The General Assembly and the Security Council elected five judges to serve on the International Court of Justice, the principal judicial organ of the United Nations, Report informs, citing the UN.
Day: November 10, 2023
The United States said on Thursday that it believes Russia”s decision to withdraw from a landmark arms treaty early this week was “just the latest in a series of actions that the Kremlin has taken to systematically undermine Euro-Atlantic security,” as a top State Department official overseeing arms control put it, TURAN’s Washington correspondent reports.Signed by 22 countries in 1990, the treaty on Conventional Armed Forces in Europe …His Holiness Aram I, Catholicos of the Holy See of Cilicia of the Armenian Apostolic Church, called for American leadership in aiding Artsakh’s 100,000 Armenian Christian refugees, during discussions with U.S. House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi (D-CA), and a dozen U.S. Representatives, reported the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).
“We warmly welcome His Holiness Aram I’s constructive consultations with Congressional leaders – among them Speaker Johnson and former Speaker Pelosi,” said ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian. “A global ambassador for Armenian aspirations and inter-faith understanding, His Holiness represents a powerful voice for justice in Washington and in capitals around the world.”
The Armenian pontiff was on Capitol Hill at the invitation of Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) and served as Guest Chaplain of the U.S. House of Representatives.
After a meeting in the Capitol with Speaker Johnson, Rep. Schiff, and U.S. House Chaplain Rev. Dr. Margaret Grun Kibben, His Holiness Aram I offered the opening prayer at today’s U.S. House of Representatives session. In his prayer, he noted, “Help us, God of Mercy, remember in our prayers more than one hundred thousand Armenian refugees who were recently forced to leave Nagorno Karabakh, their centuries old homeland…”
In remarks on the U.S. House floor, Rep. Schiff welcomed His Holiness Aram I to Congress, noting that “his unwavering commitment to the values of faith, community, and compassion embodies the spirit of our vibrant Armenian community.” Rep. Schiff went on to stress that His Holiness Aram I’s “support for humanitarian issues, advocacy for human rights, engagement in several educational and cultural initiatives, and promotion of interfaith understanding have left an indelible mark making the world a better place for all.”
Following the prayer, His Holiness Aram I met with Speaker Pelosi, House Democratic Whip Representative Katherine Clark (D-MA), and Representatives Jim Costa (D-CA), Anna Eshoo (D-CA), Young Kim (R-CA), Barbara Lee (D-CA), Brad Sherman (D-CA), Rashida Tlaib (D-MI), Dina Titus (D-NV), at a reception hosted by the ANCA. His Holiness also met separately with Rep. Jerry Carl (R-AL). The Armenian pontiff praised members of the Congressional Armenian Staff Association in attendance, for their efforts to educate elected officials on Armenian American concerns.
Prior to leaving the Capitol, His Holiness Aram I led fellow clergy in a moving rendition of The Lord’s Prayer, sung in Armenian in the Congressional Prayer Room near the rotunda in the United States Capitol.
During his visit to the U.S. Capitol, Catholicos Aram I was accompanied by His Eminence Archbishop Anoushavan Tanielian, Prelate of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy of the Armenian Apostolic Church of America; His Eminence Archbishop Papken Tcharian, Prelate of the Canadian Prelacy; His Grace Bishop Torkom Donoyan, Prelate of the Western U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Sahag Yemishian, Vicar General of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy; Very Rev. Fr. Hovagim Panjarjian, head of the Catholicosate Media Department; Very Rev. Fr. Sarkis Aprahamian, head of the Middle East and Christian-Islam dialogue section of the Ecumenical Department of the Catholicosate; Mr. Stepan Der Bedrosian, co-chair of the Central Executive Council of the Catholicosate; Leaders of the Executive Councils of the Eastern U.S. Prelacy, Western U.S. Prelacy, and Canadian Prelacy; as well ANCA Executive Director Aram Hamparian and members of the ANCA Washington DC Staff.
His Holiness Aram I arrived in Washington, DC earlier this week, the first stop in his visit to the Eastern Prelacy, continuing his mission to revitalize Diasporan life through the various fields of activity of the Cilician Catholicosate prelacies.
The ongoing war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza has sparked a diplomatic rift between Europe and the United States, as the two allies differ on how to address the escalating crisis and the alleged war crimes committed by both sides. While the US has staunchly defended Israel’s right to self-defense and blocked UN resolutions calling for a ceasefire, many European countries have criticized Israel’s disproportionate use of force and urged for an immediate end to the hostilities and humanitarian aid for Gaza.
The US, Israel’s closest ally and main arms supplier, has repeatedly expressed its support for Israel’s security and its right to defend itself from Hamas’s attacks, which it considers as terrorism. The US has also vetoed several UN Security Council resolutions that would have condemned the violence and called for a ceasefire, arguing that they were biased against Israel and did not address the root causes of the conflict.
The US has also opposed the launch of an international investigation into the alleged war crimes by the UN Human Rights Council, which it views as a politicized and anti-Israel body.
On the other hand, many European countries, which have traditionally supported the two-state solution and the Palestinian cause, have expressed their concern over the civilian casualties and the humanitarian crisis in Gaza, where thousands have been killed, wounded, and displaced by Israel’s retaliatory bombardment. They have also called for a political solution to the conflict based on a two-state solution, and have urged the EU to play a more active role in the peace process. Some European leaders denounced Israel’s of international law and human rights in the occupied territories, and have called for accountability and justice for the victims.
The war has also exposed the deep divisions among European countries over the long-standing conflict in the Middle East. The EU, as a bloc, has struggled to find a common position on the crisis.
The war has also strained the transatlantic relations between Europe and the US, which have already been damaged by the US withdrawal from the Iran nuclear deal, its criticism of NATO, and its opposition to Turkey’s intervention in Syria. Some European officials and analysts have accused the US of being too passive and biased in its approach to the conflict, and of undermining the multilateral efforts to end the violence and protect the civilians. They have also called for a more balanced and proactive US policy that would address the legitimate grievances and aspirations of both Israelis and Palestinians, and that would support the international law and human rights .