Today, at the RA Government Reception House, the Board of Trustees of the All-Armenian Hayastan Fund held its annual meeting which was chaired by the President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.
The President of Armenia welcomed the participants of the 22nd meeting of the Board and underscored that just as it was with the previous meetings, today’s meeting too would be of a strictly working nature. He said that decisions would be made not only to provide for a smooth functioning of the Fund but also with the aim of responding efficiently to the problems existing in Armenia, Artsakh and Spyurk.
Before referring to the agenda items, in his introductory remarks the President noted that last year in Armenia has been full of events, the election year: there took place parliamentary, presidential and then Yerevan City Council elections which have become an excellent occasion to highlight all these problems, to discuss them publicly and view the entire spectrum of possible solutions. According to the President, there has been no major issue of a national, social, economic or any other nature which in that period of time was not voiced and considered. The President of Armenia deemed it normal that the elections have also formed great expectations within our society which the responsible officials have to meet. “I believe in the coming years not only for the authorities of Armenia but also for the entire Armenian nation should be years of hard and efficient work. I also believe that we have the necessary base to register serious results and the fact that these will be no-election years is the perfect opportunity to talk less and work more.
There is no doubt that problems of Spyurk continue to be numerous and diverse. However, nowadays the situation in Syria and situation of the Armenians in Syria continues to be an open wound for us all. We, as the Armenian state and as the Armenian nation have been supporting and will continue to support our brothers and sisters in Syria regardless of whether they have come to Armenia or stayed in Syria.
No other all-Armenian structure reflects the aspirations and potential of the Armenian nation and of the Armenia-Artsakh-Spyurk triumvirate as it does the All-Armenian Hayastan Fund. Thus we have to work and with this I invite you all to work,” the President of Armenia said.
After adopting the agenda of the meeting and watching the report film on the activities conducted through the Fund’s financial means in 2012, the members of the Board of Trustees discussed the agenda items. The Executive Director of the Fund Ara Vardanian presented the report on the works conducted by the executive department in 2012. The Board approved the report, taking note of the report of the oversight commission. The Board also discussed and approved the issue related to the Fund’s Marathon-2013 key subject matter which was presented by the President of Nagorno Karabakh Bako Sahakian.
“Journalists, bloggers, activists and other independent thinkers continue to experience severe limitations to their freedom of expression in Azerbaijan” said today Nils Muiznieks, the Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, at the end of a three-day visit to the country. Referring in particular to the detention of a number of these persons, the Commissioner expressed his view that “clearly, they should not be in prison”. In the course of his visit, the Commissioner travelled to Ismayilli, where he discussed the protests which took place there last January. He also went to Kurdakhani Detention Centre, where he met with Ilgar Mammadov, Hilal Mammadov and Zaur Gurbanli.
“Releasing all persons who are in detention because of the views they hold and express should be a priority for the Azerbaijani authorities in order to protect freedom of expression” said the Commissioner, noting that this should be accompanied by measures to enhance the independent and impartial review of the relevant cases by the judiciary. In parallel, the authorities should bring the long-standing work on the reform of defamation legislation to a successful conclusion, by ensuring that it provides for defamation to be dealt with through proportionate fines and not imprisonment. The Commissioner welcomed that the authorities are currently engaged with the Council of Europe Venice Commission on this reform, which is also required in order to execute two judgments of the European Court of Human Rights against Azerbaijan. However, he found it “difficult to reconcile” this commitment with the amendments adopted by the Azerbaijani Parliament only two weeks ago, aimed at facilitating the application of defamation provisions to online expression. The Commissioner called on the President of Azerbaijan not to sign these amendments into law.
Freedom of assembly is also seriously thwarted, with restrictions in practice going well beyond those which are permissible according to human rights standards. “Not only have peaceful protesters been effectively banned from demonstrating in central Baku since 2006, but recent months have seen a harshening of the fines and the use of administrative detention for those who organise or participate in unauthorised public gatherings” the Commissioner observed. Noting the announced publication by the authorities of a list of locations where demonstrations will be authorised, the Commissioner called for these to include adequate locations in the centre of Baku and other cities, as a first step towards a better enjoyment of the right to freedom of assembly by the Azerbaijani population.
Regarding freedom of association, the Commissioner was particularly worried to note that problems relating to the registration of non-governmental organisations have not abated. The Venice Commission identified some shortcomings in its 2011 Opinion on the legislation of non-governmental organisations of Azerbaijan, such as the absence of any specific time-frame within which an agreement on the registration of the local branches of international NGOs has to be signed with the Ministry of Justice, resulting in unduly long delays. The authorities should swiftly address these deficiencies.
Finally, several interlocutors expressed concerns about continuous demolitions of houses in the centre of Baku, which allegedly have no legal basis. The Commissioner was informed that a number of cases relating to these demolitions are now pending before the European Court of Human Rights. Instead of awaiting the outcome of these cases, the authorities should ensure that an effective remedy exists at national level. More generally, they should better implement the Court’s case-law rather than relying on the Court to correct the shortcomings of national remedies.
Teetering along a highwire suspended between two skyscrapers 185 metres up is really not a good the place to be afraid of heights.
But Austrian daredevil Reinhard Kleindl, pictured here attempting to set a new world record for ‘urban highlining’ above the German city of Frankfurt, admitted he suffers from just that.
Mr Kleindl, 32, used only his arms to balance as he walked twice along a 30-metre-long polyester rope anchored to the two wings of the city’s U-shaped skyscraper Tower 185 above hundreds of cheering supporters.
Kleindl said he was trying to set a new record for walking the highest urban highline, but no one was immediately available from the World Slackline Federation to confirm if this was a new record.
According to Kleindl, the previous record was set by a group of French adrenaline junkies on a line about 120 metres above the ground, between the Les Mercuriales twin towers in Paris, two years ago.
Unlike tightropes, slacklines are not held rigidly taut, making it harder to balance.
Kleindl, who studied particle physics before becoming a professional slackliner, was due to repeat his walk three times during a two-day skyscraper-themed festival that started on Saturday.
— Will Ask U.S. to Require Ankara Lift Blockade of Armenia and End Occupation of Cyprus during testimony before U.S. Trade Panel
WASHINGTON, DC – Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA) Government Affairs Director Kate Nahapetian will testify this coming week before the U.S. International Trade Commission in support of strict rule-of-law conditions on any new American trade agreements involving Turkey.
Nahapetian will appear before a hearing called to consider public comments regarding the proposed Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership (TTIP), which will take place over May 29th and 30th. It will be chaired by the U.S. Trade Representative (USTR), and include a panel of senior officials from member agencies of the Trade Policy Staff Committee.
The Turkish government, has, in recent months, lobbied Washington aggressively for inclusion in a proposed far-ranging Transatlantic Trade and Investment Partnership between the U.S. and the European Union, as well as for its own U.S.-Turkey bilateral free trade agreement. The ANCA, consistent with a joint written statement submitted earlier this month to the USTR along with the American Hellenic Institute (AHI) and the Hellenic American Leadership Council (HALC), will encourage the U.S. government to require, as a pre-condition for any trade deals involving Turkey, that the Turkish government have fully withdrawn its unlawful military occupation of Cyprus, unconditionally lifted its illegal economic blockade of Armenia, and ended all obstacles to trade, investment, and other forms of commerce has Ankara imposed on Cyprus and Armenia.
Also offering testimony will be a broad range of corporate, labor, citizens, and trade associations, including U.S. Chamber of Commerce, AFL-CIO, American Insurance Association, Securities Industry and Financial Markets Association, Software Information Industry Association, Electronic Privacy Information Center, Public Citizen, U.S. Public Interest Research Group, Consumer Federation of America, Underwriters Laboratories, Biotechnology Industry Organization, Transatlantic Business Council, American Association of Exporters and Importers, American Apparel and Footwear Association, and American Fuel and Petrochemical Manufacturers.
A right-wing historian shot himself dead in front of hundreds of tourists at the altar of Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris today, apparently in protest at France’s legalisation of gay marriage.
Dominique Venner, who had recently been campaigning against gay marriage in France, is said to have calmly walked past the crowds milling around the 850-year-old Cathedral, one of the most popular tourist sites in the world, before taking out a Herstal automatic pistol.
The 78-year-old put the gun in his mouth and fired before collapsing on to the altar, according to French media reports.
Mr Venner, who was awarded a prestigious prize by l’Académie française for one of his historical works, was a former member of the Secret Army Organisation (OAS), the paramilitary group which fought against France giving up Algeria as a colony.
He was jailed for 18 months in La Santé Prison as a political undesirable for his role in the ultra-national organisation and was freed in 1962.
The Cathedral was full of visitors when the horrific incident took place, at around 4pm.
‘There was screaming and lot so shouting following a loud bang,’ said one witness. ‘People were naturally very scared and began to run out in panic.
An unidentified police source said Mr Venner carried a letter on his person but made no declaration before shooting himself dead in the mid-afternoon, reports Reuters.
Notre Dame, which dates back to the 12th Century, has become a battleground for those fighting over homosexual marriage, with demonstrations regularly held around it.
It may be the tallest mountain on Earth, but conquering Everest is increasingly becoming an achievable aim due to the growth of inexperienced ‘hobby climbers’ who flock to the daunting peak.
Critics say too many people are trying to climb Everest at the same time, leaving behind huge amounts of rubbish and also making casualties inevitable. Often there are up to 200 — many of them thrill-seeking amateurs.
Clients pay around $50,000 to buy permits and equipment to traverse the 29,029 ft mountain first climbed in 1953 by New Zealander Edmund Hilary and Tenzing Norgay.
Since Hillary’s historic ascent, about 10,000 people have tried to climb Everest, at least 2,500 successfully.
These pictures from the June issue of National Geographic highlight the booming industry which has grown up around the iconic mountain.
Last year in May, four people died after scores of people attempted to scale the peak and reach the world’s tallest mountain.
Just a few decades ago, scaling Everest was a feat attempted by only a handful of hardy and experienced mountaineers, trained to the highest fitness levels.
It has become a booming tourist industry in its own right, boosting the economy of Nepal, particularly during the climbing season from late March to the first week in June.
Anyone with the money to spare could sign up with one of the many tour operators that arrange trekking trips.
Nepali mountain officials say about 200 people will attempt to scale the summit this weekend when the next safe window of weather is expected to allow safe ascent.
It’s hailed as one of the most glamorous events in the showbiz calendar, but even the French Riviera can’t escape the unseasonably dreary spring weather.
The Hollywood elite were left with damp gowns after the Cannes Film Festival’s opening ceremony was showered by rain and hit by windy weather ruining their well-planned red carpet looks.
Leonardo DiCaprio, Carey Mulligan and Nicole Kidman were among the A List stars who were left drenched and clutching onto umbrellas for dear life on Wednesday night as they made their way across the sodden red carpet.
But as the event continued, so did the outpouring of rain, with stars including Carey Mulligan, Freida Pinto, Nicole Kidman and Georgia May Jagger all needing helpers to hold umbrellas over them.
And Leonardo’s Great Gatsby co-star Carey Mulligan experienced the difficulty of trying to remain glamorous in torrential rain.
The actress was hit on the head by an umbrella as she prepared to walk the red carpet.
Several men with umbrellas crowded around her limo to keep her dry as she walked the few steps from the vehicle to the sodden red carpet.
On the dry section of carpet Carey posed with her leading men Leonardo DiCaprio and Tobey Maguire.
‘There were so many people around me as I got out of the car that I couldn’t move and I got hit on the head by an umbrella.
‘I suddenly went ‘What the xxxx’ and I didn’t realise there was a TV camera in my face recording everything’ she chuckled as she told the Mail.
Even so, she still looked very pretty in a pink couture Dior gown.
Meanwhile, Nicole Kidman said the storms that soaked the Cannes Film Festival Red Carpet didn’t bother her.
‘It’s only rain. It’s pouring out there but I love the rain. I love it,’ she told the Mail.
Over the next 12 days, dozens of the world’s most artistically ambitious films will premiere on Cannes’ global stage. But Wednesday was a day for blockbusters – both the big-budget Gatsby and Hollywood’s most accomplished director of spectacle: Steven Spielberg.
Spielberg is serving as jury president at this year’s Cannes. This year’s jury is an intimidating, starry bunch, including Nicole Kidman, Ang Lee and Christoph Waltz.
Luhrmann’s 3D adaption of F. Scott Fitzgerald’s novel, starring Leonardo DiCaprio, is this year’s festival opener, a choice that surprised many since the film opened last week in North America. Cannes typically takes precedence over release schedules, but Gatsby sails to the Croisette after a robust weekend haul of $51.1million.
After Luhrmann noted in a news conference that the film had pushed Fitzgerald’s novel to the top of the bestseller list (selling more copies in a week than in the author’s lifetime), DiCaprio added with a grin: ‘And a little film adaptation is doing quite well at the box office.’
Gatsby plays out of competition at the festival, but Spielberg should have his hands full with a slate lacking any obvious favourite. Internationally-respected filmmakers such as Roman Polanski (Venus in Fur), Asghar Farhadi (The Past) and Jim Jarmusch (Only Lovers Left Alive) are to premiere their films in competition.
At the invitation of President Serzh Sargsyan, the President of Belarus Alexander Lukashenko will conduct an official visit to Yerevan.
On May 13, at the Presidential Palace there will take place the official ceremony of welcoming the President of Belarus which will be followed by a private meeting of the Presidents of the two countries as well as negotiations in the extended format with the participation of the official delegations. After negotiations, the parties will sign documents on the development and deepening of cooperation between Armenia and Belarus in a number of areas. Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Alexander Lukashenko will make a joint statement for the representatives of the mass media.
In the framework of his official visit, the President of Belarus will visit the Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the victims of the Armenian Genocide.
In the evening, President Serzh Sargsyan will host an official dinner in honor of the President of Belarus and his delegation.
On May 14, President Lukashenko will visit the Armenian Nuclear Power Station and will participate in the inauguration of the Armenian-Belarus Trade Center. Later, the Presidents of Armenia and Belarus will attend the ceremony of consecration of the newly constructed Saint John the Baptist Church in Abovian town of Kotayk diocese.
Iran’s moderate conservative former president Akbar Hashemi Rafsanjani on Saturday registered his candidacy to stand for the office again in the election on June 14, an AFP correspondent witnessed.
Rafsanjani, who will be 79 in August, filed his papers at the interior ministry during the final minutes of the five-day registration process which wrapped up on Saturday.
Rafsanjani, president between 1989 and 1997, currently chairs the Expediency Council, the highest political arbitration body, whose members are appointed by the supreme leader, Ayatollah Ali Khamenei.
These pictures taken from footage showing a Russian teenager climbing around a crane 1,000ft up in the sky are enough to make your palms sweat even if you have never suffered from vertigo.
The youth is seen walking along the crane as if it were a tightrope, without showing even a flicker of fear at being so far from the ground.
Without a safety harness, hard hat or even a rope, he confidently walks – and even skips – along the red metal crane in his trainers.
The three-minute clip, posted on Youtube, shows his astonishing courage (or should that read foolhardiness?) as he casually strips off his jumper and puts on a woolly hat for his sky-high work-out
The boy, who looks little older than 16 or 17, then climbs over the side and hangs from just one hand.
The cars in the street below are so tiny they look like toys as he does monkey bars dangling off the crane.
Eventually, just when the viewer’s nerves can take it no longer, the film stops with the logo Dangerous For Life.
It has already been viewed by tens of thousands of armchair adventurers, though most of those who commented on Youtube realised the danger the youth was putting himself in.
One wrote: This crazy kid is probably going to be responsible for so many tragic deaths, if not his own.
Iranian state TV says a strong 6.2 magnitude earthquake has jolted the south of the country, injuring at least 15 people.
The report said the quake struck the Arabian Sea port town of Jask at 6:38 a.m. (GMT 2:08 a.m.) Saturday damaging hundreds of homes.
Even moderate quakes can be deadly in the Iranian countryside, where houses are often built of bricks.
A 6.1 magnitude earthquake killed at least 37 in southern Iran last month. Some 26,000 people were killed by a 6.6 magnitude quake that flattened the historic southeastern city of Bam in 2003.
Iran is located on seismic fault lines and, on average, experiences at least one slight quake every day.
Reinforced police prevented the youth activists to commemorate the victims of the massacre in the Oil Academy on the occasion of the 4th anniversary of the tragedy.
Police cordoned off the building of the Oil Academy, where the bloody drama was played out, and no one was allowed there. The police forced out young people with flowers in their hands, and detained Abulfaz Gurbanly, the head of the Youth Committee of Popular Front.
Later, a member of the NIDA Movement, Turgut Gambar, was detained near the Library named after Akhundov. It happened when the police began to disperse approximately 50 young people who gathered to make a rally.
Another group of young people managed to lay flowers on the boulevard, where the concert will take place today. In this way, young people protested against the concert on the day of the victims of terror.
Neither the government nor the leadership of the Oil Academy conduct activities commemorating the victims of the tragedy.
* On April 30, 2009 a native of Georgia, Farda Gadirov, entered the building of the Oil Academy, opened fire with a pistol, killing 12 and wounding 13 people. Four fellows of Gadirova were convicted on the case – three to life imprisonment, and one – to 11 years in prison. –16C06-
The US Commission on International Religious Freedom (USCIRF) has released its annual report on abuses to religious freedom worldwide on Tuesday, April 30.
The 364-page report takes a new two-tier approach at the worst religious freedom offenders, detailing the plight of persecuted religious peoples around the globe.
Azerbaijan has been placed on Tier 2 for the first time in 2013, TURAN’s Washington DC correspondent reports.
The report criticized Baku on a number of issues, including accepting repressive religion law adopted in 2009 that curtails a range of religious activities.
Despite official claims of tolerance, religious freedom conditions in Azerbaijan “have deteriorated over the past few years,” reads the reports. “Religious organizations were closed and people’s non-violent religious activity has been punished with detentions, fines and other penalties.”
Muslims are subject to additional restrictions: all Muslim religious leaders are appointed by the state – backed Caucasus Muslim Board and must be Azeri citizens educated in Azerbaijan; all mosques must belong to the Caucasus Muslim Board; and only Azeri citizens can establish Islamic religious communities.
Under a 2008 government order, prayer is not allowed outside of mosques, and police have enforced this ban. The Ministry of Education introduced a school uniform in 2010, resulting in a campaign against the Islamic headscarf ban; there were 72 arrests in October 2012. After the reporting period, the headscarf ban was extended to Azeri university students.
The Tier 2 category replaces the Watch List designation the USCIRF previously used. Besides Azerbaijan, Afghanistan, Cuba, India, Indonesia, Kazakhstan, Laos and Russia are also in this category.
Last week the USCIRF chair Katrina Lantos Swett sent a letter to the Secretary of State Kerry to urge the administration to raise questions about violations of religious freedom and related human rights in Uzbekistan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Azerbaijan, and Bangladesh in front of the UN.
Among the recommendations for US Policy in order to promote freedom of religion or belief in Azerbaijan, are pressuring Baku to allow religious groups to operate freely without registration;
— Encourage public scrutiny of Azerbaijan’s record on religious freedom and related human rights in appropriate international fora, such as the UN, OSCE and other multilateral venues, and highlight cases of prosecution of Azeri citizens that violate these international norms in comments at such fora;
— Urge the Azeri government to agree to visits by UN Special Rapporteurs on Freedom of Religion or Belief, the Independence of the Judiciary, and Torture, set specific visit dates, and provide the full and necessary conditions for such a visit;
— Ensure that the US Embassy in Baku maintains active contacts with Azeri human rights activists and press the Azeri government to ensure that every prisoner has greater access to his or her family, human rights monitors, adequate medical care, and a lawyer, as specified in international human rights instruments;
— Specify freedom of religion as a grants category and area of activity in the Democracy and Conflict Mitigation program of the USAID and other programs;
— and Increase radio, Internet, and other broadcasting, particularly in the Azeri language, of objective news and information on relevant issues, including specific religious freedom concerns in the country and explaining why religious freedom is an important element of US foreign policy.
(CNN) — Willem-Alexander became the first Dutch king in more than 120 years on Tuesday as his mother, Queen Beatrix abdicated the throne, ending 33 years as the country’s monarch.
The 75-year-old monarch handed over power in a constitutionally ordained ceremony in the Mozes Hall of the royal palace in Amsterdam. The transfer became official as she signed the “instrument of abdication” that means she will now be known as Princess Beatrix.
Cheers erupted from crowds gathered outside the palace who were watching proceedings on a big screen as the queen signed the document. CNN’s Max Foster reported that many in the Netherlands had been partying well into the night.
King Willem-Alexander later appeared on the balcony of the palace with his wife and three daughters, along with his mother. He told the crowd he was “grateful for your confidence and support” as he started his reign.
In a televised address Monday night, Queen Beatrix said she knows the new royal couple will have the loving trust of the nation.
“My oldest son will now take over a beautiful task which is filled with great responsibility,” the queen said. “I am absolutely convinced that Willem-Alexander will be committed in faithful devotion to be a good king and to do what a good King is asked to do.”
Beatrix stepped down on the national holiday known as Queen’s Day, an opportunity for people across the Netherlands to dress up and party. The investiture of the new king before a joint session of parliament later in the day will be the high point of a year of celebrations marking the end of the Napoleonic occupation in 1813.
“I have always considered it as an extraordinary privilege to be able to put a big part of my life at the service of our country and in accordance with my task to add substance to my kingship,” said Beatrix, who acceded to the throne when her mother, Queen Juliana, abdicated in 1980.
City turns orange to celebrate new king
Dutch Queen Beatrix to abdicate throne
“Until today, this beautiful task has given me a lot of satisfaction. It is inspiring to feel close to people, to sympathize in grievances and share times of joy and national pride.”
The Dutch media has speculated that the queen was abdicating to spend more time with her second son Friso, who was injured in an avalanche at an Austrian ski resort last year. He remains in a coma in a London hospital.
A king for the 21st century
The 46-year-old new king was educated in Wales and Holland, where he earned a history degree at Leiden University. He served in the Dutch Royal Navy from 1985 to 1987. As Prince of Orange — the title given to the person first in line to the Dutch throne — he was interested in sustainability and innovation.
He is married to Máxima, who was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina. She has a degree in economics and has worked for HSBC and Deutsche Bank. The couple have been married for 11 years and have three daughters.
Last week, the couple gave their first joint TV interview in which Willem set out how he intended to rule.
“I want to be a king who is first of all traditional, built on the tradition of my predecessors, who stands for continuity and also for stability in the country … but also a king who in the 21st century can bind together and represent society as a whole.”
Asked how he intended to do that, Willem told the NOS state broadcaster: “By being present where you think people need support or help, by giving extra attention and presence to worthwhile events and by supporting people who are in need.”
Notable absence
One notable absence at Tuesday’s ceremony will be the new queen’s father, Jorge Zorreguieta, who was a minister during the 1976-1983 Argentinian military dictatorship.
Maxima said her family would not attend her swearing-in as queen because of her father’s controversial past.
“This is a constitutional event, when my husband becomes king and my father doesn’t belong there, especially if there are issues,” the princess told NOS. “He remains my father, we still enjoy our private moments.”
WASHINGTON, DC – Members of Congress from both parties and across the United States united in calling for U.S. reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide as a fundamental element of U.S. genocide prevention policy, during the annual Capitol Hill Armenian Genocide Observance, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
Over twenty Senators and Representatives, including the Chairmen of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee, spoke passionately at the event hosted by the Congressional Armenian Caucus in cooperation with Armenian American groups, the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia, and the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Office in the U.S. In addition to Sen. Bob Menendez (D-NJ) and Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), others offering remarks and participating in the remembrance were: Senator Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI); Joe Crowley (D-NY), the Vice-Chairman of the House Democratic Caucus; Eliot Engel (D-NY), the Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee; Congressional Armenian Caucus Co-Chairmen Michael Grimm (R-NY) and Frank Pallone (D-NJ), and Representatives Tony Cardenas (D-CA), David Cicilline (D-RI), Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Janice Hahn (D-CA), Rush Holt (D-NJ), Linda Sanchez (D-CA), John Sarbanes (D-MD), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Jackie Speier (D-CA), John Tierney (D-MA), Dina Titus (D-NV), and Niki Tsongas (D-MA). Legislators, including Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Mark Kirk (R-IL) and Representative Linda Sanchez, extended support for the program and widely publicized the event using social media. More than a dozen other legislators, including Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) issued public statements commemorating the Armenian Genocide.
Excerpts from each presentation along with a link to the video, posted on the ANCA YouTube channel, is provided below. The complete video playlist is available at:
Sen. Robert Menendez, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee: “In my view, we must not make it the policy of the United States to turn our back on man’s inhumanity to man, we cannot turn our backs on the victim; not in Armenia in 1915, not a genocide anywhere that it occurs. Any nuanced approach serves only to empower those around the world who would use genocide as a weapon of war. So let’s be perfectly clear, there is no other word for it, there is no euphemism, there is no avoiding it, there are no excuses. As part of this commemoration we must fully commit ourselves to acknowledging the fundamental truth that what happened from 1915-1923 was by definition a blatant act of genocide – an acknowledgement that must come from Turkey, and it must come from our own government.”
Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Chair of the Crime and Terrorism Subcommittee of the Senate Judiciary Committee: “Properly accounting for crimes against humanity is a weapon in preventing future crimes against humanity and it is important for that reason. Words actually matter and the historical record actually matters.”
Rep. Ed Royce (R-CA), Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: “The events that we remember today, that commenced 98 years ago is not only still today – shocking – the genocide, or as Hitler said the annihilation. [. . .] An attempt to annihilate an entire race, in which the American Ambassador Henry Morgenthau was present at the time – and observer – and said that these deportations were an attempt to annihilate a race and that those who gave the orders understood it. And that far from trying to conceal it, they shared with him that indeed would be the outcome.”
Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus: “Many of you know in the past our emcee has been Ardy Kassakhian who is the City Clerk in Glendale. He is a very good friend of mine. And, I sat down with Ardy about a year ago and I said to Ardy, ‘You know the Caucus works on so many issues related to Armenia and we have had a lot of success with many of them because of the help of the community. But we have not had it with the Armenian Genocide and we are determined that we are going to pass this resolution. We are going make this happen, but why is it that this is the most important thing, the highest priority. Why is it the highest priority?’ And he said to me ‘because of the people who suffered and died and their memory. We cannot rest until this country, the United States, recognizes the Armenian Genocide.” And, so I want you to understand – speaking on behalf of all of my colleagues – as much as we work on all of the other issues I mentioned tonight, we understand that this is the priority and we understand why. And we are never going to let go.”
Rep. Michael Grimm (R-NY), Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus: “We pride ourselves to be the home of the survivors, the tough standers, the battle hardened scrapers, the refugees, whose story in this country began as an ember of desperate hope and has grown into a blazing legacy of prosperity and pride. If there is any group that has earned that right to wear that badge of courage, those stripes of distinction, it is without question, the Armenian people. In 1915, an oppressive imperial regime, blinded by hatred, sought to wipe an entire people from the face of the earth. And through the horrifying instruments of torture, rape, death camps, deportation marches, over a million and a half innocent men women and children were put to death in furtherance of this horrific goal. In spite of these efforts, the Armenian Diaspora is one of the most successful, well-educated, respected and influential ethnic communities in the entire world.”
Rep. Elliot Engel (D-NY), Ranking Democrat on the House Foreign Affairs Committee: “I know a lot of things about Armenians, but the one thing I really know is that the Armenian Genocide did exist and that Turkey should be ashamed at itself for not recognizing it. And, by the way, I told that to the Turkish Foreign Minister to his face. Some people say, ‘Well you have to be careful because Turkey is a member of NATO and therefore there are all types of complications with a NATO ally of the United States.’ And I say just the opposite. Because they are a member of NATO, they need to be more responsible. Because they are a member of NATO they ought to own up to what happened. Because they are a member of NATO we would expect decency from them. Instead we get anything but. And that will not stand.”
Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA): “This country has a proud history of speaking plainly about some of the darkest chapters of history. It is part of who we are as Americans. We do no equivocate when it comes to mass atrocity or genocide. We do not equivocate about those things because we hold ourselves to a high moral ideal. We cannot speak about Darfur. We cannot speak about a number of other human rights abuses around the world if we pick and choose which genocides to recognize. And so it is with great disappointment that when it comes to this genocide, when it comes to the genocide that Rafael Lemkin who coined the term genocide had in mind in crafting that term, that our Congress and our Administration has not lived up to its highest moral ideal. But, we are determined, on a very bipartisan basis as you can see here today, to correct that flaw. And, we will fight until we succeed.”
Rep. John Sarbanes (D-MD): “In two years we will remember and commemorate [the 100th Anniversary] of this horrific tragedy and if we cannot get this done [Congressional reaffirmation of the Armenian Genocide] at that time, then shame on us. We owe it to this incredible community.”
Rep. Brad Sherman (D-CA), Ranking Democrat on the Terrorism, Nonproliferation, and Trade Subcommittee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee: “America should never be associated with genocide denial. It undermines our standards and our position in the world. And, finally, to those who say ‘Well, Turkey has this strategic territory and might be an ally’ what kind of ally insists on genocide denial? Where would our relations be with Berlin if they asked us to tear down the Holocaust museum here in Washington, D.C.? Our relationship with Germany is based on truth. That is a strong alliance. You cannot have that kind of alliance if it depends on genocide denial.”
Rep. Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Communications and Technology Subcommittee of the House Energy and Commerce Committee: “When I first arrived the first thing I did was to sign on – was the first act as a Member of Congress was to sign on – to the [Armenian Genocide] resolution that Congressman Tony Coelho had at that time. And you all have been through a lot. And there are people who used to come because they were able to come and they have either gone to heaven or cannot come to be with us today. But we have been through a lot of hardships. And, we are going to endure and we are going to win this one. Because that is the mark of the tenacity and the decency and the wisdom and the effectiveness of our people.”
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Ranking Democrat on the Energy Policy, Health Care and Entitlements Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: “Many Armenian Americans at the time tried to hide their past and their connection to Armenia. I am fortunate that my mother was unwilling to hide her Armenian heritage. I am fortunate, like you, that I was raised in enlightenment. I was raised with a sense of pride in my heritage. I was raised with a sense of courage to challenge the status quo. I think for all of us, our ability to survive, our ability to persevere has everything to do with the DNA that was given to us by our parents and our grandparents. And, we are not unaccustomed to suffering. We are not unaccustomed to prevail. We are not unaccustomed to go the extra mile. Because, in the end we know that freedom will win out, that this country will become a better place because we are speaking out about the Armenian Genocide.”
Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI): “It is not only important to raise awareness about the Armenian Genocide because it is an undeniable fact in the history of the world, but also because learning more about this horrific tragedy it really underscores the importance of committing ourselves to eliminating intolerance and bigotry wherever it occurs in the world. I have enormous respect for the Armenian people because I have seen the strength and resilience and the perseverance of this great community.”
Rep. Niki Tsongas (D-MA), Ranking Democrat of the Oversight and Investigations Subcommittee of the House Armed Services Committee: “It is my honor to be here. I thank you all for the work you do and I share a commitment to make sure that by the 100th anniversary we have formally recognized the Armenian Genocide.”
Rep. Jim Costa (D-CA): “The United States Congress must, must go on record by recognizing the first genocide that took place in the 20th Century. It is the right thing to do… Because, when we go on record we lay down a line for the rest of the world as the oldest democracy throughout the world that this injustice, this injustice, will not go unrecognized.”
Rep. John Tierney (D-MA), Ranking Member of the National Security Subcommittee of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee: “Peter Torigian who was the mayor of Peabody which is in my district, not too very long ago used to have a commemoration every year as will be held this year. He has passed away now but it continues on. So the education has to continue on just as Peter began in the city of Peabody and people, once they understand what happened, will carry it on and will make sure that it will be remembered and move forward on that basis.”
Rep. Scott Garrett (R-NJ), Chairman of the Capital Markets and Government Subcommittee of the U.S House Financial Services Committee: “Scripture says before you make comment about the speck in someone else’s eye, remove the plank from your eye. Well, we certainly have a plank in our eye from the Administration and from the State Department, who is just refusing to do what is right in this area. So, we must first address and remove that plank in our eye and make the admission in this country and then we can call even more strongly on other countries, specifically Turkey.”
Rep. Janice Hahn (D-CA), Ranking Member of the Health and Technology Subcommittee of the House Small Business Committee: “I am inspired, constantly, by the strength of the Armenian people; so many of whose lives have been touched by tragedy but who have persevered and have resolved to never let history be forgotten. Let us recommit to delivering the Armenian community with long overdue recognition they deserve.”
Rep. Dina Titus (D-NV), Ranking Member of the Disability Assistance and Memorial Affairs Subcommittee of the Veterans’ Affairs Committee: “We will continue the fight because as long as we do not recognize, officially, this genocide and force others to do so, it empowers the other side to continue this kind of atrocity. And, we have seen that even recently in Turkey with the Prime Minister ordering the tearing down the memorial to Turkish-Armenian friendship.”
Rep. Linda Sanchez (D-CA), Ranking Member of the U.S. House Ethics Committee: “Out of this retched episode of history, we as human beings have made a conscious and determined effort to move beyond hatred and to prevent similar tragedies from happening in the future. We are morally obligated to learn from the lapses of the human soul that caused the Armenian Genocide. And, we are morally obligated to do all that we can to protect oppressed, vulnerable, and subjugated peoples.”
Rep. Tony Cardenas (D-CA): “The world is a horrible place, as much for the people who do horrible things, but equally for the people who do nothing about it; for the people who watch atrocities and do not do anything about it. I can honestly say that this country is a great, great country, but I am perplexed, confused, and disappointed that our country – at the highest levels – does not recognize the truth and is unwilling to say that the Armenian Genocide is a truth and that it happened and that it should never happen again.”
Rep. Rush Holt (D-NJ): “With your help we will pass the [Armenian Genocide resolution] this Congress. And, we will establish the truth, we will learn the truth, we will speak the truth. And, as it says in the scripture of John, ‘We will know the truth and the truth will make you free’ and I do not mean just you. I mean humankind. It is a liberating knowledge to understand the depths to which humanity can sink and the heights to which humanity can rise. That is the point of this resolution.”
Amb. Tatoul Markarian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to the U.S.: “As we honor the memory of the one and a half million victims, we mark yet another year of hard work by the Armenian American organizations and our Congressional friends. We register another year of Turkish denialism. We mark yet another year of absence of international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. Dear friends, throughout the year Turkey continued refusing diplomatic relations and open borders with Armenia; kept fervently denying the Armenian Genocide. The Turkish side did everything to convince us that true normalization was not its genuine goal when engaging in talks with Armenia; that it has no intention to look for ways to come to terms with its history. It demonstrated clearly once again – and this time to the entire world – it does not have the courage and political will to face its history, that it is the hostage and servant of its past. And, it cannot deny the denialism and because of that it is not able to move forward and embrace the present and the future.”
Mr. Robert Avetisyan, Representative of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic to the U.S.: “98 years have passed since the tragic date. More nations recognize and condemn the Genocide every year. And, we are grateful to all those countries and peoples who join the Armenian nation in persuading Turkey to reconcile this tragedy. More states call on Turkey to respect its past and acknowledge the horrible pages of that. And, what is also inspiring is the growing number of those condemning the Genocide within Turkey itself. And yesterday’s commemoration in Diyarbekir – or as Armenians have been calling it for centuries, Dikranakert – has become the most recent example of that. Of course, we hope that the movement in that trend will continue growing and eventually lead to abandoning denialism. For that to happen, in order to help those brave people to resist a powerful state of opposition we must continue educating the world about our history and share all the lesson gained by paying such an enormous price.”
Russia’s transportation ministry says a Russian civilian airliner came under threat from fighting in Syria while flying over the country, but there were no injuries or damage to the plane.
The state news agency RIA-Novosti quoted the press service of Rosturism, the Russian state tourism authority, as saying the plane came under rocket fire Monday. But a statement on the ministry’s website did not give details, saying the plane’s crew saw “signs of war activity which, in the crew’s opinion, threatened the safety of the plane.”
Foreign Ministry spokesman Alexander Lukashevich told the ITAR-Tass news agency that the plane was carrying 159 people.
The transportation ministry said the plane, belonging to the NordWind charter airline, was flying from the Egyptian resort of Sharm-al-Sheikh to Kazan, where it landed safely.
Five female tourists rescued in eight-hour search after balloon crash in Pacific Ocean as two remain missing
Peruvian authorities have managed to rescue five women from the Pacific Ocean after
The women were found clinging to the basket of the balloon on Sunday after eight hours in the freezing water.
The women have been taken to hospital, but a police helicopter and navy boats are still searching for the pilot and another man.
None of the people aboard the flight were wearing life jackets. The Interior Minister blasted the balloon’s owner, Globos Peru SAC, for failing to provide flotation devices and not equipping it with a GPS tracker.
Reports suggest the missing men may have tried to swim to shore for help. All of the people on board are believed to be Peruvian.
Volunteers also combed the area south of the capital Lima in fishing boats and jet skis.
‘Hopefully we can find them as soon as possible,’ Minister Wilfredo Pedraza told a state-run TV station. ‘All we know is that one of them tried to swim to the coast. The search will continue, even at night, until they are rescued.’
Greece has pulled two ancient statues of nude males from an Olympic exhibition in Doha after Qatari authorities insisted covering the genitalia with black cloths.
A Culture Ministry official says exhibition organisers wanted to avoid scandalising female visitors.
Greek Deputy Culture Minister Costas Tzavaras, who visited the Muslim country last month for the exhibition opening, objected, saying the works should be displayed as they were or shipped home.
The statues have already returned to Greece,’ a Culture Ministry source told Agence-France-Presse, who added that, ‘Organizers in Qatar wanted to cover up the statues’ members with black cloth. So they were never put on display, they went back into storage and returned on April 19.’
Qatari officials could not immediately be reached for comment Thursday night.
The statues date to the 6th and 2nd centuries BC.
They were among nearly 600 antiquities brought from Greece for the ‘Olympics – Past and Present’ exhibition.
Today, President Serzh Sargsyan received the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Federal Republic of Brazil to the Republic of Armenia Marcela Maria Nikodemus who is concluding her diplomatic mission in our country.
The President praised activities of the Ambassador and her personal input to the strengthening of the Armenian-Brazilian relations and noted that during her tenure in office the agenda of the bilateral relations has been augmented with new programs and initiatives. Serzh Sargsyan expressed hope that the next ambassador of Brazil to our country will be carrying out duties with the same vigor and dedication for the benefit of the Armenian-Brazilian friendship. The President of Armenia wished all the best to the Ambassador in her future activities and expressed hope that she will remain Armenia’s friend and will put her rich experience and knowledge into further strengthening of the Armenian-Brazilian relations.
The Ambassador of Brazil spoke with satisfaction about the efficient cooperation with the friendly Armenia in the framework of international organizations. In strengthening the Armenian-Brazilian relations, Mrs. Marcela Maria Nikodemus hailed the role of the Armenian-Brazilian community which according to the Ambassador has made a significant and serious contribution to the advancement of Brazil.
The parties stressed the importance of deepening bilateral economic relations based on the high-level political dialogue and friendship of the two nations.
Today, on the 98th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Genocide Memorial and paid tribute to the memory of the victims of the Great Eghern. He laid a wreath at the memorial and placed flowers near the eternal fire which is burning in memory of the innocent victims.
After the ceremony, the President of Armenia familiarized with the blueprint and the timetable of the works on the reconstruction and expansion of the Museum of the Armenian Genocide.
City turns orange to celebrate new king
Dutch Queen Beatrix to abdicate throne
