The 2021 European Youth Rapid&Blitz Chess Championships took place in Novi Sad, Serbia, from 27-29 of December.
Armenia’s Emin Ohanyan become a European Rapid Champion in the U16 category with 7.5/9 points, the Chess Federation of Armenia reported.
More than 450 children from 29 European federations participated in the event.
An interior view of the Church of St. Anthony of Padua on Istiklal Avenue, Beyoğlu, Istanbul, Turkey, July 31, 2020. (Photo by Getty Images)
Christian minorities living in the Middle East, the birthplace of the religion, aim to maintain their culture on the axis of the Muslim majority. With the collapse of the Ottoman Empire, they attempted to obtain their social rights while being divided into scattered communities. Christians, who reside in various places from Turkey to Egypt, are sometimes exposed to the reality of immigration, but sometimes, on the contrary, they may encounter a climate of tolerance.
A study conducted in 1893 during the reign of Ottoman Sultan Abdülhamid II revealed that Muslims constituted more than 80% of the Ottoman population of approximately 21 million, while the population of Christians was estimated to be around 15%. Towards the end of the 19th century, Armenian Apostolic, Syriac, Assyrian, Chaldean and “Rum” (Greek) communities formed the leading Christian communities and sects living under Ottoman rule and settled around Turkey, the Balkans and the Levant. The Ottoman Empire had long followed a policy of tolerance towards the communities within its borders that felt they belonged to different ethnicities, religions and sects, and the interaction between Muslim-Christian subjects, which increased rapidly after Istanbul's transition to Ottoman patronage, reached high levels.
Perhaps one of the most striking aspects of the Ottoman period was that, apart from the nationalist regimes during its collapse, it contained many different identities, Christian, Jewish, Circassian, Georgian, Kurdish and more, within the scope of a system called "millet." Although the term "millet" is understood as "a nation" in today's Turkish society, when its Arabic origins are examined, it means a community belonging to a sect. However, with the integration of many different religious, ethnic and cultural groups into the empire, the word lost its old meaning and became the name of the system that aimed to ensure a peaceful society within the framework of tolerance. It was so successful that, before the era of nationalism put pressure on all empires, Armenians were called "millet-i sadıka," which means "the loyal nation," as few nations would associate with each other, and Armenian guilds and communities often had a positive reputation in the eyes of the public before certain unfortunate incidents occurred.
With the proclamation of the Republic of Turkey (Oct. 29, 1923) and the transition to the multi-party system, Turkey became a country where Christians could be represented at the parliamentary level and freedom of religion and belief was guaranteed by the Constitution. Articles 24 and 25 of the Constitution contain the following sentences: “Everyone has the freedom of conscience, religious belief and conviction. No one can be compelled to participate in worship, religious rites and ceremonies, or to reveal their religious beliefs and convictions; He cannot be condemned or accused because of his religious beliefs and convictions.” In this context, regardless of their religion or denomination, Christians and other religious groups in Turkey had the right to officially establish churches, associations and places of worship and were able to freely practice their religion.
Recently, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan visited two important churches, the Bulgarian St. Stephen Church and the newly opened Syriac Orthodox St. Ephrem (Mor Efrem) Church, religious sites he described as a new wealth for Istanbul.
A total of 20 million Christians live in the Middle East, mostly in Lebanon, Egypt, Israel, Iraq, Turkey and Syria. Considering the fact that there are few Christians in the Gulf region, it is possible to say that large portions of the Christian population in Syria and Iraq migrated to Western countries due to the prevalence of terrorism at home.
While more than 15 million Copts, Egypt's indigenous Christian ethno-religious community, live in relative peace as the state tries to prevent them from being persecuted by radical groups like Daesh, in Palestine and Israel, Christians are ignored in the conflict between the two sides. Thus, in another part of the Middle East, Christians have to emigrate, succumbing to the unfortunate luck of being born in Iraq and Syria. In light of this adversity, the population of Palestinian Christians alone has declined by 50% since the 1990s.
Apart from the island of Cyprus, the country with the highest percentage of Christians in the Middle East is Lebanon, which is in economic and political turmoil. In Lebanon, where 30% of the people believe in Christianity and mostly adopt the Maronite sect, the presidential election system is determined according to the Christian president-Muslim prime minister method, similar to the Kurdish president-Arab prime minister system in Iraq, and thus the social rights of minorities are established and widely accepted. Lebanese people emigrated far from the sociopolitical polarization of the Lebanese Civil War, which took place between 1975-1990 and saw hundreds of thousands of people die, with Christian Maronites and Muslims fighting relentlessly. Today, they are striving to put their identity conflicts aside and emerge from the crisis the entire country is in together.
Although the number of Christians in the Middle East remains the same today as 100 years ago, members of the faith are able to live their lives in certain countries that they feel show more tolerance. This is especially true in Turkey, where there are miraculous structures from the Sümela Monastery to the St. Anthony of Padua and St. Peter Orthodox churches. The fact that such religious institutions can be protected is an important source of hope for the future of Christianity in the region.
ANKARA
Iranian President Ebrahim Raisi and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan spoke over the phone and discussed regional developments, an Iranian presidency statement said on Monday.
"Developing the level of cooperation and economic exchanges between Tehran and Yerevan, while ensuring the interests of all parties, will certainly provide security," the statement quoted Raisi as saying.
He emphasized that Iran is ready to increase trade activities with Armenia.
Calling for continuous communication and dialogue between the two nations at different levels, Raisi said that the "sensitivity of the situation" in the Caucasus region requires the regional countries to "regularly" discuss regional and bilateral issues.
"One of the key policies of the Islamic Republic of Iran is to support the territorial integrity and sovereignty of countries. In this regard, Tehran supports the sovereignty of Armenia over all territories and roads passing through that country," he added.
Raisi also welcomed the progress in the negotiation process between Armenia and Azerbaijan, adding that his country supports the "removal of roadblocks."
"We hope that other issues between the two countries will be resolved peacefully within the framework of international principles and law and witness more peace, stability and security in the region," he stressed.
Pashinyan, for his part, said: "We are confident that by increasing the level of cooperation and bilateral coordination, we can take important steps to establish peace and security in the region."
He went on to say that Armenia is determined to increase economic relations and interactions with Iran in all areas.
"There are many projects for the activities of Iranian companies in Armenia and we welcome the presence of more of these companies in the implementation of infrastructure projects," the Armenian prime minister said.
Japan’s Sapporo could host 2030 Winter Olympics
10:51, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. The International Olympic Committee and Japan officials have been holding behind-the-scenes talks that could secure Sapporo’s bid to host the 2030 Winter Olympics in 2022, The Japan Times reported citing “multiple sources with knowledge of the matter”.
Because Sapporo’s track record of hosting and managing events is highly regarded, the decision could be decided in the city’s favor before this year ends, according to The Japan Times.
Sapporo, which staged the 1972 Winter Olympics, will conduct a survey throughout Hokkaido as early as March to study the pros and cons of hosting in 2030.
10:56, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. The unblocking of all economic and transport connections in South Caucasus is one of the “important directions” of the work for normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan, the Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Andrey Rudenko told TASS in an interview in response to an observation that despite the agreement on unblocking there are disagreements between the sides regarding concrete steps in this direction.
“Basically this is about the chance of the two countries for obtaining concrete practical benefits from peaceful co-existence. Russia is a direct participant of this process. During the 2021 January 11 Moscow summit the leaders of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan agreed to create a trilateral working group co-chaired by the deputy prime ministers of the three countries. Within the framework of this mechanism important preparatory work has been done for both railway and road connection restoration in the region. Right now a package is being refined, this approach will ensure the stability of the decisions made,” Rudenko said.
11:01, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. A total of 1,660,256 vaccinations were administered in Armenia as of January 2, the Ministry of Healthcare reported.
944,784 are first dose and 714,685 are second dose jabs.
Another 787 people received a booster shot.
11:17, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. 29 new cases of COVID-19 were confirmed in the last 24 hours, bringing the cumulative total number of confirmed cases to 345,036, the Armenian Ministry of Healthcare said on January 3.
2840 tests were administered (total 2,577,537).
140 patients recovered (total 331,998).
6 people died, bringing the death toll to 7,983.
As of January 3, the number of active cases stood at 3,546.
11:44, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. A law banning retailers and restaurants from publicly displaying cigarettes and other tobacco products (including e-cigarettes) to the general public has entered into force January 1.
Ruling Civil Contract party lawmaker and former Minister of Healthcare Arsen Torosyan said in a statement that this law passed parliament back in early 2020 in a move aimed at preventing and reducing the health hazards from smoking.
“The full implementation of these regulations will gradually, significantly reduce tobacco use in our country, which will significantly improve our population’s health and economic development,” Torosyan said, warning businesses to strictly adhere to the law and calling on inspection agencies to supervise.
“There can’t be a strong economy without a healthy society,” Torosyan said, reminding that a smoking ban in restaurants and other public food facilities (both indoor and outdoor) will enter force from March 15.
11:46, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Brazilian World Cup-winner Ronaldo tested positive for COVID-19 on Sunday, forcing him to cancel his appearance at celebrations for the 101st anniversary of his first-ever team, Cruzeiro, the club said.
The 45-year-old ex-striker “is fine, with light symptoms, and will now undergo a period of rest and social isolation, in line with medical advice”, Cruzeiro, which Ronaldo bought last month, said on Twitter.
13:52, 3 January, 2022
YEREVAN, JANUARY 3, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan held a phone conversation with President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi, the Prime Minister’s Office said.
PM Pashinyan and President Raisi “discussed a number of issues on the agenda relating to the future development of the Armenian-Iranian relations,” the Prime Minister’s Office said in a readout.
“The importance of close cooperation of the governments of the two countries aimed at strengthening economic ties was underscored. Nikol Pashinyan and Ebrahim Raisi also touched upon the processes taking place in the region.
The President of Iran congratulated the Prime Minister and the Armenian people on New Year and Christmas holidays. In turn, Prime Minister Pashinyan congratulated the Christians of Iran on New Year and Christmas and thanked the Islamic Republic of Iran for creating the necessary conditions for preservation of identity of the Armenians of Iran. The interlocutors agreed to continue high level contacts between the two countries.”