Ex-Ambassador Samantha Power joins the Aurora Prize Selection Committee

December 1, 2017 By administrator

The Aurora Humanitarian Initiative announces Former United States Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power as the newest member of the Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity Selection Committee. In an issued statement on Friday, the Prize website informs

Ambassador Power will join the other esteemed humanitarians, human rights activists and former heads of state as a part of the Selection Committee, to determine future recipients for the annual $1.1 million Aurora Prize.

“We are very excited to welcome Ambassador Power to the Aurora Prize Selection Committee. With her notable experience on the world stage, she has made great strides in aiding those in the developing world and standing up for the most vulnerable members of our global community,” said Noubar Afeyan, co-founder of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative. “With her unparalleled expertise in human rights around the world, we are honored that she will review Aurora Prize nominations and help shape the future of the Aurora Prize.”

It is noted that Ambassador Samantha Power served as the 28th U.S. Permanent Representative to the United Nations and as a member of President Obama’s cabinet, and became known as one of the country’s foremost thinkers on foreign policy. Prior to her work at the United Nations, she served on the U.S. National Security Council as Special Assistant to the President and Senior Director for Multilateral Affairs and Human Rights, where she focused on atrocity prevention, United Nations reform, LGBT and women’s rights and the promotion of religious freedom, among other issues. She also authored the Pulitzer Prize-winning book, “A Problem from Hell: America and the Age of Genocide.” Given her influential work in human rights and democracy, she has been recognized several times over, including as one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People” and Foreign Policy’s “Top 100 Global Thinkers.”

“The Aurora Prize and its laureates recognize that, while it is essential to remember past atrocities, we each have the power to assist those who are saving lives in the present,” said Ambassador Power. “I take great pride in being part of the Prize’s Selection Committee, which seeks to honor those who make great sacrifices to help others, and who find a way to mobilize human kindness and persevere amid steep odds.”

She will join current Aurora Prize Selection Committee members Nobel Laureates Oscar Arias, Shirin Ebadi and Leymah Gbowee; former president of Ireland Mary Robinson; former president of Mexico Ernesto Zedillo; human rights activist Hina Jilani; Director of the Institute of Global Health Innovation at Imperial College London Lord Ara Darzi; President Emeritus of the International Crisis Group and former foreign minister of Australia Gareth Evans; Medecins sans Frontieres Founder Bernard Kouchner; President of Carnegie Corporation of New York Vartan Gregorian; and Academy Award-winning actor and humanitarian George Clooney.

The Aurora Prize, now in its third year, was founded on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors. The Selection Committee will convene in Berlin, Germany on December 4, 2017 to review nominations from this year’s process, which gathered 750 submissions from 115 countries. Concurrent to their meeting in Berlin, the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative will host its first Aurora Dialogues outside of Armenia, titled “Millions on The Move: Need for Development and Integration.” The Aurora Dialogues Berlin is a joint effort of the Aurora Humanitarian Initiative, Global Perspectives Initiative, Robert Bosch Stiftung and Stiftung Mercator, and will be held on December 4-5, 2017. Speakers will address the state of the global migration crisis and look at the role of different actors in advancing positive change.

The 2018 Aurora Prize finalists will be announced on April 24, 2018, the day of commemoration of the Armenian Genocide in 1915. The Aurora Prize, established on behalf of the survivors of the Armenian Genocide and in gratitude to their saviors, provides the laureate with a $100,000 grant and the opportunity to continue the cycle of giving by nominating organizations to receive a $1,000,000 award. The third annual Prize will be announced on June 10, 2018, at a ceremony in Armenia.

Armenia-UAE relations reaching a level of strategic partnership – Ambassador

December 1, 2017 By administrator

Armenia-UAE relations The Embassy of the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in Yerevan hosted an event, celebrating the 46th anniversary of the establishment of the United Arab Emirates (UAE). The event was attended by high-level officials, representatives of diplomatic mission and NGOs.

In his welcoming speech, the Ambassador of the UAE to Armenia, Jassim Mohammed Al Qasimi pointed to the high-level bilateral relations established between Armenia and UAE based on mutual respect and principles of cooperation. As the Ambassador noted, the relations have reached a level of strategic partnership especially since last year. “The latest visit of the President of Armenia to UAE, the forthcoming visit of the Crown Prince of Abu Dhabi Emirate to Armenia, the visit of the UAE Minister of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation to Yerevan, mutual visits of ministers demonstrate the desire to elevate the bilateral relations to a new level,” the Ambassador said, adding trends of continuous development are noticed in the culture and economic spheres, as evidenced by the growth in trade turnover.

“The overall level of trade exchanges has reached $140 million in the first nine months of the ongoing year to compare with $71 million last year,” Al Qasimi exemplified. In the Ambassador’s words, the development of the mutual relations as well as the growth of UAE investments in Armenia speak of the increasing trust of the UAE business toward Armenia, which takes place also due to the consistent efforts by the Armenian partners.

The Chief of Staff of the President’s Office of Armenia Armen Gevorgyan congratulated on the anniversary and noted that the past three years recorded breakthrough in the Armenia-UAE bilateral relations.

“The friendly relations formed between the leaderships of the two countries further contributed to deepening and developing of the bilateral ties. Today, I want to assure that we stay ready to continue that work with the same resolve and diligence,” Gevorgyan said.

Breaking News: Flynn charged with one count of making false statement

December 1, 2017 By administrator

Washington (CNN) Special counsel Robert Mueller has charged former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn with “willfully and knowingly” making “false, fictitious and fraudulent statements” to the FBI regarding conversations with Russia’s ambassador.

Flynn is the first Trump administration official and the fourth connected to the campaign to be charged as part of Mueller’s investigation into possible collusion between the Russian government and members of Trump’s team, as well as potential obstruction of justice and financial crimes.

Trump’s former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and his deputy Rick Gates were indicted last month; they pleaded not guilty. And Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty for making a false statement to the FBI over contacts with officials connected to the Russian government.

The charge against Flynn is the first in Mueller’s probe that has reached someone in the Trump White House and is the latest sign that the special counsel investigation is intensifying.

Source:http://www.cnn.com/2017/12/01/politics/michael-flynn-charged/index.html

CSTO leaders urge to implement Vienna and St. Petersburg agreements on Karabakh

December 1, 2017 By administrator

The heads of the states of CSTO adopted a statement to support the mediation efforts of the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement.

The statement adopted during the CSTO Collective Security Council in Minsk says the OSCE Minsk Group “is the only structure having the relevant mandate of the international community, whose mission is to assist the parties in achieving a settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict by political and diplomatic means.”

It is mentioned that thanks to the efforts of the three co-chairing countries, the principles and elements have been developed as the basis for resolving the dispute.

“Confirming the need for an exclusively peaceful solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, we express our support for the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on the settlement of the conflict on the basis of the norms and principles of international law, the provisions of the UN Charter, as well as the Helsinki Final Act, in particular those concerning the non-use of force or threat of use of force, territorial integrity of states, equality and the right of peoples to self-determination.

We support the implementation of the agreements reached at the summits held in Vienna, St. Petersburg and Geneva in 2016-2017 aimed at preventing the escalation of the situation, observing the cease-fire, taking additional measures to reduce tensions in the conflict zone and intensifying the negotiation process,” the statement reads.

Crook Claims Rudy Giuliani and Michael Mukasey Tried to Broker U.S.-Turkey Prisoner Swap

November 29, 2017 By administrator

Turkish businessman Reza Zarrab flipped for the feds and told a court that President Trump’s pals tried to get him out of an American jail.

KATIE ZAVADSKI 11.29.17 1:02 PM ET

Rudy Giuliani and Michael Mukasey tried to broker a prisoner exchange between the United States and Turkey to free their Turkish client, Reza Zarrab, he testified in Manhattan federal court Wednesday.

Zarrab said on the stand he hired lawyers to attempt to negotiate a prisoner exchange between the U.S. and Turkey “within the legal limits,” but that they were unsuccessful. He did not name the attorneys, but Giuliani and Mukasey were previously identified as the lawyers working to strike a diplomatic deal for Zarrab.

Zarrab, a Turkish gold trader, was the architect and main facilitator of a cash-for-gold scheme to help Turkey buy Iranian oil and evade sanctions.

Giuliani, the former mayor of New York, is a long-time friend of Trump who was considered for several Cabinet posts. Mukasey was attorney general under President George W. Bush.

Giuliani and Mukasey avoided mentioning the “central role” of Iran in the charges against Zarrab on filings submitted to the court about their work and said the case had no serious implications for U.S. national security. Judge Richard Berman slammed the omissions as “disingenuous” earlier this year. (Giuliani previously called Iranians “suicidal homicidal maniacs.”)

It is not known who the American in Turkish custody was, but Ankara has been cracking down on Americans since an attempted coup in 2016.

In one instance, an American journalist arrested at the Turkish-Syrian border was told by a judge that it was “all your government’s fault.” Other American citizens, and Turkish nationals working for American embassies, have been arrested and accused of links to Gulen and his followers. They include an American pastor and a NASA physicist with dual citizenship.

Prosecutors on Tuesday revealed that Zarrab flipped and was cooperating with authorities in the case against co-defendant Mehmet Hakan Atilla, a former state bank deputy general manager, who is also charged with evading sanctions.

On Wednesday, Zarrab also admitted to bribing a former Turkish minister of the economy with more than €45 million so he could trade gold with Iran in spite of sanctions.

“He asked about the profit margins, and he said, I can broker this providing there’s a profit share, 50-50,” Zarrab testified through a translator.

Zafer Caglayan, the former economy minister, was charged in the case in September.

Zarrab’s testimony over as many as three days in the trial is expected to shed light on the far-reaching sanction dodge scheme, and may even implicate high-ranking Turkish officials.

The allegations have roots in Turkey’s 2013 corruption scandal, which alleged that top Turkish ministers took bribes to sign off on the scheme. The possibility of domestic scandal has also led Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who was the prime minister in 2013, to attempt to cajole the US government into releasing Zarrab without trial.

Zarrab’s plea, in which he admitted to seven different charges, also raised questions about whether he may be cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller’s investigation into the Trump administration.

As reported earlier this month, Zarrab’s release was allegedly one of the requests floated to former national security advisor Michael Flynn in a December 2016 meeting with Turkish representatives. Mueller is reportedly investigating their $15 million offer to Flynn in exchange for freeing Zarrab and kidnapping exiled Turkish cleric Fethullah Gulen.

Source: https://www.thedailybeast.com/strong-evidence-that-us-special-operations-forces-massacred-civilians-in-somalia

Iraq’s ex-Kirkuk governor flees to US with millions of petrodollars: Report

November 29, 2017 By administrator

Najmiddin Karim, former governor of Iraq’s northern province of Kirkuk

The former governor of Iraq’s northern oil-rich province of Kirkuk and a staunch supporter of the Kurdish independence referendum has reportedly fled to the United States with millions of petrodollars.

Ali al-Husseini, a spokesman for the Popular Mobilization Units – commonly known by the Arabic word Hashd al-Sha’abi, said on Tuesday that Najmiddin Karim was receiving 10 million dollars from the president of the Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG), Massoud Barzani, over petroleum smuggling, Arabic-language Babil24 news website reported.

He added that there is substantial evidence that Karim has left Iraq through Erbil, which is the capital city of Kurdistan region and located approximately 350 kilometers (220 miles) north of Baghdad.

Husseini noted that all Kurdish leader well knew about Karim’s misconduct, and the fact that he was being paid by Barzani over oil smuggling from Kirkuk, but kept mum.

The Hashd al-Sha’abi spokesman added that Kurdish officials must file a lawsuit against the former Kirkuk governor and Barzani so that they would stand trial for stolen funds.

On September 14, the Iraqi parliament voted to dismiss Karim after the provincial council voted to take part in the Kurdish independence referendum irrespective of the central government’s strong opposition to the secession bid.

Earlier in the day, the office of Iraqi parliament speaker Salim al-Jabouri announced in a statement that it had received a request from the office of Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi demanding a voting session to discharge 68-year-old Karim.

Abadi ordered the hoisting of Iraqi national flag in the country’s oil-rich northern province of Kirkuk as well as other areas under the control of the KRG on October 16.

The development came shortly after a convoy of Counter-Terrorism Service (CTS) forces took control of the governorate building in the central part of Kirkuk, located 250 kilometers (155 miles) north of capital Baghdad, facing no resistance from Kurdish Peshmerga forces in the city.

According to the city’s residents, before hoisting the national flag, Iraqi forces removed the Kurdish flag from the governorate building.

Security sources and residents, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the government forces arrived at the site, and took position in the vicinity alongside the local city police.

The referendum on secession of the Iraqi Kurdistan Region was held on September 25 despite strong opposition from the central government in Baghdad, the international community, and Iraq’s neighboring countries, especially Turkey and Iran.

Following the vote, Baghdad imposed a ban on direct international flights to the Kurdish region and called for a halt to its independent crude oil sales.

On October 12, an Iraqi government spokesman said Baghdad had set a series of conditions that the KRG needed to meet before any talks on the resolution of the referendum crisis could start.

The UN Assistance Mission for Iraq (UNAMI) has called on KRG authorities to abide by a top court ruling that declared the recent secession referendum in northern Iraq unconstitutional.

The UN mission also demanded that Baghdad and Erbil engage in negotiations without delay within the framework of the constitution and discuss issues ranging from the control of borders and the reopening of airports to the federal budget, the payment of salaries and the management of oil exports.

On November 20, Iraq’s Supreme Federal Court, which is responsible for settling disputes between the central government in Baghdad and the country’s regions, announced it had made a “decision to consider the Kurdish region’s referendum unconstitutional and this ruling is final.”

It also decided to annul “all the consequences and results” of the plebiscite which was held on September 25 in defiance of strong objection from both Baghdad and Iraq’s neighbors, particularly Iran and Turkey.

Source: http://www.presstv.com/Detail/2017/11/28/543816/Iraqs-exKirkuk-governor-flees-to-US-with-millions-of-petrodollars-Report

Turkey seeks arrest of 360 more military personnel in post-coup crackdown

November 29, 2017 By administrator

Turkish prosecutors have issued arrest warrants for 360 suspected supporters of cleric Fethullah Gulen in the army, state media reported. Thousands of people have been rounded up in the wake of last year’s coup attempt.

Istanbul police launched an operation on Wednesday to capture 333 more soldiers, most of them on active duty, as well as 27 civilians, Turkey’s state-run Anadolu Agency reported.

The 360 individuals are suspected of having links to US-based preacher Fethullah Gulen. Turkey’s government has claimed the cleric and his network of followers orchestrated last year’s failed coup — allegations Gulen denies.

The state-run news agency reported that the civilian suspects are accused of acting as so-called “secret imams,” who allegedly directed Gulen allies within the military.

Wide-reaching crackdown

More than 50,000 people have been jailed pending trial as part of Ankara’s massive post-coup purge. An additional 120,000 people have been fired or suspended from the military, police and bureaucracy for suspected ties to the Gulen movement.

The crackdown has drawn criticism from rights groups and Turkey’s allies in the West, who fear the 2016 coup is being used to justify a campaign to stifle dissent.

Turkey says its actions are necessary to counter the threat posed by Gulen’s network, which it accuses of creating a “parallel state structure” over decades, infiltrating the military, police, judiciary, media and other institutions. Ankara has urged the United States to extradite Gulen so that he can face trial in Turkey.

nm/sms (Reuters, AP)

BSEC Declaration on Regional Conflicts amended ‘without Armenia’s consent’

November 29, 2017 By administrator

The Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Parliamentary Assembly adopted in its plenary session in Kiev amendments to its Declaration on Regional Conflicts in an unprecedented move not previously agreed with the Armenian delegates

Before the start of the Assembly’s 50th jubilee session in Ukraine’s capital, the heads of all the participant countries’ delegations conducted a private meeting with the BSEC secretary general and the head of Ukraine’s national delegation to discuss the passage of the measure. But Armenia was not invited to join the debate, the National Assembly’s press service reports, considering the attitude insulting for not only Armenia but also all the participant countries’ delegations.

According to an official statement condemning the incident, the amendment, incorporated into the document in breach of the acceptable code of ethics, also runs counter to the fundamental norms and principles of international law (territorial integrity, non-use of force and threat of force, and peoples’ right to self-determination).

“No incident of the kind had ever occurred in the past 25 years of the Assembly’s history. We evaluate the practice as a breach of the organization’s traditions and essence. Such a workstyle is unacceptable and condemnable for any parliamentary delegation. As a sign of protest, the Armenia delegation walked away from the session,” reads the statement.

The Armenian delegates also warn the other national delegations against yielding to provocation “to avoid subordinating the organization’s goals and objectives to individual countries’ political interests”. They further make a strong call for condemning the practice and returning to a constructive cooperation “underlying the Assembly’s essence and traditions”.

Armenian, Iranian FMs attend a business forum organized at Development Foundation of Armenia

November 29, 2017 By administrator

An Armenian-Iranian business forum with the participation of entrepreneurs and economic officials from both countries took place today in the Development Foundation of Armenia attended by Iranian FM Mohammad Javad Zarif.

As the Foundation reported in a release, about 150 businessmen took part in the forum dedicated to the 25th anniversary of establishment of diplomatic relations between neighboring countries. Armenia’s business opportunities, free economic zones, tax regulations, preferential trade regimes were introduced to the entrepreneurs from neighboring countries.

“I think this forum like the previous ones will be aimed at creating new business relationships and, moreover, getting results,” noted the Deputy Minister of Economic Development and Investments Emil Tarasyan.

“We have not been able to enter EEU so far, so it is necessary to use geopolitical situation more efficiently and the whole potential of our relations,” noted the Head of the Iran-Armenia Chamber of Commerce and Industry Hervik Yarijanian.

“The Development Foundation of Armenia has effective supportive and aftercare tools focused on export and investment. In our country, doing business for Iranian entrepreneurs will be profitable, and also by 23% more affordable with more skilled labor and financial sustainability,” noted the Head of the DFA International Relations team Narek Aleksanyan.

The Ministers of Foreign Affairs of two countries Edward Nalbandyan and Mohammad Javad Zarif welcomed the participants of the forum. During the second part of the forum, around 150 businessmen from both countries met and discussed joint projects with the support of the DFA.

During B2B meetings more than 50 Iranians, 80 Armenians and 20 Iranian businessmen from our country reviewed the projects related to food industry, engineering services, light industry, and trade, the source said.

Armenian president ratifies new law on military service

November 29, 2017 By administrator

Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan has signed the law on making amendments to the law on military service and the soldier’s status, which was previously approved by the National Assembly.

Under the law, the Armenian citizens will be granted deferment of service only after they sign a contract with the defense ministry and commit themselves to serving in the army for a period of three years after graduation.

Otherwise, they will be drafted once they turn 18.

Following the parliament’s vote, hundreds of students took to the streets to protest the decision, while five of them initiated a hunger strike.

After a meeting with deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov, one of the students said they will continue their struggle in the form of round-table discussions and halt the hunger strike and the protests.