concern Archives

Jagland: I am following with concern the events taking place in Armenia

July 29, 2016 by administrator

Secretary General of the Council of Europe Thorbjørn Jagland is following with concern the events taking place in our member state of Armenia, where for several days already, an armed group has taken hostages in a police station in Yerevan.

“I would like to recall that in states governed by the rule of law, all conflicts should be resolved through political dialogue with a respect for democratic norms and standards. I therefore call on all those concerned to put an end to this dangerous situation without delay, and to return to the use of democratic means. Democracy, human rights and the rule of law must prevail. The freedom of assembly must be fully respected,” Jagland said in a statement released on Friday.

Russia to Focus Attention on Christians’ Concerns in Mideast, Says Foreign Minister

November 12, 2015 by administrator

Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov (Source: Alexandr Sherbak/TASS)

MOSCOW (TASS)—Russia will increase its efforts in focusing attention on the concerns of Christians in the Middle East, Russia’s Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said on Wednesday at a meeting with the Syrian Orthodox Church’s Patriarch Mor Ignatius Aphrem II, TASS reports.

“Russia was among the initiators to hold a special event on the sidelines of the human rights council in Geneva this March, which was devoted to the Christians’ distress and beginning of their exodus from the region,” Lavrov said. “We will stand up for this direction and this position, and will promote it in international organizations.”

“The Middle East is a cradle of Christianity,” he went on to say. “Christians have been living there for 2,000 years. It should be done so that the civilizational tissue of that region would be preserved and would not be breached.”

It’s necessary to do everything possible to prevent interfaith and inter-civilizational split in the Middle East, Russian Foreign Minister went on to say.

“We have traditionally paid huge attention to close contacts with representatives of various faiths in the Middle East, taking into account the necessity to do everything to prevent an interfaith, inter-civilizational split in that key region of the world,” Lavrov said.

He also said Russia will continue actively defending the initiative to attract attention to problems of Christians in the Middle East.

According to UN statistics, fighting between Syrian government troops and militants has killed more than 200,000 people and displaced millions since the civil war’s start in 2011.

Germany concerned by ceasefire violation in Karabakh

January 22, 2015 by administrator

The Nagorno-Karabakh conflict should be resolved solely through peace.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel stated about the aforesaid during her joint news conference, on Wednesday in Berlin, with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev.

“Germany is a member of the OSCE Minsk Group, … and in this context, we support the efforts to [achieve] a peaceful settlement of the conflict.

“We saw that President Aliyev has repeatedly met with his counterpart from Armenia, informing readiness to holding talks. And we agree that the conflict can be resolved solely through pacific means.

“[But] we are concerned by the ceasefire violation that has become frequent in the Karabakh conflict zone, and we definitely will closely follow the current situation,” Merkel specifically noted.

Jews ‘leaving Turkey due to safety concerns’

December 16, 2014 by administrator

Bahadır Özgür ISTANBUL

Many people from Turkey’s Jewish community are leaving the country after increased threats and attacks, a prominent businessman from the community has written in an article for the Istanbul-based Jewish newspaper Şalom. Report hurriyet daily news

“We face threats, attacks and harassment every day. Hope is fading. Is it necessary for a ‘Hrant among us’ to be shot in order for the government, the opposition, civil society, our neighbors and jurists to see this?” Mois Gabay wrote on Dec. 10, referring to the murder of Armenian-Turkish journalist Hrant Dink in 2007.

Gabay, a professional in the tourism industry, added that increasing numbers of Turkish Jews are making plans to move abroad with their families, feeling unsafe and under pressure in the country.

“Around 37 percent of high school graduates from the Jewish community in Turkey prefer to go abroad for higher education … This number doubled this year compared to the previous years,” he wrote.

It is not only students, who have begun to think about building a life abroad for their families and children, but also young businesspeople according to Gabay.

“Last week, when I was talking to two of my friends on separate occasions, the conversation turned to our search for another country to move to. That is to say, my generation is also thinking more about leaving this country,” he wrote.

Gabay’s column came a few days after verbal attacks on the Neve Shalom Synagogue in Istanbul’s Beyoğlu district, which has been attacked with explosives on three previous occasions in 1986, 1992 and 2003. A paper reading “to be demolished” was placed on the entrance of the synagogue by an unknown group two weeks ago. Later, the Alperen Ocakları, the youth group of the ultranationalist Great Union Party (BBP), attempted to march to the synagogue as a part of a protest.

In a recent interview with Radikal, Gabay also said changes in the law and the recognition of hate crimes in the Turkish penal code are not sufficient for the protection of Turkey’s Jewish community.

“The laws have changed. Hate speech is now a crime, but when is a lawsuit ever opened over hate speech against our community? I don’t blame the government alone for this. The opposition, civil society, unions and the democratic public sphere should be a shield for us. They should monitor these incidents. Are they waiting for the shooting of a Hrant among us?” he said, adding that daily threats have increased due to the widespread use of social media in Turkey.

On Nov. 21, Dursun Ali Şahin, the governor of the northwestern province of Edirne, sparked an outcry when he suggested that the Büyük Sinagog (Great Synagogue), built in 1907, should only be used as a museum, as a response to recent Israeli policies over Jerusalem’s flashpoint Al-Aqsa Mosque.

Şahin later offered an “apology” to Turkey’s chief rabbi, claiming that his proposal “had no connection” to the country’s Jewish community.

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The American State Department issues its “deep concern” about the death of Karen Petrossian Azerbaijan and requests that all light be shed

August 17, 2014 by administrator

In a statement the State Department has indicated its concern about the events surrounding the death of the Armenian villagers Karen Petrossian. According to the Public Television of Armenia, the State Department of Foreign Affairs said he was “deeply worried” about the fate that befell Karen Petrossian. “The United States is deeply concerned about the information related to the death Keren Petrossian prisoner in Azerbaijan which showed that death did not occur naturally. The United States presents its deepest condolences to the relatives of Karen Petrossian “said the statement from Washington. The State Department calls Azerbaijan to shed light and conduct a transparent investigation to present to the public the results. It also calls on all warring parties to respect international conventions on humanitarian issues and allow the Red Cross to visit the citizens with captivity.

Recall that on August 7, the Armenian villagers from the village of Tchinari Karen Petrossian (32 years) was captured in Azerbaijan. Hours earlier this simple citizen of Armenia presented as an Armenian intelligence agent, was pronounced dead, the victim of a “sudden death from heart failure.” Relatives of Karen Petrossian yet say he was in good health. Karen Petrossian who had crossed the Armenian-Azerbaijani border without realizing it, was in discussions around a table with villagers Azeris when soldiers came to arrest him. Then … after the murder staged.

Krikor Amirzayan

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