• “The mosque is a gift from Qatar but it’s not free. I have always said that they will expect something in return, and this shows that they are making some claims for their money.” — Lars Aslan Rasmussen, Copenhagen city councilman.
• Officials from nearly all of Denmark’s main political parties have expressed their support for the bill to ban foreign funding of mosques.
• “It is a real problem if donations are made from organizations that want to undermine fundamental democratic values.” — Foreign Affairs Minister Mattias Tesfaye.

Denmark’s first purpose-built mosque — the Grand Mosque of Copenhagen, officially known as the Hamad Bin Khalifa Civilization Center — opened in June 2014 after receiving a donation of 227 million Danish kroner (€30 million; $36 million) from Hamad bin Khalifa al Thani, the former emir of Qatar. Pictured: Qatar’s Minister of Religious Affairs Ghaith bin Mubarak Ali Omran Al-Kuwari (second from left) takes part in the official opening ceremony of the Grand Mosque of Copenhagen, on June 19, 2014. (Photo by Thomas Lekfeldt/AFP via Getty Images)

The Danish Parliament has approved a new law that bans foreign governments from financing mosques in Denmark. The measure is aimed at preventing Muslim countries, particularly Qatar, Saudi Arabia and Turkey, from promoting Islamic extremism in Danish mosques and prayer facilities.

Denmark joins a growing list of European countries — including Austria, Belgium, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands and Switzerland — which have taken varying degrees of action to prevent foreign governments from financing the construction and upkeep of mosques on their territories.

In recent years, Algeria, Kuwait, Libya, Morocco, Saudi Arabia, Turkey, Qatar and the United Arab Emirates, among others, have distributed hundreds of millions of euros to finance the spread of Islam in Europe

Source: https://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/

YEREVAN. – The martial law in Armenia must be lifted. The author of the respective parliamentary initiative, secretary of the opposition Prosperous Armenia faction Arman Abovyan, said this during the discussion of the National Assembly (NA) draft decision on the lifting of martial law in the country at Monday’s meeting of the NA Standing Committee on Defense and Security.

This draft decision was signed by the MPs of the opposition Prosperous Armenia and Bright Armenia factions in parliament.

“The martial law does not correspond to the situation on the ground in the country and is a big obstacle for all political processes,” Abovyan stressed.

He noted that the maintenance of martial law in Armenia pursues only political goals. In particular, as per Abovyan, it creates a legal obstacle to the resignation of the Prime Minister. Also, the lawmaker recalled that martial law was declared in the country on September 27, 2020,  and it continues for 5.5 months.

The MPs of the ruling My Step bloc this time tried to justify the continuation of the martial law with the large-scale military exercise launched by neighbors Azerbaijan and Turkey. Besides, the chairman of the aforesaid standing committee, MP of the ruling bloc Andranik Kocharyan noted that this martial law had been partially eased.

After quite tense debates, the parliamentary committee disapproved the initiative submitted for discussion.

Now the parliamentary opposition may try to put this matter on the agenda of the next NA four-day sessions scheduled for next week. But it is quite clear that My Step will block the adoption of this decision.

Baku has refused to implement the provisions stated in the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020 once again.

One of the provisions concerned the exchange of prisoners of war under the “all for all” principle, and another stated that “the sides stand in the positions that they held”. Baku is not only failing to implement these provisions, but it is also coming up with justifications in order to not exchange prisoners of war. Thus, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan made another statement in this regard during a joint briefing with OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Sweden Ann Linde.

The following is a citation from Azerbaijani mass media: “The Armenians in captivity are not prisoners of war who need to be released within the scope of the trilateral statement of November 9, 2020. They were sent to Azerbaijan after the signing of the truce and contrary to the statement of November 10 which implies the dislocation of Armenian troops from Nagorno-Karabakh. However, after the signing of the document, the authorities of Armenia sent over 60 servicemen from the Shirak Province of Armenia. Those servicemen carried out sabotage operations and killed soldiers of the Armed Forces of Azerbaijan, and they need to be held liable.”

Just a few days ago, and then through the interference of Chairperson of the Federation Council of the Federal Assembly of the Russian Federation Valentina Matviyenko, the Azerbaijani authorities returned two women. According to the current information, a few more women are in captivity, and several prisoners were in captivity before November 10. The servicemen mentioned by the Azerbaijani minister were captured as a result of Azerbaijan’s ongoing aggression.

Nevertheless, after the adoption of the trilateral statement, Azerbaijan has been doing everything it can to distort the truth and trying to change the status of the captives, presenting them as “terrorists” and holding a “leverage” for pressure on the Armenian side.

SIRANUYSH PAPYAN, Interviewer

Mr. Minasyan, how do you assess the deportation of 4 members of the ARF West America organizational circle these days? It is stated that in reality they are 12. Yes, the ARF Bureau coldly beheaded the California district, “these 11 people, like the former Bureau member Vigen Hovsepyan, who was considered the organizer of the resistance.” As I predicted more than a year ago, the ARF crisis is really global, global, և the facts, unfortunately, confirm my words. The current crisis has several causes. First, a general crisis. The tools of the party are not only empty, they do not exist. Not seeing the obvious urgent need for change, all that remains of the ARF is a rusty device skeleton that operates through stereotyped behavior for memory քի a time-frozen mind. It’s sad: Second, the systemic crisis of the “State” of Dashnakism.

Is Dashnakism solvable in the state? If so, how to define Dashnaktsutyun? Is it a party or a federal organization? “Hrant Margaryan”, which is in the hands of the ARF Supreme Body of Armenia, the ARF Bureau, considers the Punishment a centralized, authoritarian party. In the United States, the ARF considers the resistance to be a decentralized, democratic organization. In my opinion, in 1991 The revival of Armenia’s sovereignty confirms that the ARF Dashnaktsutyun must act as an international organization, where each region (Armenia, Iran, Lebanon, France, the United States, etc.) must be autonomous and decentralized. If the ARF had accepted its international status, this crisis would not have happened. But Hrant Margaryan and his “clones” (Hagop Der Khachadourian, Giro Manoyan, Armen Rustamian, Ichkhan Saghatelian, Bagrat Esayan, Vache Prudian, Seto Boyajian, Mkrtich Mkrtichian, etc.) want to change the party from the ARF Dashnaktsutyun. They act as an anti-alliance current within the ARF itself. Anyone who disagrees with them is against them or anyone who is not Hrantian, not ARF Dashnaktsutyun…

This is evidence of the failed ARF resettlement crisis in Armenia. The return of the ARF is a political, moral, electoral, organizational failure of the Republic of Armenia. Those who joined the ARF in the late 1980s had no ARF experience, reference, conviction, values. Unfortunately, the ARF opened its hands to them, accompanying general meetings (1992), and at the level of the Bureau members, when they had the life of the ARF, only two years. The citizens of Armenia had only one model of the party in mind – the Communist Party, one ideology – communism – one practice – Sovietism – they were filled with all that. After all, it was a monster that was formed in Armenia on the ship “Dashnaktsutyun”, as in the movie “Alien”. And this Alien is biting the whole ARF body from the inside. As a result, activists from the United States with 40-50 years of ARF experience, deprived of any Soviet influence, are viewed as dissidents; Ruben Hovsepyan, Vahan Hovhannisyan, Ichkhan Saghatelyan և etc. է It is a shame և it must be stopped. In addition, there is a crisis of practice. Can you imagine that the current activities of the ARF Dashnaktsutyun date back to 1898, the end of the 19th century, when the ARF was constantly persecuted by the Ottoman-Russian police? The party has not changed much since the beginning of the 20th century. Last year there was supposed to be an extraordinary General Assembly dedicated to organizational reform, but it did not take place due to the Covid-19 epidemic.

On the other hand, the democratic centralization of the ARF faces the virtual world of the Internet, which breaks down hierarchies, “overthrows the activities of organizations from the top down.” Now, through social networks, democratic centralization is obsolete. The transparency and directness of the information gives the ranks knowledge about the situation of the party, which the world leadership can no longer hide. Hence the effect of the snowball, which threatens to increase unrest within the ARF. Then there is the crisis of activity. Due to the advancement of technology, the rebirth of sovereign Armenia, as well as the catastrophic situation of the ARF in Armenia, the simple ARF member is surprised. Its discipline is the strength and order of the ARF, but more and more activists distinguish between “discipline” and “subordination”. The ARF members of the West Coast of the United States are ready for discipline, but they have the right to interrogate themselves and to refuse the epidemic game. By the way, sometimes the silence of the ranks does not mean discipline, it can also mean the destruction or calcification of the party, as in France. Moreover, it is an unprecedented crisis in the history of the ARF. Today

His “clones” are arrogant, ignoring the crisis between the California Central Committee and the Bureau. ARF scribes see it as an avatar of the crisis that rocked the ARF in 1932, when the Central Committee of Western Europe revolted against the policies of the Bureau headed by Ruben Ter Minasyan. This crisis is known as the “Human Movement”. Today it is said that “Asbarez” dissent is the avatar of “Mardkots” newspaper. Of course, there are elements of rapprochement, but in reality the two crises have nothing to do with it. The “Human Movement” in France was a crisis surrounded only by Armenians from Turkey, while the current crisis is spreading to all branches of the ARF, including Armenia. The “People’s Movement” infiltrated the NKVD (NKVD) just before the 12th General Assembly of the ARF, while today it is the “ARF և Bureau” of Armenia that infiltrates the Russian FSB (formerly the KGB). Besides, “Asbarez” is one of the oldest ARF newspapers, while “Mardkots” has not published for more than two years. For that to be comparable, it would be necessary for “Yaraj” to fall into the ARF Central Committee’s revolt in Western Europe.

But that was not the case. Finally, Vazgen Shushanyan, who was expelled from the ARF in 1932, never returned to the ARF, contrary to Vache Brudyan’s demagogic writing. The only one who wrote about Vazgen Shushanyan at the time of his death was Simon Vratsyan, claiming that this intellectual remained an ARF member until his last days. This does not mean that Ruben Ter Minasyan, the clones of his time, have restored him to the party. Lying must be stopped. The current crisis is unprecedented in the history of the ARF. And it will deepen. Because it is also a political crisis. It halts Hrant և and his clones in favor of an alliance with Robert, Serzh, or Vazgen against the US Central Coast Central Committee, which calls for an autonomous party strategy in Armenia committed to the 1992 Marukhyan line. Hrant sees his existence only under the rule of the former president of Armenia, while the ARF in California wants to get rid of it, given that the current line leads the party to its downfall.

By the way, Hrant’s ARF turns into a party supporting the regime, while California-ARF supports the state. And the snap elections will again turn into a “state-to-state” fight between that regime. Because it is also a financial crisis. The ARF Dashnaktsutyun in Armenia has no money, as the party was an opposition without resources, and the only ones who can finance the campaign are the ARF members in California. Hrant and his clones want to take over Dashnaktsutyun Bank to finance their vassalization. And the ARF in California says, “That’s enough.” Not to mention that it is also a crisis of generations. The “Hrant-Vahan” couple always wanted to destroy the “Apo Poghikyan-Viken Hovsepyan” couple. It has been done, the last two have been expelled from the ARF. This explains the first years of the ARF’s return to Armenia, when the former ARF Secretary General or the duty officer was fighting between the moderates (Apo են Viken) and the “radicals (Hrant ահան Vahan)”. The radicals did everything to isolate Hrayr Marukhyan from the moderates. They did so before the on-duty deportation in June 1992. But from this turning point, Hrayr Marukhyan realized that the ARF was on the wrong track, maintaining the unnecessary course. He changed his mind, got rid of the radicals in Armenia, in France and elsewhere. But his disappearance in 1994 prevented him from continuing in this moderation. But it is certain that during its lifetime the ARF was not a vassal of any force.

His rapprochement with former First Secretary of the USSR Communist Party Suren Harutyunyan was only tactical, moreover, not because the ARF had to return to the homeland during the USSR geopolitical upheavals. Indeed, thirty years after the collapse of the USSR, the crisis within the ARF is also a geopolitical crisis. Dashnaktsutyun, led by Hrant Vahan, preferred the Russia-Iran axis. Vahan’s death, the Velvet Revolution, Hrant’s fake departure from the bureau, the Karabakh war weakened this Russia-Iran axis. And we must fight against everything that can aggravate this loss of influence within the ARF.

Hrant and his clones are doing everything to destroy any drive to Americanize the ARF. Ask yourself why Hrant Margaryan is banned from extraditing to the United States… Finally, the current crisis of the ARF is a crisis of the ARF Military Council և, perhaps, the most worrying, as the Military Council is the guarantor of the unity of the ARF. This battle council is broken there, but I prefer not to say more. Recently, it was announced that the ARF bureau intends to suppress the free will of the ARF members in West America. The authors of the statement accuse the ARF bureau of acting against democracy. What can this situation lead to, possibly?

the party will split. There is a danger of split, but it is inevitable if the ARF finds its way to common sense. That’s why we need more Simon Vratsyans in the ARF, not the little Ruben Der Minasyan. However, at the moment the ARF is led by the choir leader Hakob Der Khachaturyan, the secretary general, who embodies the most catastrophic page in the history of the ARF.

Source: https://www.lragir.am/2021/03/13/627089/?fbclid=IwAR2QF2evLLO4Qn3tPqW8OlEcTDay7WxZNf8CQ-_4otN49LDKn25lCAJXkCk

The crisis between the General Staff of the Armed Forces, Nikol Pashinyan, and his administration, the confrontation is not over, Nikol Pashinyan has not yet succeeded in seizing military power. Reservist colonel, military expert Hayk Nahapetyan told Tert.m about this.

“With the overthrow of the constitutional order, the government of the day seized power in 2018, but the General Staff has not been seized yet, only the fact that the duties of the Chief of General Staff are temporarily performed by the Deputy Chief of Staff, Lieutenant General Stepan Galstyan. We know that Onik Gasparyan also applied to the administrative court, reaffirming the well-known statement of the General Staff, only this time he spoke about the snap elections, after which the command staff of the Armed Forces announced that it joined the statement of Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan, confirming the current situation in the country. “The assessments made so far on the incident, voiced by Colonel-General Onik Gasparyan, have taken the Armed Forces as a command, which means that they have not backed down,” he said.
According to Hayk Nahapetyan, no matter how much Nikol Pashinyan staged, it is obvious that he did not overcome his fears towards the General Staff.

The master of Deception Styopa Safaryan, who holds the position of the chairman of the Public Council, spread a defamatory lie on his page, claiming that the house he published allegedly belonged to “Artsakh robbers.” Mediaport found out that the house is located in Los Angeles, this fact is available on the Internet. And Styopa Safaryan, as usual, spreads falsehood, repeating the behavior of Pashinyan fakes. The government continues to deceive the people with false news

Source: http://top-news.am/?p=104310&l=am&fbclid=IwAR22TKgl6S7To0MeTLgFEJx_R4pTO-K6jqBEEwALK9nqOgqbDz3V_YpkguQ

On March 12, Armenian Ambassador to the United States Varuzhan Nersesyan received a phone call with Congressman Byron Donald, a member of the US Embassy in the United States, according to the Facebook page of the Armenian Embassy in the United States.

During the meeting, Ambassador Nersesyan presented the humanitarian situation created by the war unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, underlined the issue of repatriation of Armenian prisoners of war and hostages.

The interlocutors discussed the possibilities for the US legislators to take appropriate steps on the issue of prisoners of war.

A scuffle occurred between protesters and police at Armenia’s presidential residence.

A group of people tried to block the entrance to the residence to prevent Armenian PM Nikol Pashinyan from entering the building.

EPISODE SUMMARY

On Tuesday the Justice Department and the State Department sent a strongly worded amicus brief asking a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling that Turkey is not immune over the attack against peaceful protesters in Washington, DC, that took place in 2017. Andreas Akaras, an attorney representing the anti-Erdogan protesters, joins The Greek Current to explain why this move is so significant.

EPISODE NOTES

In what has been described as a move that signals a shift in US-Turkish relations, the Justice Department and the State Department sent a strongly worded amicus brief asking a federal appeals court to uphold a ruling that Turkey can be held liable for assaulting protesters in Washington, DC on the day Turkish President Erdogan met with former President Trump nearly four years ago.  The brief follows a letter to Secretary of State Blinken from leaders in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and the House Foreign Affairs Committee urging the State Department to support the protesters.

Andreas Akaras, an attorney from the firm Bregman, Berbert, Schwartz & Gilday, LLC who also represents the anti-Erdogan protesters, joins us to break down why this latest move by the Biden administration is so significant. 

You can read the articles we discuss on our podcast here: 

Biden Admin Tells Court Turkey’s Not Immune for Assaults During Trump White House Visit

Time for Turkey to pay up for Sheridan Circle attack

Boris Johnson rules out return of Parthenon marbles to Greece

Britain is legitimate owner of Parthenon marbles, UK’s Johnson tells Greece

Greek culture minister challenges British PM’s claims on Parthenon sculptures

Is Turkey-Egypt maritime agreement dead in the water?