http://media.pn.am/media/issue/126/532/photo/126532.jpg

October 8, 2012 - 18:18 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net - Barely two days after it was unveiled on September 29, the bronze bust of Kemal Atatürk was doused with red paint by unknown people in Budapest’s District XIX.

As politics.hu Hungarian website reports, the incident came amid continued strained relations between Hungary and Armenia over the extradition of Armenian officer Gurgen Margaryan's assassin Ramil Safarov

The unveiling was preceded by strong protests from the local Armenian community, while the district government had been urged by the Foreign Ministry to rethink the plan.

Armenian actor Vardan Petrosyan in grave, but stable condition

YEREVAN, OCTOBER 21, ARMENPRESS. The doctors estimate the condition of prominent Armenian actor Vardan Petrosyan as grave, but stable. Vardan Petrosyan was hospitalized after a major car crash on the Yeghvard-Yerevan road in the evening of October 20. In a conversation with “Armenpress” the Head of Public Relations Department of “Erebuni” Medical Centre Shushan Hunanyan stated that the ambulance car took the popular actor to their hospital.

Among other things the Head of Public Relations Department of “Erebuni” Medical Centre Shushan Hunanyan underscored: “Vardan Petrosyan was operated on. The doctors had to extract his spleen and put his liver in stitches. He was hospitalized with multiple traumas.” In addition she noted that Petrosyan is currently in intensive care unit and connected to an artificial respiration device.”

© 2009 ARMENPRESS.am

18:57 16/05/2019 WORLD

BRUSSELS—At the initiative of European Parliament member Loucas Fourlas, 33 European lawmakers addressed a letter to the EU High Representative Josep Borrell regarding the attack by Azerbaijani Armed Forces on the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia on November 16.

The lawmakers condemned Azerbaijan’s aggression and demanded that the Azerbaijani armed forces immediately and completely withdraw from the territory of the Republic of Armenia. They also urged the EU External Action Service to put pressure on Azerbaijan to stop and prevent the violation of the territorial integrity of Armenia.

“Unlike the EEAS’s declaration, the letter of the MEP’s clearly calls the aggressor by its name. The EU needs to put pressure on Azerbaijan with concrete measures, in order to ensure the immediate and complete removal of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces from the sovereign territory of the Republic of Armenia,’’ said EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian, who also welcomed the initiative by the European lawmakers.

On Friday, the President of the European Council Charles Michel announced that at his request, the leaders of Armenia and Azerbaijan will meet in Brussels next month on the margins of the Eastern Partnership summit.

The complete text of the letter is below.Read More:

https://asbarez.com/33-european-lawmakers-urge-baku-to-withdraw-forces-from-armenia/

San Francisco Church Building Fire was Arson

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ANCA-San Francisco Bay Area Chapter Condemns “Emerging Pattern of Hate Crimes”
The Board of Trustees of the St. Gregory Armenian Apostolic Church of San Francisco announced on Thursday that around 4 a.m. the building adjacent to the church was set ablaze by arsonists.

“The building housed Vasbouragan Hall, as well as offices for St. Gregory Armenian Church and various organizations. The San Francisco Fire Department responded immediately, however, the building has suffered a great loss,” said the church board of trustees.

“The Church Board of Trustees and community leaders are on site assessing the damage and working closely with San Francisco Fire and Police Departments in their investigation. We will provide more updates to the community as they become available,” added the board.

http://asbarez.com/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/6892_b.jpg

U.S, National Security Advisor John Bolton during his meeting with Acting Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Yerevan on Oct. 25, 2018

BY ARA KHACHATOURIAN

Not since the failed and dangerous Turkey-Armenia Protocols has the United States been so keen on pressuring Armenia to adapt to American priorities in the region.

U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton’s trip last week to Armenia, where he offered to sell arms and urged the government to take “decisive” steps regarding Karabakh, signals yet another attempt by Washington to coerce—or threaten—Yerevan to alter its priorities in favor of advancing U.S. interests in the region.

Outgoing U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills set the groundwork in his farewell interview with EVN Report, where he said that territorial concessions by Armenia are an inevitable part of the peace process and while Armenia was free to pursue its own independent foreign policy, it would behoove Yerevan to toe Washington’s line when it came to regional issues.

Bolton’s bold offer to sell arms to Armenia not only would tip the balance of parity in the region, it would also pit Armenia directly against Russia, which has been Armenia’s main arms supplier. Hence, it is ironic that Bolton would call Russian arms sales to Azerbaijan and Armenia disruptive and unproductive for the Karabakh peace process and yet offer both countries to buy arms from the United States without presenting guarantees that such a transaction, which until now has not been on the table, would not create an imbalance in the region.

Given the size of Azerbaijan’s military budget, such a proposal would be dangerous and would bolster Azerbaijan’s political sway with the Trump administration.

Read more: http://asbarez.com/175912/with-boltons-visit-u-s-reasserts-its-heavy-hand-on-armenia/

The privileged conditions allowed some American exports to enter Turkey duty free.

Along the termination the US also halved its tariffs on imports of Turkish steel to 25%.

The White House said on Thursday it was appropriate to terminate Turkey’s eligibility to participate in the Generalized System of Preferences (GSP) program, based on its level of economic development. The decision is effective May 17, it added.

Turkey was one of 120 countries that participate in the GSP, the oldest and largest U.S. trade preference program. It aims to promote economic development in beneficiary countries and territories by eliminating duties on thousands of products.

The United States imported $1.66 billion in 2017 from Turkey under the GSP program, representing 17.7 percent of total U.S. imports from Turkey, according to USTR’s website.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/975118.html

Lav e ```

The relative calm in the predominantly Armenian-populated Syrian city of Kessab was shattered when two Armenians reportedly were among the injured in a bombing of a village in Kessab on Monday.

The Aleppo-based Kandzasar newspaper reported that a terrorist organization launched rockets, three of which landed in the Esguran village at around 5:30 p.m. local time.

Turkish police seize 1,200-year-old Bible in Diyarbakir

RALLY AGAINST TURKEY'S ACCESSION TO EU

3 October, the Armenian sharp forces of Marseilles (France) to demonstrate to Luxembourg (10:00 am) will require the Recognition of Genocide before Turkey begins the negotiations with European Union. With the support of F.R.A. Daschnagtutyun, A.D.L. Ramgavar of C.R.A.A.M. & C.D.C.A, they invite the Armenians of Europe to come to join this movement of protest.

By Jean Eckian in France

http://www.azg.am/?lang=EN&num=2005092001

MOSCOW—The Russian Foreign Ministry has sent a note to the Azerbaijani Embassy in Moscow over instances of discrimination against and ill treatment of Russian citizens based on their ethnicity, the RIA Novosti news agency reported.

The note follows verbal warnings presented by the Russian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Maria Zakharova, who as recently as Friday warned Baku to halt its discriminatory practices against Russian citizens, especially of Armenia origin, at its border and will not ban their entry into Azerbaijan.

http://asbarez.com/177198/moscow-warns-baku-over-discrimination-against-russian-citizens/

I thought I would let you know that I have just returned from another research and discussion mission to Kolkata.

Whilst there, I was very kindly given some desk space at the Armenian College & Philanthropic Academy, and have just updated my travel/alternative website with details of the school and various events that took place whilst I was there.

Anyone with an interest in the Armenian College, may find this of interest. The website is

http://myweb.tiscali.co.uk/lizchater/

Click on Kolkata 2008 for an update on the developments at the Armenian College.

best wishes

Liz

Belarus and Azerbaijan are preparing a contract for the supply of the next batch of Belarusian military equipment, Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev told reporters after talks with Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko

https://news.am/eng/news/481825.html

With U.S. sanctions on Iran going into effect this month, Iranians in Armenia are beginning to feel the pinch. Iranian citizens discovered their bank accounts are being frozen, and banks across the country have implemented similar policies affecting all clients who list Iran as their place of birth regardless of ethnicity or current citizenship. As such, even ethnic Armenians living in Armenia with Armenian citizenship (i.e. repatriates), who happen to be born in Iran, are being affected. Other repatriates complained that banks forbade them from holding Dollar or Euro accounts, despite holding Armenian Citizenship.

Repat Armenia, a non-profit organization dedicated to helping Diaspora Armenians relocate to Armenia, estimates that up to 10,000 Iranian-Armenians have chosen to make Armenia home since Independence. A more significant number still have business interests or maintain residences here. Several thousand Iranian expats also live in Armenia. Most are involved in business or study at the local universities. In short, the contributions of this demographic of Iranian-Armenian Diasporans are strategic. This makes banks blindness to them worrisome.

The Central Bank, for its part, announced it had not instructed Armenian banks to take such a measure, meaning that the policy has been implemented independently by the countrys private financial institutions.

Iranian nationals in other countries have reported similar asset freezes. Despite the European Union refusing to back Washingtons trade embargo, some European banks have already begun refusing to process payments made by Iranian-registered companies doing business in the EU.

The sanctions come after the Trump administration unilaterally pulled out of the Obama-era Joint Comprehensive Plan of Action (known colloquially as the Iran Nuclear Deal) citing its perceived failure. The leaders of Great Britain, France and Germany, all of whom are signatories to the deal have expressed regret and concern at the decision to reimpose sanctions in a joint statement.

The new sanctions have placed Armenia, which maintains good relations with Iran and depends on it for trade, in an awkward position. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan made clear to U.S. National Security Advisor John Bolton, during a working visit to Yerevan, that his government respects the foreign policy priorities of other nations, but the Republic of Armenia has its own national and state interests which do not always coincide with the interests and ideas of other countries.

Eight countries, including Turkey, have secured temporary exemptions from sanctions due to their high dependence on Iranian oil. U.S. expectations of Armenia remain unclear with no information about any agreement being available to the public. Although a delegation from the U.S. Departments of State and Treasury met with the Armenian Ministers of Foreign Affairs, Economic Affairs and Energy last week for outlining areas for cooperation, no official statements have been released.

Previous administrations traditionally turned a blind eye to Armenias continued trade relationship with Iran. Armenian officials quietly complied American requests to closely monitor Iranian financial transactions going through Armenian banks to alleviate money laundering concerns. Boltons recent comments that the Trump administration would administer the Iran sanctions very vigorously has put this long-standing gentlemans agreement into question.

Boltons short visit last month caused a stir in Armenia. His insistence that Armenia comply with US sanctions was criticized as imperialistic in tone. The National Security Advisor appeared satisfied with his trip though, tweeting Yesterday I had a nice visit to Armenia, an important friend in the region. I enjoyed productive conversations with the Prime Minister and his national security team. He also acknowledged Armenias particular need for trade with Iran, explaining to an RFE/RL reporter Obviously, we dont want to cause damage to our friends in the process.

With the uncertainty over the sanctions continuing, Iranian-Armenians living in Yerevan brace for more difficulties.

PS:

I would sue the hell out of any bank in Armenia that refuses services to Armenian citizens immaterial of their place of birth.

http://news.am/eng/news/143255.html

March 06, 2013 | 13:44

ISTANBUL. - Mimar Sinan Fine Arts University of Istanbul bestowed

an honorary doctorate degree upon world-renowned Istanbul-Armenian

photographer and photojournalist, Ara Guler.

Members of the University Senate organized an event in tribute to

Guler, during which he was awarded an honorary doctorate degree,

Istanbul's Agos Armenian bilingual weekly reports.

Taking the microphone upon the request of the audience, Guler said

he is happy that there is such interest toward him, and stressed that

he is involved in journalism for sixty years.

"Now, I think that photojournalists, documentary film makers craft a

visual part of human history. Doing all this becomes historiography,"

he noted.

To note, Ara Guler, who was recognized as the "Photographer of the

Century"-and who is also known as "the Eye of Istanbul"-was born in

the city in 1928, and he began his journalistic career in 1950. He

has received many Turkish and international awards and titles and

has photographed numerous world-renowned personalities.

YEREVAN. – On the evening of September 15, Azerbaijani armed forces fired shots toward Armenia’s Areni village, from Nakhichevan.

Artsrun Hovhannisyan, spokesperson for the Ministry of Defense (MOD) of Armenia, told about the abovementioned to Armenia Sputnik.

The situation is similar to what happened in Tavush [Province]; [but] the shots were less,” Hovhannisyan added. “They shot from rifle weapons, but, unlike Tavush, the bullets there don’t reach the village.”

In his words, gardens belonging to the villagers are located near the border.

As in Tavush Province, the points from which the adversary fired shots were silenced with actions in response.

On September 15, the Azerbaijani army fired shots toward Koti village of Tavush Province. Village resident Suren Sepkhanyan, 60, was injured in the shootings. He was taken to Noyemberyan town hospital, and he is in good condition.

And prior to that, Azerbaijani armed forces fired shots toward bordering Chinari, Vazashen, Baghanis, and Koti villages of the same province.

https://news.am/eng/news/471382.html

20:39, 12 September, 2018

YEREVAN, SEPTEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, who gained president’s post from his father as a heritage and during whose years of rule various international institutions condemned the leadership of that country for gross violations of human rights and crackdown and persecution against their political opponents and journalists, has expressed concern over the emerging dictatorship in Armenia.

ARMENPRESS reports, citing Azerbaijani media, during a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger Aliyev urged him not to be indifferent towards the political process in Armenia, drawing his attention on “mass violations of human rights, arrests of political opponents and the establishment of a new dictatorial regime in Armenia”.

Ridiculously, Armenia is blamed for establishing dictatorship by someone during whose presidency human rights violations have become regular in Azerbaijan and political persecutions and censorship have become normal for that country, whereas all the international democratic institutions, including the OSCE, have welcomed the peaceful change of power in Armenia and have expressed readiness to assist in further democratic reforms.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/946993.html

YEREVAN — The former head of a Turkish American lobbying group that had cooperated with Azerbaijan’s government has been detained in Armenia on an arrest warrant issued by U.S. law-enforcement authorities.

Kemal (Kevin) Oksuz used to run the Texas-based Turquoise Council of Americans and Eurasians as well as the Assembly of the Friends of Azerbaijan. The two groups came under scrutiny after organizing in 2013 an all-expenses-paid visit to Azerbaijan by 10 members and 32 staffers of the U.S. Congress.

The Washington Post reported in 2015 that the trip was secretly funded by Azerbaijan’s state-owned oil company SOCAR in violation of U.S. congressional rules. Citing a confidential report by the U.S. Office of Congressional Ethics, the paper said that through the groups headed by Oksuz SOCAR spent $750,000 for that purpose.

The report led the Ethics Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives to launch an inquiry. Oksuz reportedly refused to testify in the probe.

The Armenian police revealed on Thursday that Oksuz subsequently moved to Armenia and set up a company there. In a statement, the police said that U.S. law-enforcement authorities issued an international arrest warrant for him on August 23.

The American citizen of Turkish descent is wanted in the United States for lying to the House Ethics Committee about foreign funding received by his organizations, the statement said, adding that he was arrested in Yerevan on Wednesday.

The police also released a short video of Oksuz’s first interrogation. Oksuz was shown admitting that SOCAR, which is closely linked to the Azerbaijani government, covered the travel expenses of the U.S. officials and gave them expensive gifts in 2013. “That may have been corruption, I don’t know,” he said.

It was not clear why he decided to relocate to Armenia, a country that has strained relations with both Turkey and Azerbaijan. Oksuz admitted that just like other Turkish American activists he had lobbied the Congress against recognizing the 1915 Armenian genocide in Ottoman Turkey.

“The Armenian Diaspora [in the United States] is strong and does a good job,” he told the police. “The Azerbaijani lobby is nothing. They only spend money on lobbying but achieve nothing.”

Reporting on Oksuz’s arrest, the pro-government Turkish newspaper “Sabah” referred to him as a “high-ranking” loyalist of Fethullah Gulen, a U.S.-based Turkish cleric facing coup charges in Turkey. The paper also called his Turquoise Council of Americans a “Gulenist umbrella organization.”

Thousands of Gulen supporters have been jailed in Turkey since a failed 2016 coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

https://massispost.com/2018/08/turkish-american-lobbyist-arrested-in-armenia/

http://haydzayn.am/uploads/2018/06/257121.jpg

San Francisco's Mt. Davidson Memorial Cross - one of the oldest landmarks in the city and a memorial to the 1.5 million victims of the Armenian Genocide - was recently vandalized, SFGate reports.

As the conversation around the treatment of migrant children at the border gets more heated, hostility toward the immigration-enforcement arm of the U.S. government has become visible.

Someone appears to have spray-painted a message of solidarity with immigrant families on the cross.

"No more violence. This blessing is for the families in detention centers, for the families experiencing U.S. funded wars. Blessings for the queers," the red lettering reads.

A visitor to the park, Toby Morgan, photographed the graffiti.

The enormous concrete cross, which has stood atop San Francisco's highest hill since 1934, was erected to commemorate all those who were killed in the Genocide under the Ottoman Empire.

A representative from the Council of Armenian American Organizations of Northern California said they are "saddened" by the incident and have reached out to law enforcement.

"We are notifying the police and will have it painted today," a representative said Friday. "We understand peoples need for self-expression, vandalism such as this is never appropriate."

14:38, 17 August, 2018

YEREVAN, AUGUST 17, ARMENPRESS. German Chancellor Angela Merkel will arrive in Armenia on an official visit on August 24-25, the Armenian government told Armenpress.

During the visit Armenian-German high-level talks led by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Chancellor Angela Merkel will be held. Thereafter, they will sum up the results of talks at a joint press conference.

The German Chancellor will also meet with Armenian President Armen Sarkissian.

Angela Merkel will visit the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan

https://armenpress.am/eng/news/944172/

“It is wrong to dare bring Turkey to its knees through threats over a pastor. I am calling on those in America again. Shame on you, shame on you. You are exchanging your strategic partner in Nato for a priest. You can never bring this nation in line with the language of threats,” Erdogan said addressing American authorities.

American pastor Andrew Brunson, photographed with his wife Norine, has been imprisoned in Turkey since October 2016.

Andrew Brunson, a North Carolina pastor living for over 20 years in Turkey, has spent the past 18 months in Turkish prison, accused alternately of being a follower of Fethullah Gülen and aiding the Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK). On Wednesday, July 18, a Turkish court extended the term of his incarceration. The decision was met with harsh criticism from President Donald Trump, tweeting that it is “a total disgrace that Turkey will not release a respected U.S. Pastor, Andrew Brunson, from prison.”

Turkish officials have not concealed linking the Brunson case to Turkey’s demands for the extradition of Gülen who they accuse of masterminding the 2016 attempted coup against President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan. The U.S. has thus far resisted the calls for extradition on grounds that sufficient evidence against Gülen has yet to be presented by the Turkish government. Gülen, founder of the worldwide Hizmet or Service movement, currently resides in exile in Pennsylvania. Following the failed coup, Erdoğan has increased his executive powers and cracked down on all opposition, particularly focusing on the followers of Gülen as well as the Kurdish leadership of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP). Thousands have been imprisoned and many more removed from their jobs.

U.S. diplomatic efforts were increased this week in anticipation of the court decision on the Brunson case. Any hope for an imminent release of Brunson were dashed, however, on Wednesday. In the aftermath of the decision, Turkish media coverage continues to focus on the link to the impasse over Gülen.

Brunson is married with three children. If convicted, he could be sentenced to up to 35 years in prison.

https://soundcloud.com/the-armenian-weekly-podcast/episode-1-an-interview-with-irina-ghaplanyan

ANKARA (A.W.)—Four Armenian candidates will participate in Turkey’s snap parliamentary elections due to take place on June 24. The complete and final list of candidates that will run was published early today in the T.C. Resmi Gazete—Turkey’s official national journal publishes legislation and official announcements.

Garo Paylan—a founding member of the Peoples’ Democratic Party of Turkey (HDP)—will be joined by fellow Armenian Ludmilla Büyüm on the HDP ticket running in Istanbul’s second district. Paylan, who has long been an activist on human rights and Kurdish and Armenian issues and currently represents the capital’s third district, will now be running in Diyarbakir.

Markar Esayan, an MP from President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP), will also run for reelection. Paylan, Essayan, and Selina Özuzun Doğan from the Republican People’s Party (CHP) became the first Armenian members to be elected to Turkey’s Parliament in decades back in 2015.

Elmas Giragos—a founding member of a İYİ (Good) party—will also be participating in the elections. Founded in October, İYİ is described as a nationalist, liberal conservative, secularist, anti-Erdoganist alternative for right-leaning voters disillusioned with the Nationalist Movement Party (MHP) and the ruling AKP.

Originally slated for Nov. 3, 2019, President Erdogan announced in April that the vote was being brought forward. Presidential elections will be held to elect the President of Turkey in a two-round format, with the first round taking place on June 24 and a second round (if necessary) due to occur two weeks after on July 8. Six-hundred members will be elected to the Grand National Assembly of Turkey (parliament) from candidate from eight different political parties.

The corpse was found on Thursday morning, nearby a cemetery, in a ditch, tied with a metal wire, and burnt.

The Investigative Committee of Armenia informed Armenian News-NEWS.am that the criminal investigation into this incident has found out that this corpse is that of a Yerevan resident who was born in 1998.

This is bad ```

https://news.am/eng/news/451963.html

YEREVAN. – President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, on Monday sent condolences to President Donald Trump of the United States.

Sargsyan extended his commiseration in connection with the shooting that occurred at a church in Sutherland Springs, in the US state of Texas, and which claimed dozens of innocent lives and injured many others.church in Sutherland Springs, in the US state of Texas, and which claimed dozens of innocent lives and injured many others.

The President expressed deep condolences to Trump and the friendly people of US, and wished strength and fortitude to the relatives of the dead, and speedy recovery to the injured.

https://news.am/eng/news/419558.html

Maybe some readers interested this topic. Replies are welcome

According to the paper, the CoE Committee of Ministers is for the first time preparing a petition to submit to the ECtHR Grand Chamber, since the Azerbaijani authorities refuse to carry out the ECtHR decisions, and the procedure was launched against Azerbaijan.

Kommersant recalled that if a country violates Article 46 of the Convention for the Protection of Human Rights and Fundamental Freedoms, it may be expelled from the CoE.

Azerbaijani authorities refuse to release opposition activist Ilgar Mammadov, despite the ECtHR decision that his detention was unlawful and politically motivated.

WASHINGTON— Responding to strong Congressional pressure, the Trump Administration has officially withdrawn its controversial proposal to allow the sale of U.S. semi-automatic handguns to Turkish President Recep Erdogan’s security detail, which, in May of this year, made international headlines by attacking peaceful American protesters in Washington, D.C., reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

White House Officially Withdraws Proposed Arms Sale to Turkish President Erdogan’s Security Detail

By Contributor on September 19, 2017 in Headline, News // 3 Comments // //

“We’re seeing the start of Turkey Arms Embargo 2.0,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “We welcome today’s decision by the White House as a reflection of a growing willingness among policymakers, diplomats, legislators from both parties, and the broader foreign policy community to openly challenge Turkey’s increasingly anti-American conduct.”

News of New Hampshire gun-maker Sig Sauer’s proposed plan to sell $1.2 million in semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to President Erdogan’s bodyguards was first reported by The New York Times reporter Nicholas Fandos. The request for Congressional review of the matter was submitted on the eve of the May 16 attack in front of the Turkish Ambassador’s residence in Washington, DC, videotaped live by the ANCA’s Hamparian; that attack sent peaceful protesters to the hospital. To date, 19 people have been indicted for the brutal beatings, including 15 members of President Erdogan’s security detail.

Senate Foreign Relations Committee Ranking Democrat Ben Cardin (D-Md.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Chairperson Ed Royce (R-Calif.) were among the first to raise objections to the sale. Notably, Chairman Ed Royce (R-Calif.) formally communicated to Secretary of State Tillerson his strong opposition to the deal, calling the conduct of the Turkish guards “unprofessional and brutal.” Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairs Frank Pallone (D-N.J.) and Dave Trott (R-Mich.) spearheaded a Congressional letter, cosigned by over 35 House colleagues, including Select Committee on Intelligence Chairman and Ranking Member Devin Nunes (R-Calif.) and Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) and House Foreign Affairs Committee Ranking Member Eliot Engel (D-N.Y.), opposing the sale.

Read more:https://armenianweekly.com/2017/09/19/white-house-officially-withdraws-proposed-arms-sale-to-turkish-president-erdogans-security-detail/

MUNICH, Germany (Cyprus Mail)—A German court is set to issue a final decision on the fate of 85 artifacts stolen from Turkish occupied areas of Cyprus, including fragments of painted church walls, an Armenian gospel manuscript, and some 40 prehistoric antiques, the Cyprus Mail reports.

The Court of Appeal of Munich is expected to issue its final decision in relation to some of those items found in the possession of a Turkish dealer, Aydin Dikmen. A total of 173 stolen artifacts found in Αydin Dikmen`s posession in Munich were repatriated to Cyprus last October.

On Wednesday, a hearing took place in the Court of Appeal in Munich, where the German judge proposed an out of court settlement by the 13th of February, 2015; otherwise, the Court will issue its final decision by March 16, 2015.

Bishop Porphyrios of Neapolis said that the Church of Cyprus and the Law Office of the Republic of Cyprus will try to reach an amicable settlement with the other party provided that “the settlement is reasonable and will allow the repatriation of all Cypriot treasures”.

Turkish art smuggler Aydin Dikmen had his headquarters in Munich and channeled the loot taken from the occupied areas through Turkey to the rest of the world. One of the biggest cases of illicit trading in antiquities involving Aydin Dikmen was the plundering of the wall paintings from the church of Agios Euphemianus and the 6th century wall mosaics from the Church of Panagia Kanakaria in the occupied areas of Cyprus.

In October and November 1997 the German Police raided apartments maintained by the Turkish dealer in Munich. The number of works of art they uncovered was astonishing: treasures were found from about fifty looted churches in Turkish-occupied Cyprus.

The records kept by the Turkish illicit dealer in antiquities have been lodged as exhibits at the Bavarian Court. The detailed way in which he kept his records is unprecedented: photographs and sketches prior to the theft of the mosaics and wall paintings, during their removal and after, as well as copies of the mosaics intended to be sold as originals in the illicit antiques trade.

The uncontrolled situation in the Turkish-occupied area of Cyprus after the Turkish invasion in 1974 has fostered the development of a network of dealers in illicit antiquities whose aim was to sell out the cultural heritage of Cyprus. With the encouragement and help of the Turkish army, the trade in illicit antiquities has brought great profit to those involved, and Cypriot treasures already adorn private collections in a number of countries including Turkey, Russia, Switzerland, Holland and the UK, and even as far as the US, Australia and Japan.

More than 500 churches situated in the areas under Turkish occupation since 1974 have been destroyed, plundered and looted or turned into stables, warehouses, restaurants and hotels. For this the Cyprus government and church have repeatedly protested to the UN, the World Council of Churches, and many other international and religious organizations.

http://nypost.com/2017/02/21/azerbaijans-leader-names-his-wife-as-first-vice-president/

Following the latest controversies, Sweden’s Turkish National Association risks having to pay back millions of krona the union earlier received in government grants; competent bodies question whether the association can be considered democratic at all, Sputnik News reports.

On April 9, Barbaros Leylani, then vice president of the Turkish National Association, raised hell with a speech at a demonstration in Stockholm, where he announced his support for Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Also, a number of flag-waving members of the Grey Wolves, a Turkish supremacist, far-right and neo-fascist organization, were spotted at the demonstration.

“Death to the Armenian dogs! Death! Death!” Leylani shouted, among other things, according to Göteborgs-Posten.

This triggered an investigation to find out whether the Turkish National Association reflects the basic requirements of democratic values.

“This statement was not consistent with respect for human equality and human rights, and therefore we [initially] started this investigation on our own initiative,” says Anders Hagquist, communications director at the National Agency for Youth and Civil Society, MUCF.

Barbaros Leylani was forced to apologize and leave his post at the union. However, his confrontational statements are not the only thing that is now being investigated, according to Anders Hagquist. Numerous minority organizations and former members of the Turkish National Association have formally criticized the organization’s texts and speeches for being “hateful.”

“We have received many complaints in the past and now we need to examine them again, considering the recent situation,” he said.

Earlier, Sweden’s Armenian National Association reported the incident to the police.

“I was very, very worried when I saw the clip. This is very unnerving,” president Garlen Mansourian told TV4.

Despite the frequent complaints, the Turkish National Association has continued to receive state support of over half a million krona per year. According to the news portal Nyheter24, the state aid from MUCF (whose primary aim is to combat racism and promote integration in Sweden) amounted to 630,000 krona (roughly 80,000 dollars) last year alone. Now, MUCF may very see its funding cut, which spells doom.

This would be a disaster for the Turkish National Association, Union Secretary Yasin Ipek told Swedish Radio.

“We would probably go out of business and cease to exist as an association,” he said.

Yasin Ipek believes that last week’s debate was unfair.

“We are neither racists nor fascists. You cannot punish the whole union because of one person,” he says.

According to the Swedish Riksdag, which endorses state aid to minority societies, the Turkish National Organization is a large association, comprising over 12,000 members. At present, over 50,000 Turks are estimated to be living in Sweden.

http://www.armradio.am/en/2016/04/25/sweden-may-cut-turkish-associations-funding-following-insulting-remarks-about-armenia/

PanARMENIAN.Net - Armenian cemetery in the village of Akhori, situated near the city of Igdir on the slopes of Mount Ararat, has been demolished at the hands of Turkish treasure hunters.

Left untended, the cemetery has been looted, with the bones of those buried scattered in the area, Tert.am reported citing Turkish Dicle news agency.

“The residents of the mostly Kurdish-populated village urge the government to address the issue and promote preservation of the history of the area,” Dicle said.

The village of Akhori was almost completely demolished in the 19th century earthquake, with only the cemetery left untouched. Historic data reveals that before the quake and the landslide that destroyed the village, the latter was home to a 7th century St. Hakob Church. Later, a new settlement renamed into Yeni Dogan was formed in the area.

Breaking a campaign promise, President Obama won’t use the term “genocide” on Armenian Remembrance Day. (Photo: Jacquelyn Martin/AP)

For the eighth and final time, President Obama this year will break his unambiguous 2008 campaign promise to declare that the mass killings of Armenians at the hands of Ottoman Turks in 1915 and 1916 amounted to “genocide,” a leading Armenian-American activist told Yahoo News on Thursday.

According to the U.S. Holocaust Museum, at least 664,000 and perhaps as many as 1.2 million Armenians “died in massacres, in individual killings, or as a consequence of systematic ill-treatment, exposure, starvation and disease.”

But officially designating the Ottoman Turks’ actions as “genocide” would have deeply angered Turkey, a NATO ally and a pivotal player in the coalition Obama has assembled to wage war on the Islamic State in neighboring Syria. Turkish governments have sharply disputed the figures of Armenian dead and categorically rejected the “genocide” label.

Aram Hamparian, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America, told Yahoo News shortly after a briefing from Obama aides at the White House that the president would once again stop short of using the term “genocide” in his annual statement about the tragedy.

“We took from today’s meeting at the White House that the president will end his tenure in office as he began it, caving in to Turkish pressure and betraying his own promise to properly recognize the Armenian genocide,” Hamparian said by telephone.

Hamparian told Yahoo that Obama’s annual statement, usually issued on April 24, was not finished yet but that the officials were very clear that it would not deviate from past years in which he has shunned the term “genocide.” White House officials declined to comment.

Hamparian said this year’s decision carried a special sting because the Obama administration recently applied the “genocide” label to atrocities carried out by the Islamic State, also known as ISIS.

“There’s absolutely no excuse” to withhold the same designation in the Armenian case, he said.

As a senator, Obama supported but did not co-sponsor a 2007 resolution calling for the use of the term “genocide” when discussing the Armenian tragedy. (Hillary Clinton, then a senator, co-sponsored the measure. As secretary of state, however, she did not use the term. Aides to her presidential campaign did not return emails seeking her current position.)

And when he was running for the presidency in 2008, Obama could hardly have been clearer.

“My firmly held conviction [is] that the Armenian genocide is not an allegation, a personal opinion or a point of view, but rather a widely documented fact supported by an overwhelming body of historical evidence,” he said in a statement. “As president I will recognize the Armenian genocide.”

Once in office, however, Obama’s grip on that conviction apparently loosened, and he joined other presidents like George W. Bush in saying one thing during the campaign and another from the Oval Office.

In 2015, the 100^th anniversary of the tragic events, Obama’s statement referred to “Meds Yeghern,” Armenian for “the great calamity.” He also included a reference to Raphael Lemkin, the Polish-Jewish lawyer who coined the term “genocide” during World War II.

Pope Francis referred to the same events as “the first genocide of the 20^th century.” In 1981, then president Ronald Reagan referred to “the genocide of the Armenians.”

Forty-three U.S. states have recognized the Armenian genocide. Twenty-four countries and the European Parliament have done so as well.

https://www.yahoo.com/news/obama-will-break-armenian-genocide-promise-again-201843146.html?ref=gs

84-Year-Old Armenian Woman Brutally Murdered in Istanbul

http://asbarez.com/App/Asbarez/eng/2013/01/murder.jpg

The body of the murdered victim being moved from her apartment

ISTANBUL, Turkey—On Dec. 29, an 84-year-old Armenian woman was brutally murdered in Istanbul’s Koca Mustafa ***** neighborhood, Turkish newspapers reported.

The woman, identified as Marissa Kuchuk (Küçük), lived alone. She was found dead by her daughter, Zadik Kuchuk, who was visiting her. She was stabbed seven times and her throat was slit. The perpetrator(s) carved a cross on her chest using a sharp object, according to some Turkish newspaper and TV reports.

An investigation is under way.

Armenians mourn the death of 224 passengers aboard the Russian Kogalymavia’s A321 airline that crashed over Egypt 30 minutes after takeoff in North Sinai Saturday.

Read More:http://www.armradio.am/en/2015/11/02/armenia-mourns-victims-of-crashed-russian-plane/