Kurds, began Wednesday as Turkish forces launched airstrikes, which witnesses on the ground said were deliberately targeting civilians.

In a statement, the Kurdish-led Syrian Democratic Forces issued a public mobilization call.

“We are and we have to be prepared for the worst,” SDF spokesperson Mustafa Bali told NBC News. “The situation on the border is like a volcano and can explode at any moment.”

In a Twitter post, Bali accused Turkey of deliberately targeting “civilian areas.”

Ahead of launching the airstrikes, Turkey amassed tanks and heavy military equipment and personnel amassing on the Turkey-Syria border with the aim, according to Erdogan, “to prevent the creation of a terror corridor across our southern border, and to bring peace to the area.”

Erdogan’s plan of ridding the area of its predominantly Kurdish population is to resettle the majority of the more than three million Syrian refuges that have taken shelter in Turkey.

Erdogan’s plan was hastened Sunday when President Donald Trump removed all American forces from the area and green lighted the attack. The U.S. forces were working with the the SDP-affiliated YPG (People’s Protection Units) in the area against the Islamic State.

In a statement, Trump said the U.S. did not “endorse this attack,” adding that he had told Turkey that the operation was a “bad idea.” A day after sanctioning Erdogan’s plans, Trump threated to “obliterate” Turkey’s economy if it went “off limits.” Trump said he expected Turkey to protect civilians and religious minorities and to prevent a humanitarian crisis, he said.

While predominantly a Kurdish-populated region, the area is home to many other Christian minorities, including Armenians. The mainly Armenian-populated city of Aleppo is approximately 60 miles from the Turkish border.

“The ANCA continues to engage with Administration and Congressional stakeholders, coalition partners, and Armenian community leaders in the region regarding the profoundly dangerous impact of the Trump Administration’s ill-advised decision to abruptly withdraw forces from northeast Syria, inviting a Turkish invasion that is already targeting Kurds and also Armenians and other at-risk Christian, Yazidi, and Muslim populations,” said Armenian National Committee of America Executive Director Aram Hamparian in a statement released immediately following the Turkish strikes.

“Mindful of the continuing consequences of the Armenian Genocide – including those directly threatening the remaining Western Armenian populations in northeast Syria – we join with Senators Lindsey Graham, Chris Van Hollen, and others – from both houses of Congress – in supporting bipartisan legislation imposing the harshest sanctions on Turkey for attacks upon America’s Kurdish allies or civilian populations,” added Hamparian.

Amid the ongoing political tensions in Washington over the Democratic-led impeachment proceedings against Trump, Congressional Republicans increasingly voiced their opposition to Turkey’s attack on northern Syria.

Close Trump ally Senator Lindsey Graham, a Republican from South Carolina, said he would lead an effort in Congress to “make Erdogan pay a heavy price,” adding: “Pray for our Kurdish allies who have been shamelessly abandoned by the Trump Administration.”

Kardashians Meet with President, Prime Minister

Ani Kharatian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Featured Story

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

    •  

  • Videos

8 hours ago

Kourtney and Kim Kardashian with President Armen Sarkissian and first lady, Nouneh

On the last day of her trip to Armenia, Kim Kardashian West met with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan. On Tuesday evening, she was joined by her sister, Kourtney Kardashian at a meeting with President Armen Sarkissian.

President and first lady, Nouneh Sarkissian, welcomed the television stars to the presidential residence for a dinner. Also joining them at the meeting was producer of “The Promise,” Eric Esrailian.

“Kim and Kourtney said they’ve received very positive energy from their visit to Armenia,” President Sarkissian said in post on the official presidential Instagram page.

The London-based Daily News published exclusive photographs from the Kardashians’ dinner with President Sarkissian.

On Wednesday, Pashinyan welcomed Kardashian West and credited her and her visits to Armenia for the growing interest around the world in Armenia.

Kardashian West told the prime minister that she was very excited about her visit to Armenia and had observed a great deal of attention being paid in the country to empowering women.

Kim Kardashian West meets with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Oct. 9

Pashinyan told Kardashian West that that more than 50 percent of Armenia’s population are women, so it is very important to engage them in the economic and political development of the country, and encourage their social activism. He boasted that his government has the highest number of women in leadership roles.

Pashinyan, Sarkissian meet with Reps. Speier and Chu

Raffi Khondkarian
  • Armenia

    •  

  • Artsakh

    •  

  • Featured Story

    •  

  • Latest

    •  

  • News

    •  

  • Top Stories

8 hours ago

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan greets Representatives Judy Chu and Jackie Speier

After returning from Artsakh, representatives Jackie Speier and Judy Chu met separately on Wednesday with Armenia’s President Armen Sarkissian and Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan.

Speier and Chu, Democrats from California, have spearheaded some of the important measures to assist Armenia and guarantee Artsakh’s security, said they were proud to have visited Armenia and Artsakh and pledged their readiness to help Pashinyan’s government to advance democracy and strengthen reforms in Armenia.

The two American lawmakers briefed Pashinyan about their visit to Artsakh, saying they were impressed by what they called “the peace loving” nature of Artsakh, the feeling of safety and the heightened civic engagement and consciousness of its people.

President Armen Sarkissian meets with representatives Jackie Speier and Judy Chu

Pashinyan emphasized the importance of their visit to Artsakh, saying that their assessments would be a great impetus to advance the issue of Artsakh from a political and humanitarian standpoint. He added that the recent municipal elections in Artsakh showed significant progress in the development of democratic institutions there and the strengthening of civil society.

The improvement of U.S.-Armenia relations was also on the agenda, with the interlocutors discussing ways to expand those ties. The technical assistance being provided by the United States Agency for Development was also a topic of discussion.

The American lawmakers were joined by the U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Lynn Tracy, who also accompanied them to the meeting with President Sarkissian.

Speier and Chu briefed Sarkissian on the purpose of their visit and updated him on efforts to assist and support Armenia in Congress. They pledged their willingness to support Armenia in its democratic development and ensure the safety and security of Artsakh.

RFE/RL Armenian Report – 10/09/2019

Emil Lazarian 
                                        Wednesday, 

Kocharian Operated On In Hospital

        • Robert Zargarian

Armenia -- Former President Robert Kocharian (R) talks to his lawyer Hayk 
Alumian during his trial, Yerevan, October 7, 2019.

Armenia’s jailed former President Robert Kocharian underwent surgery at a 
hospital in Yerevan on Wednesday.

The chief doctor of the Izmirlian Medical Center, Armen Charchian, told 
RFE/RL’s Armenian service that the operation was successful. For privacy 
reasons he refused to reveal the medical condition Kocharian suffered from.

Kocharian was taken to the private hospital from a prison in downtown Yerevan 
on Tuesday for the third time in just over a week. His younger son Levon 
insisted last week that the 65-year-old ex-president does not have serious 
health problems.

One of Kocharian’s lawyers, Hayk Alumian, could not say whether he will be fit 
enough to attend the next hearing of his ongoing trial scheduled for October 
15. “I think that based on the dynamics even the doctors can’t tell that at the 
moment,” said Alumian.

Alumian also said that Kocharian’s legal team has no plans yet to use the 
surgery for again demanding his release from prison.

The judge presiding over the trial, Anna Danibekian, twice refused last month 
to free the ex-president pending a verdict in the case. The defense lawyers 
accused her of acting on government orders and being biased against their 
client.

Kocharian, who was arrested again in June, stands trial on coup and corruption 
charges mostly stemming from the 2008 post-election violence in Yerevan. He 
rejects them as politically motivated.




Scrapping Of Russian-Armenian Railway Deal ‘Not On Agenda’

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia -- A commuter train at Yerevan's railway station, February 27, 2018.

Russian and Armenian officials are not discussing the possibility of ending 
Russian management of Armenia’s railway network, Deputy Prime Minister Mher 
Grigorian said on Wednesday.

The Russia Railways (RZD) company runs the network called South Caucasus 
Railway (SRC) in line with a 30-year management contract signed with the former 
Armenian government in 2008. The deal committed it to modernizing Armenia’s 
disused and rundown railway infrastructure with substantial capital investments.

An Armenian law-enforcement agency effectively accused SRC of 
investment-related fraud after raiding its offices and confiscating company 
documents in August 2018. Both SRC and its Russian operator denied any 
wrongdoing.

Russia’s Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Tokarev said last month that the 
continuing criminal investigation has disrupted RZD’s operations in Armenia. He 
said the state-run company managing Russia’s vast network of railways is 
therefore considering pulling out of the 2008 deal.


RUSSIA -- A close view of a car of the first tourist train passing through 
Russia's Arctic regions to Norway as it prepares to leave St. Petersburg for a 
11-day trip with 91 passengers on board, in St. Petersburg, June 5, 2019
Tokarev and RZD’s chief executive, Oleg Belozerov, discussed the dispute with 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian in Yerevan on Tuesday. Grigorian, who was also 
present at the meeting, insisted that “the issue of terminating the contract is 
not on the agenda” of either side at the moment.

The deputy premier said that the talks were “constructive” and focused on RZD 
investments in Armenia. “We want -- and I think this desire is reciprocal -- to 
ascertain those investment projects numerically for the coming years,” he told 
reporters.

Grigorian confirmed that the Armenian government is dissatisfied with RZD’s 
compliance with its investment commitments. “We have only two trains that look 
like transport equipment meeting European standards,” he said. “This issue was 
also discussed and our position also took the form of certain demands.”


Armenia -- Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian speaks to journalists, October 
9, 2019.

According to an RZD statement, Belozerov insisted at the meeting with Pashinian 
that his company is fully complying with the terms of the 2008 deal, having 
invested almost $250 million in the Armenian railway network over the past 
decade.

“The head of RZD pointed out that the main condition for the realization of the 
project and continued modernization of the [Armenian] railway infrastructure is 
a settlement of all contentious issues in the spirit of constructive 
interaction and with the participation of Armenia’s government,” read the 
statement. It did not say whether the two sides reached any understandings to 
that effect.

A spokeswoman for Armenia’s Investigative Committee confirmed on Wednesday 
nobody has been formally charged so far as part of the fraud inquiry into SCR 
launched by it last November. Grigorian dismissed Armenian opposition claims 
that investigators are under government pressure not to indict anyone lest they 
further anger the Russians.




Pashinian Again Rules Out Asset Seizures

        • Naira Nalbandian

Armenia -- Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (second from right) speaks at a 
business seminar in Yerevan, October 9, 2019.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian said on Wednesday that his administration will 
avoid confiscating dubiously acquired properties and other assets belonging to 
former senior government officials.

Pashinian again insisted that there has been no such “redistribution of 
property” in Armenia since he came to power during last year’s “Velvet 
Revolution.”

“Not only I but also many others, including law-enforcement bodies, know that a 
particular property belongs to a concrete [former] high-ranking official and 
was acquired with concrete funds,” he told a business seminar in Yerevan. “And 
there is a very big temptation to tell the National Security Service (NSS) to 
find that woman [acting as a front for an ex-official] and get her to donate 
that property to the state.”

“In the political sense that could even be considered justified,” he said. “But 
while grinding our teeth, we do realize that we can’t do such things. We can’t 
because even if you confiscate a fake property everyone will think that the 
same could also happen to them.”

Pashinian did not name any former officials who allegedly enriched themselves 
while in office. He has previously implicated former Presidents Serzh Sarkisian 
and Robert Kocharian in corrupt practices.

One of Sarkisian’s brothers, Aleksandr, was charged with fraud in February 
several months after the NSS had his $30 million bank account frozen as part of 
a separate criminal inquiry. Sarkisian, who is better known as “Sashik,” 
avoided arrest after agreeing to transfer the entire sum to the state budget.

And as recently as on September 26 Pashinian’s government completed the 
nationalization of a luxury hotel handed over to it by Armen Avetisian, who had 
served as the chief of the Armenian customs service during Kocharian’s rule. 
Avetisian, who had faced corruption allegations throughout his tenure, offered 
the donation last November after the NSS moved to prosecute him for illegal 
entrepreneurship and money laundering.

Citing a sizable rise in state revenues, Pashinian reiterated on Wednesday that 
his government has made significant progress in its fight against tax evasion. 
He complained at the same time about a lack of business support for the effort. 
“Economic revolution cannot be a monologue, it has to be a dialogue,” he said.

Pashinian also said many entrepreneurs complain that despite its 
anti-corruption agenda the current government has set unclear “rules of the 
game” for them. He insisted that its rules are clear and based on three 
principles: “do not steal, be efficient and cooperate.”




Russian-Armenian Military Force Holds Fresh Drills


Armenia -- Russian and Armenian troops hold joint military exercises at the 
Bagramian training ground, October 9, 2019.

More than 1,500 Armenian and Russian soldiers simulated combat operations 
during joint military exercises in Armenia that ended on Wednesday.

The nine-day exercises held at the Bagramian training ground 50 kilometers west 
of Yerevan involved troops as well as hundreds of tanks, armored vehicles and 
artillery systems making up a joint Russian-Armenian military force. Warplanes 
and helicopter gunships also took part in them.

Under the official scenario of the war games, the participating troops repelled 
an imaginary enemy that invaded Armenia.

The final session of the drills was watched by Armenia’s Defense Minister Davit 
Tonoyan and a senior official from Russia’s Southern Military District, Major 
General Ramil Gilyazov. Gilyazov praised them, saying that the Russian-Armenian 
United Grouping of Troops successfully used new methods of combat training.

The joint unit originally set up in 2000 consists of soldiers from the Armenian 
army’s Fifth Corps and the Russian military base in Armenia. Moscow and Yerevan 
signed in November 2016 an agreement designed to upgrade its mission and 
ascertain its command-and-control structure.




Press Review


“Zhoghovurd” complains that it remains unclear why Prime Minister Nikol 
Pashinian fired the heads of Armenia’s Police and National Security Service 
(NSS) just two months after promoting them to the rank of general. “The prime 
minister’s silence on this issue is bewildering, to say the least,” writes the 
paper. “Maybe the reasons [for the sackings] are so deep that Pashinian does 
not find it expedient to disclose them.”

“Haykakan Zhamanak” dismisses a petition by sympathizers of former President 
Robert Kocharian’s describing him as a political prisoner and calling for his 
release from prison. The paper linked to Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian claims 
that Kocharian had “rigged documents and elections to become president,” 
amassed “enormous wealth” while in power and ordered a deadly crackdown on 
oppositions protesters before handing over power to his preferred successor, 
Serzh Sarkisian. It laughs off the petitioners’ claim that Kocharian’s release 
would help to “restore social solidarity.” It says there was no such solidarity 
when Kocharian ruled the country.

“Zhamanak” says that Kocharian responded to that petition with a statement 
released from prison. The paper scoffs at the statement. It also says that 
Russian President Vladimir Putin failed to live up to Kocharian supporters’ 
expectations when he attended the October 1 summit of the Eurasian Economic 
Union (EEU) summit in Yerevan. It says that even though Putin met with 
Kocharian’s wife Bella at the Russian Embassy in Yerevan Kocharian’s future was 
not on the agenda of his visit to Armenia.

“Aravot” says that the holding of the World Congress on Information Technology 
in Yerevan is an “important event” for Armenia. The paper says the forum served 
as a “platform for discussing ideas for the future.”

(Tatevik Lazarian)


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org

Calendar of Events – 10/10/2019

Vardan Badalian 
                        GROONG's Calendar of events
                        (All times local to events)

                =========================================
What:           Panel discussion "Armenia: Determined to Change"
                with Dr. Andranik Aslanyan, Foreign and Security Policy Advisor
                at the German Bundestag, CDU / CSU, Manfred Grund MdB (Member
                of the Bundestag); Dr. iur. Gurgen Petrossian, Chairman of the
                German-Armenian Lawyers Association and Research Associate at
                the Chair of Criminal and Criminal Trial Law, International
                Criminal Law and International Law at the
                Friedrich-Alexander-University Erlangen-Nuernberg;
                Dr. Christoph Plo, MdB (Member of the Bundestag), CDU / CSU,
                Country Reporter Armenia of the CDU / CSU parliamentary group
                in the European Affairs Committee of the German Bundestag;
                Moderator: Dr. Raffi Kantian, Chairman of the German-Armenian
                Society
When:           Oct 11 2019 7pm
Where:          Haus der Geschichte Baden-Wuerttemberg,
                Konrad-Adenauer-Strasse 16, 70173 Stuttgart, Germany
Misc:           Armenia's relations with German and European institutions have
                received another important impulse with the signing of CEPA,
                for the implementation of which the "Velvet Revolution" has
                created very good conditions. The panel discussion will use
                selected examples to explore the reform process in Armenia in
                cooperation with German and European institutions.
Online Contact: [email protected]
Web:            
https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=http-3A__www.deutscharmenischegesellschaft.de_&d=DwIB-g&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=BcDZEpsv8yUJ5e2xBdDI0eEqHY2y5N45dxBc_QifTo0&s=RcrkTrKDDdS5RylPpNMSIWWitHHUXcvwhn_k7lNuELQ&e=
 

                =========================================
What:           "DNA Testing and Reconnecting Family Ruptured by Genocide"
                Uest speaker George Aghjayan, Director of the Armenian
                Historical Archives and chair of the ARF Central Committee of
                the Eastern US.
When:           Nov 4 2019 6:15pm
Where:          St James Armenian Church
                Charles Mosesian Cultural and Youth Center - Keljik Hall
                465 Mt. Auburn Street, Watertown, MA
Misc:           George Aghjayan graduated with honors from Worcester Polytechnic
                Institute in 1988 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Actuarial
                Mathematics. He achieved Fellowship in the Society of Actuaries
                in 1996. After a career in both insurance and structured
                finance, Aghjayan retired in 2014 to concentrate on Armenian
                related research and projects. His primary area of focus is the
                demographics and geography of western Armenia as well as a keen
                interest in the hidden Armenians living there today. Other
                topics he has written and lectured on include Armenian
                genealogy and genocide denial. He is a board member of the
                National Association of Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR),
                a frequent contributor to the Armenian Weekly and
                Houshamadyan.org, and the creator and curator
                westernarmenia.weebly.com, a website dedicated to the
                preservation of Armenian culture in Western Armenia.
                This St James Men's Club dinner meeting will begin with a
                social hour and mezza at 6:15 PM and dinner at 7:00 PM.
                Mezza and Losh Kebab & Kheyma Dinner $17/person
                Ladies Invited
Online Contact: Hapet Berberian <[email protected]>

***************************************************************************

Armenian News's calendar of events is collected and updated mostly from
announcements posted on this list, and submissions to [email protected].

To submit, send to Armenian [email protected], and please note the following
important points:

a) Armenian News's administrators have final say on what may be included in
        Armenian News's calendar of events.
b) Posting time will is on Thursdays, 06:00 US Pacific time, to squeeze in
        a final reminder before weekend activities kick in.
c) Calendar items are short, functional, and edited to fit a template.
d) There is no guarantee or promise that an item will be published on time.
e) Calendar information is believed to be from reliable sources. However,
        no responsibility by the List's Administation or by USC is assumed
        for inaccuracies and there is no guarantee that the information is
        up-to-date.
f) No commercial events will be accepted.
        (Dinners, dances, forget it. This is not an ad-space.)
g) Armenian News is a non-commercial, non-partisan, pan-Armenian outlet.


*******************************************************************
    The Critical Corner
    The Literary Armenian News
    Review & Outlook
    World News
    The Entertainment Wire
    Probing the Photographic Record
    Armenia House Museums
    ...and much more

© Copyright 2019,  Armenian News Network / Armenian News, all rights reserved.

Regards,
--
Armenian News Network / Armenian News

Los Angeles, CA     / USA

ANCC Strongly Condemns Turkey’s Military Attack on Syria

Andranik Taslakhchian

Armenian
National Committee of Canada

Comité
National Arménien du Canada

 

Tel./Tél. (613) 235-2622

E-mail/Courriel:[email protected]

www.anccanada.org

 

-PRESS RELEASE-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

 

October 10,
2019                                                                  Contact: Sevag
Belian (613) 235-2622

 

ANCC Strongly Condemns
Turkey's Military Attack on Syria

OTTAWA – The Armenian National Committee of Canada
strongly condemns Turkey's military attack on Syria and calls on the
international community to restrain Turkey from making an already dire
situation immeasurably worse.  

Yesterday, Canada's Minister of Foreign Affairs, the
Hon. Chrystia Freeland made the government's position clear in a mid-day tweet,
saying “Canada firmly condemns Turkey’s military incursion into Syria today…We
call for the protection of civilians and on all parties to the respect their obligations
under international law…”

Commenting on the issue, ANCC co-president Hrag
Tarakdjian said “We welcome Minister Freeland’s and Canada’s firm position on
the issue, but we ask them to remain vigilant and be ready to act, because
Turkey simply cannot be trusted and civilians could very well pay the price of
this senseless aggression”

Earlier, the ANCC sent a letter to Minister Freeland
and the US Chargé d’Affaires in Ottawa, Mr. Richard Mills, expressing its
profound concern, regarding the sudden withdrawal of US troops from Syria.

In the letter, ANCC co-presidents, Hrag Tarakdjian and
Shahen Mirakian said “At a time of uncertainty and
danger, such an ill-considered decision by the US President is a clear
abandonment of America’s key allies in the region and a reckless desertion of
the ethnoreligious minorities, including Armenians, that have called Syria home
for centuries”

Later reports indicated that Turkish airstrikes had already hit civilian
targets and a number of casualties were reported. The towns of Tel-Abyad and
Qamishly – where Armenian and Assyrian minorities live alongside the local
Kurdish majority – were amongst the towns that were hit heavily by Turkish
forces. In the Aftermath of the Armenian Genocide, Qamishly was one of the
first settlements established by the survivors of the Armenian and Assyrian
Genocides.

“While Turkey might assure that civilians will not be targeted, the reality on the
ground suggest otherwise” said Shahen Mirakian.

“Erdogan simply cannot be trusted and the international community must act”
he added.

“We urge you to remain vigilant and work alongside our international
partners to raise this important matter and prevent what will inevitably lead
to bloodshed and destruction” concluded the letter to Minister Freeland.

-30-

******

The ANCC is the
largest and the most influential Armenian-Canadian grassroots human rights
organization. Working in coordination with a network of offices, chapters, and
supporters throughout Canada and affiliated organizations around the world, the
ANCC actively advances the concerns of the Armenian-Canadian community on a
broad range of issues and works to eliminate abuses of human rights throughout
Canada and the world.

—
Sevag Belian – Executive Director
Armenian National Committee of Canada
T: (613) 235-2622 | C: (905) 329-8526
E:

—
You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "ANCC List" group.
To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to [email protected].

Թուրքիայի զինված ստորաբաժանումները ներխուժել են Սիրիա

Emil Lazarian

Թուրքիան հոկտեմբերի 7-ի լույս 8-ի գիշերը զինված ուժեր և զինտեխնիկա է կուտակել Սիրիայի հետ սահմանին:

Զրահատեխնիկա և զինված ստորաբաժանումներ տեղափոխող շուրջ 110 զրահապատ մեքենաների ավտոշարասյունը` հատուկ անվտանգության միջոցների ձեռնարկմամբ հասել է Սիրիային սահմանակից Հաթայ նահանգի Քըրըքհանի շրջան: Այնուհետև Չոբանբեյի սահմանային անցակետը հատելով շարժվել է դեպի Սիրիա: Հատելով թուրք-սիրիական սահմանը՝ թուրքական զինուժը շարժվել է դեպի Եփրատ գետի արևելյան հատված, որտեղ պատրաստվում է ռազմական գործողություն սկսել տեղի քուրդ զինյալների դեմ:

Ավելի վաղ հայտնի էր դարձել, որ ամերիկյան զինված ստորաբաժանումները լքում են Եփրատ գետի արևելյան հատվածը՝ դրանով փաստացի «կանաչ լույս» վառելով թուրքերի առաջ:

Թուրքական լրատվամիջոցներում շրջանառվում են լուրեր, որ գործողության անվանումը լինելու է «Խաղաղության ակունք», սակայն այդ մասին առայժմ պաշտոնական հաստատում չկա։

Ըստ թուրքական աղբյուրների՝  Թուրքիայի բանակի առաջին թիրախը լինելու են Թալաբադ և Ռեսուլայն քաղաքները,  իսկ այնուհետև Քոբանի  շրջանը: Դրանք այժմ գտնվում են Սիրիայի քրդական ուժերի վերահսկողության տակ։

Նշվում է նաև, որ Սիրիայի քրդերի վերահսկողության տակ գտնվող տարածքներում կա 65.000 զինյալ և  նրանց թիվը կարող է հասնել 100 հազարի։ 

Ռազմական գործողություններին մասնակցելու են թե ցամաքային և թե օդային ուժեր:

Աղբյուր`    Yeniakit, Sabah