Netherlands says will challenge the “long arm” of Turkish state

December 14, 2016 By administrator

The Netherlands said on Wednesday, December 14 it would challenge every instance of the “long arm” of Ankara extending to its territory, after a report the Turkish embassy had sent home a list of Dutch Turks who might have sympathized with July’s failed coup, according to Reuters.

The Dutch foreign minister summoned Turkey’s ambassador in The Hague after a report in De Telegraaf newspaper citing Yusuf Acar, who is both a diplomat and the chairman of the Dutch arm of Turkey’s Directorate of Religious Affairs, as acknowledging he had compiled the list of “Gulenists”.

Ankara accuses supporters of exiled cleric Fethullah Gulen of backing the short-lived coup in which over 240 people were killed. In Turkey, over 100,000 people have been detained, suspended or sacked from judiciary, media and civil service and tensions have spread within the 500,000 Dutch-Turkish community, with some suspected Gulenist sympathizers facing death threats.

In a statement, Dutch Foreign Minister Bert Koenders said the Telegraaf report was “worrying.” “We’re going to ask for clarification about this,” Koenders said.

“In addition, we are going to engage with the Turkish authorities and the Diyanet organization in Ankara. That’s part of our policy of challenging every incident that concerns the “long arm” with our Turkish counterparts.”

Acar told De Telegraaf that he had assembled the list from publicly available sources in his capacity as an employee of the Turkish Embassy, and not as leader of the religious affairs directorate, the Diyanet.

Koenders said that “if true, that means the combination of a diplomatic status with the chairmanship of Diyanet is problematic.”

As recently as Friday, the Dutch Diyanet had issued a press statement denying any involvement with “collecting information on Gulenist sympathizers”.

Russia ratifies Unified Air Defense System agreement with Armenia

December 14, 2016 By administrator

Today Russia’s State Duma has ratified an agreement between Armenia and Russia on the creation of Unified Regional Air Defense System in the Caucasian region of the collective security. TASS Russian news agency reports.

As the source reports, the main issues of the unified system are to organize and maintain air defense combat duty in the Caucasian region of the collective security, to support the combat management system, as well as to keep the weaponry and the military hardware of the Unified Air Defense System on alert in order to use them.

The joint activities of the troops of the forces included in the Unified Regional Air Defense System and the other regional air defense systems will be coordinated by the commander in chief of the Russian Aerospace Forces and the general management will be carried out by the commander of the troops of the southern military district of Russia.

Bagrat Yengibaryan: Products of Armenian IT companies shining on the world map “Video”

December 14, 2016 By administrator

Projects implemented in Armenian IT sphere come to prove we are able to establish companies that create own products and offer solutions, Bagrat Yengibaryan, Director at Enterprise Incubator Foundation (EIF) told reporters on Wednesday, adding products by Armenian IT companies are now shining on the world map.

Bagratyan presented the two grant competitions “Support to SME Development in Armenia” (SMEDA) project, which is co-funded by the European Union and the German Federal Ministry for Economic Cooperation and Development (BMZ)

Furthermore, the competitions aim at stimulating the rate of technology absorption and commercialization of research ideas, and also fostering the collaboration between science and the private sector, especially the Armenian SMEs.

Additionally, the grant competition specifically targets innovations in the architecture, including engineering cities. Organizations operating in Armenian marzes are provided with privileged conditions to participate in the competition. Companies based in Gyumri and Vanadzorr will have 15 percent share of the co-financing, instead of the acting 50 percent.

“The four competitions are aimed at fully keeping the technology sphere engaged for 2-2,5 years,” Bagratyan said.

The competition is open to Armenian companies with a high technology background, for example in the field of Engineering, Cleantech, Biotech, etc., All the information related to the competition may be found at EIF’s website: www.eif.am.

“Venture forums are planned in the scope of the competition, to be attended by number of investors, who might wish to finance companies and products irrespective of their winner status,” Yengibaryan told.

Head of the EU Cooperation department of the EU Representation in Armenia Hoa-Bin Ajemyan, present at the meeting, pointed out the education sphere as the primary obstacle to the IT sphere.

“We are working with the government of Armenia in that direction to make qualified Armenian student meet the European market demands,” Ajemyan noted.

Turkey: Another Two kurdish HDP deputies detained over alleged terror links

December 13, 2016 By administrator

AA photo

Ankara police detained two lawmakers from the Kurdish issue-focused Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) as part of an anti-terror probe on Dec. 13. One of the suspects was later released.

The HDP’s Diyarbakır deputy and parliamentary group deputy chair, Çağlar Demirel, and its Siirt deputy, Besime Konca, were detained in relation to an ongoing probe in Diyarbakır and Batman. Konca was later released under judicial control.

Konca has been probed for her participation in the March 2016 funeral of an outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) militant and for her speech delivered at the event.

Demirel has been probed for delivering a speech in the Dicle district of the southeastern province of Diyarbakır in the aftermath of military operations against PKK militants.

In her summary of proceedings, Demirel reportedly likened killed PKK militants to “martyrs” and described army operations as “massacres.”

Meanwhile, on the same day, a Diyarbakır court hearing part of the long-running Kurdistan Communities Union (KCK) case issued a second order to forcibly bring to court eight suspects in the case, who are all HDP deputies.

Osman Baydemir, Dirayet Taşdemir, Çağlar Demirel, Selma Irmak, Ahmet Yıldırım, Besime Konca, Alican Önlü and Nadir Yıldırım were ruled to be brought forcibly to court after not showing up during their trials.

The detention of Demirel and Konca came amid major operations conducted against a large number of suspects, including local HDP executives, over terror links in 28 Turkish provinces.

The Interior Ministry announced on Dec. 13 that in the operations carried out over two days 568 people, including individuals suspected of conducting propaganda on behalf of terrorist organizations on social media, had been detained.

Source: http://www.hurriyetdailynews.com/two-hdp-deputies-detained-over-alleged-terror-links.aspx?pageID=238&nID=107227&NewsCatID=338

Israel: Netanyahu to visit Muslim Azerbaijan, to Build drone factory in Baku Against Christian Armenia.

December 13, 2016 By administrator

Iranian university students in the Ardabil Province protest Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s planned trip to the Republic of Azerbaijan, December 12, 2016.

Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu is to begin a rare visit to Azerbaijan and Kazakhstan amid media fanfare, but protesters have already taken to the streets to condemn his presence in the Muslim countries.

The two-day tour, which is to begin on Tuesday, is the first by an Israeli prime minister to the region in a quarter century.

Members of the Islamic Party of Azerbaijan gathered in front of the country’s Foreign Ministry in Baku on Monday, venting their anger at Netanyahu’s planned visit to their country.

The Times of Israel has billed the trip as a vehicle to “bolster trade, [and] political support” with the two Muslim countries.

Azerbaijan, which supplies 40 percent of Israel’s oil, is a notable trade partner of the regime. Baku has also maintained controversially strong military cooperation with Tel Aviv.

The two sides have previously signed an agreement on the sale of 1.6 billion dollars worth of Israeli drones, anti-aircraft systems, and missiles to the Caucasian country which borders Iran and Russia.

The Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd has announced in the run-up to Netanyahu’s visit that it would build a drone factory in Baku, while reports pointed to the republic’s interest in Israel’s Iron Dome missile system.

The Jerusalem Post has described the bilateral partnership as an “iceberg,” with no more visible part than a tip. “The invisible parts of this ‘iceberg’ are mutual benefits,” it wrote in an opinion piece.

Netanyahu will, however, reportedly spend no more than seven hours in Azerbaijan, after which he will head to Kazakhstan with a reported agenda to discuss the potential provision of military training and technologies for the Asian country.

The trip comes amid considerable criticism, even among the traditional allies, of Tel Aviv’s persistent expansion of illegal settlements on the occupied Palestinian territories.

Azerbaijan shares an extensive border with Iran. On Monday, university students in Iran’s Azeri-speaking Ardabil Province held a rally to condemn the visit and Israeli atrocities against the Palestinians.

The protesters chanted “down with Israel” and denounced the visit as an unwelcome inroad into a Shia Muslim country.

Source: presstv.com

Trump nominates Exxon’s Rex Tillerson as US Secretary of State

December 13, 2016 By administrator

US President-elect Donald Trump has picked ExxonMobil CEO Rex Tillerson to be the next secretary of state. Trump praised Tillerson’s “deep understanding of geopolitics”.

Trump officially announced his nomination of ExxonMobil’s Rex Tillerson on Tuesday, following numerous media reports.

“His tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics make him an excellent choice for Secretary of State,” Trump said in a statement released by his transition team.

Trump praised Tillerson’s business acumen and called his career “the embodiment of the American dream.”

“Rex knows how to manage a global enterprise, which is crucial to running a successful State Department,” Trump said.

Washington’s pending top diplomat said in a statement he would focus on strengthening international alliances while “enhancing the strength, security and sovereignty of the United States.”

Turkey lead the world journalists Jailed at least 81 , fueling global high of 259 Report CPJ

December 13, 2016 By administrator

A record number of journalists are in jail, CPJ census finds
Turkey holds at least 81 journalists, fueling global high of 259
New York, December 13, 2016–Turkey’s unprecedented crackdown on media brought the total number of jailed journalists worldwide to the highest number since the Committee to Protect Journalists began taking an annual census in 1990.
As of December 1, 2016, there were 259 journalists in jail around the world. Turkey had at least 81 journalists behind bars, according to CPJ’s records, the highest number in any one country at a time-and every one of them faces anti-state charges. Dozens of other journalists are imprisoned in Turkey, but CPJ was unable to confirm a direct link to their work.
China, which was the world’s worst jailer of journalists in 2014 and 2015, dropped to the second spot with 38 journalists in jail. Egypt, Eritrea, and Ethiopia are third, fourth and fifth worst jailers of journalists, respectively. Combined, the top five countries on CPJ’s census were responsible for jailing more than two-thirds of all journalists in prison worldwide.
“Journalists working to gather and share information are performing a public service and their rights are protected under international law. It is shocking therefore that so many governments are violating their international commitments by jailing journalists and suppressing critical speech,” said CPJ Executive Director Joel Simon. “Turkey is at the vanguard of this authoritarian trend. Every day that Turkey’s journalists languish in jail in violation of that country’s own laws, Turkey’s standing in the world is diminished.”
This year marks the first time since 2008 that Iran was not among the top five worst jailers, as many of those sentenced in the 2009 post-election crackdown have served their sentences and been released. The Americas region, which had no jailed journalists in 2015, appears on this year’s census with a total of four journalists in prison.
According to CPJ’s census, nearly three-quarters of the 259 journalists in jail globally face anti-state charges. About 20 percent of journalists in prison are freelancers-a percentage that has steadily declined since 2011. The vast majority of journalists in jail worked online and/or in print, while about 14 percent are broadcast journalists.
The prison census accounts only for journalists in government custody and does not include those who have disappeared or are held captive by non-state groups. (These cases-such as freelance British journalist John Cantlie, held by the militant group Islamic State-are classified as “missing” or “abducted.”) CPJ estimates that at least 40 journalists are missing or kidnapped in the Middle East and North Africa.

The census catalogs journalists imprisoned as of midnight on December 1, 2016, and indicates the country where held, charge, and medium of work for each imprisoned journalist. It does not include the many journalists who were imprisoned during the year but released prior to December 1.

Source: https://cpj.org/

Archbishop of Armenian Diocese of Egypt on explosion in Coptic Cathedral Complex

December 13, 2016 By administrator

Leader of Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church in Egypt Archbishop Ashot Mnatsakanian has spoken about the explosion in the Coptic Christian cathedral complex during the interview conducted by the correspondent of the Hay Dzayn (Armenian Voice) news agency.

“We know that all this is temporary and whatever happened has also been denounced by the Egyptian population. This is comforting for us as we feel that the majority of the country’s population do not share their viewpoint,” the Archbishop noted.

He said the explosion had taken place not in the Coptic Cathedral but in the big church located in another part of the city. “Currently no specific steps have been taken yet. The entire neighborhood is under the control of the security officials who are trying to specify the details of the explosion. Thus the details are changing at any moment. For instance a few hours ago it was announced that the suspect is a woman, later it was stated that the suspect is a 22-year-old boy,” the Archbishop added.

He said that although many details have not been revealed yet accurate information will be provided soon so as the society becomes aware of the incident, as “the incident raises grave concerns.”

“The concerns refer not only to the fact that there is a big community of Copts living in Egypt who have their churches where they frequently hold ceremonies, but also to the efforts directed to maintain the overall stability of the country. This incident destroys the measures taken by the Egyptian government to maintain peace and security in the country,” Archbishop Ashot Mnatsakanian added.

In response to the question whether the Armenian Church held a liturgy during the incident he said the following: “We have our own Saint Gregory the Illuminator Cathedral in Cairo which is closer to the Coptic Patriarchate. But we also have chapels in the middle of the two cemeteries and we hold six liturgies in each of them annually. The Saint Minas, the church of our old cemetery, is the oldest church of Egypt constructed in 1843. On the day of the incident we organized a pilgrimage to the church celebrating St. Minas’s holiday and during that time we were in the church which is far away both from our cathedral and the Coptic cathedral. However the news spread quite quickly and we immediately gave instructions to avoid unexpected incidents.”

Armenian weightlifters secured two gold, one silver and bronze medals at Junior & U23 European Championships

December 13, 2016 By administrator

Junior & U23 European Weightlifting Championships ended in Eilat, Israel with the Armenian athletes winning two gold, one silver and bronze medals.

Rio Olympics vice champion Simon Martirosyan (105kg weight class, coach Ashot Pilosyan) and Davit Hovhannisyan (77kg weight class, coach Rostom Khudanyan) became European champions among juniors.

Armenia’s women’s team member Sona Poghosyan conquered silver in the 75kg weight class (coach Hripsime Khurshudyan), while Samvel Gasparyan (coach Harutyun Yeghoyan), competing in the 94kg weight class, won another silver for Armenia

To note, the Armenia’s Weightlifting team participated in the U20 championship headed by head coach Melik Ghukasyan.

Turkish warplane crashes near southeastern city of Diyarbakir – army

December 12, 2016 By administrator

A Turkish fighter jet on a training mission crashed on its final approach to an airport in the southeastern city of Diyarbakir on Monday, Turkey’s military said on Monday, noting that the pilot had ejected from the plane and was unharmed. An investigation had started into the cause of the crash, the army said in a statement. Security sources said the jet crashed in an empty field. Helicopters were scanning an area of between 3 km and 4 km (about 2 miles) around the site, for any unexploded ordnance. Commercial flights to predominantly Kurdish Diyarbakir’s civilian airport, next to the military air base, were rerouted to nearby airports, sources said. Jets from the base regularly carry out air strikes against Kurdish militants in northern Iraq. (Reuters)