The authorities of the Republic of Korea are considering the possibility of deploying special forces units in the border demilitarized zone as a security measure, Azernews reports.
Day: May 10, 2024
During the 2024 Aurora Prize award ceremony, Veronika Zonabend, the wife of Aurora Humanitarian Initiative co-founder Ruben Vardanyan, read Vardanyan’s message from Baku prison. Zonabend’s speech is presented below:
“Dear guests and participants of the 8th Aurora Prize Ceremony, from Armenia, Yerevan,
I am standing here in the garden of IDeA Foundation, which was established almost 25 years ago by Ruben and me, together with our partners and friends. Aurora was born within those roots, founded by Noubar [Afeyan], Vartan [Gregorian] and Ruben. Before I read the message from Ruben, I want to express my personal deep and sincere gratitude to all of you, to the Aurora community, to Aurora leadership, for support and compassion. Being over 200 days imprisoned in Baku, Ruben and other Armenian prisoners were supported by you, and you were standing in solidarity with them, with your bold actions demanding their immediate and unconditional release. More recently, during Ruben’s hunger strike for 20 days, you raised your voices, together with the voice of the family, and this is invaluable. Thank you again.
Veronika Zonabend appears on-screen on Day 2 of the Aurora Prize Event on May 9, 2024 in Los Angeles (Photo by Victor Boyko/Getty Images for Aurora Humanitarian Initiative)
Here is Ruben’s message, Baku prison, 2024:
‘In 2015, in the run up to the 100th commemoration of the Armenian Genocide, Vartan, Noubar and I, reflecting on how to mark the fateful day, decided that we should not only honor the memory of those who perished during that catastrophe; we also wanted to express our gratitude to those who helped them and saved their lives.
We wanted to change the Armenian narrative from that of victimhood and the past, to a new perspective: facing the future with hope.
We launched this initiative to express gratitude on behalf of our nation, honoring modern heroes, helping them carry on with their hard work and promoting good deeds. We were dreaming about Yerevan to become a humanitarian capital of the world, joining together as one nation with the Armenian Diaspora scattered around the globe as the result of the Genocide.
With Aurora, we draw international attention to real heroes of today, those who risk their own wellbeing and lives, and who find faith and a path forward in helping others.
Thanks to Aurora, I met people who taught me the most important lesson: remaining true to human values and your own principles, irrespective of the situation, and following your path. My decision to move to Artsakh — Nagorno-Karabakh — was motivated by the Aurora heroes: I made a choice to be with the people who needed help and wanted to help in any way I could. Being here, totally isolated from the world for nearly eight months, I have a lot of time to reflect.
I have no regrets about taking that path. I am deeply grateful to you for inspiring me to do the right thing. Now, I understand much better what motivates Marguerite Barankitse, Tom Catena and other Aurora laureates, and why they have this strong belief in the power of one individual to make a difference. There is simply no choice but to try.
Unfortunately, our world has not become kinder through your good work, but this means that what you do is more important than ever. Your commitment to helping others, in this joint mission of ours, gives me strength here. I am now more convinced than ever before, that values and principles are more important than even life itself.
I wish you every success in your mission, and I am sending my warm congratulations to this year’s laureates. I am confident that together, we can do a lot to make the world a better and a kinder place for everyone. As Marguerite likes to say, love always prevails. So, let love and values prevail. Let all of us be prepared to give more than we ever hope to receive in return, and that each of us can make a big difference.”
Note: The eighth Aurora Prize for Awakening Humanity was awarded Thursday evening, May 9, 2024, to Dr. Denis Mukwege, a world-renowned gynecological surgeon and human rights activist from the Democratic Republic of the Congo (DRC). Dr. Mukwege is the president of Panzi Hospital and Foundation in the DRC, which he founded in 1999 to address the systemic issue of maternal healthcare and maternal mortality. Amidst ongoing conflict and critical healthcare needs stemming from war, the hospital has become one of the world’s preeminent treatment centers for survivors of sexual violence in conflict.
Author information
Guest Contributor
Guest contributions to the Armenian Weekly are informative articles or press releases written and submitted by members of the community.
|
The post Ruben Vardanyan delivered a message to the Aurora Prize candidates from Baku prison appeared first on The Armenian Weekly.
Georgian PM’s letter to youth
On May 10th, the Prime Minister of Georgia, Irakli Kobakhidze, published an open letter regarding the “foreign agents” bill, addressing the protesting youth and likening them to Gigla Berbichashvili, the killer of the legendary Georgian poet and public figure of the 19th century, Ilia Chavchavadze. In 1987, Chavchavadze was canonized by the Georgian Orthodox Church.
In this letter, the Prime Minister also stated that a study was conducted indicating that support for the “Georgian Dream” among voters with high IQ stands at 73.8%, while among voters with average IQ, it’s at 45.6%.
Georgian President Salome Zourabichvili deemed the Prime Minister’s statement “shameful,” and social media users responded with numerous ironic posts regarding Kobakhidze’s remarks about IQ.
Threats, insults, beatings. Why has the ruling party of Georgia declared war on activists? Expert commentary
“Now we are witnessing a complete turn towards authoritarianism”
What did Irakli Kobakhidze write?
Irakli Kobakhidze promises that the government will primarily be guided by the “wishes of the 200,000 people of all ages who attended the rally of the ruling ‘Georgian Dream’ party on April 29.”
Georgian media have published a series of investigations detailing how administrative resources were used to compel employees of government agencies, schools, and kindergartens to travel to Tbilisi to participate in the ruling party’s rally on April 29, 2024, in support of the ‘foreign agents’ bill. They were brought in buses from all regions of Georgia, causing massive traffic jams on highways across the country for nearly a day. Read more here.
“I’m not sure exactly why I’m here. I’ll be defending national values.” Vox-pop with participants of the rally of Georgia’s ruling party
Irakli Kobakhidze“We will act at the behest of over 60% of Georgian voters who firmly and consciously support transparency in NGOs and, accordingly, Georgia’s peaceful future,” the prime minister declares.
Kobakhidze urges all “sincere but misled youth” to critically examine their actions. He promises that the Georgian state “will take care of all sincere young people, including those who are currently misled and unaware of the many troubles that most of Georgian society and its elected authorities have managed to avoid.”
As an example, Kobakhidze mentions a certain, supposedly familiar, “sincere young man who, ‘despite so many mistakes, still participates in protests today.’” This “youth’s” Facebook profile picture “still features the inscription “Glory to Ukraine” and the flags of the European Union and Ukraine, but there is no place for the Georgian flag there,” writes the Prime Minister.
In his letter, Kobakhidze focuses on this mysterious “young man from social media.” The Prime Minister recalls various events of the last two to three years and, somewhat ironically, with rhetorical questions, appeals to this “young man.”
He recalls, for instance, that in February 2022, “this young man” was among the first to join protests demanding sanctions against Russia. “But if Georgia’s economy had collapsed as a result, this young man would have blamed not himself but the government,” writes the Prime Minister.
The Prime Minister also mentions some Georgian celebrities, including the singer Nino Katamadze, “who until 2019 were giving concerts in Russia” and began calling it an occupier of Georgian territories only after it attacked Ukraine.
“The nationalist’s brain works in such a way that sometimes it’s capable of thinking, and sometimes it’s not. That’s why their irritation towards Russians is also selective,” the Prime Minister says.
“In general, the most dangerous thing for the state is the dominance of people with average intelligence and knowledge, which is confirmed by the Dunning-Kruger effect. According to this theory, a person with average intelligence and knowledge has the highest level of self-confidence. A person who hasn’t read the law [on transparency of foreign influence], but heard that this law is Russian, is completely convinced that a law he hasn’t even read is bad.
As for sincerity, it only has value when backed by knowledge and intellect. A self-assured person without knowledge and intelligence is worse than a Russian tank,” Kobakhidze writes.
To confirm his thesis, the Prime Minister recalls the case of 29-year-old Gigla Berbikashvili, who shot 70-year-old Ilia Chavchavadze in 1907.
“He considered himself a progressive young man, while Chavchavadze was seen as an old-fashioned elder. Berbikashvili’s confidence, shared by his young comrades, was instilled by Bolshevik ideology. Similar methods are employed by pseudo-liberal ideology, which made the youth believe that they represent the epitome of sincerity and progressiveness in this country,” concludes Irakli Kobakhidze.
- Generation Z protest: Who’s leading the frontline against the ‘Russian law’ in Georgia. Video
- “Quo vadis, Georgia?” – EU Special representative for the South Caucasus
- “Building a database of violent individuals,”- the speaker of Georgian Parliament
“Anybody would find it disgraceful to equate the youth with Berbikashvili. When the Prime Minister does so, it reflects him as someone who has transcended to another dimension, confirming his government’s alienation from its own people,” reacted the President Salome Zurabishvili to Kobakhidze’s letter.
Meanwhile, social media users were particularly amused by Kobakhidze’s thesis regarding IQ, sparking a series of jokes right away.
В Азербайджанской Армии проведен цикл мероприятий по случаю 101-летия Общенационального лидера – ВИДЕО
По поручению министра обороны генерал-полковника Закира Гасанова 10 мая в Азербайджанской Армии состоялся цикл мероприятий по случаю 101-й годовщины со дня рождения Общенационального лидера нашего народа Гейдара Алиева.
В соответствии с планом были организованы занятия по общественно-политической подготовке, проведены «круглые столы» и конференции, были продемонстрированы документальные фильмы и видеоролики о великом лидере Гейдаре Алиеве, состоялись викторины, культурно-массовые, патриотические и спортивные мероприятия, был посещен памятник Общенациональному лидеру.
На мероприятиях с участием личного состава, общественности и представителей аппаратов военных атташе Азербайджанской Республики, аккредитованных в зарубежных странах, минутой молчания была почтена память Общенационального лидера и сынов Отечества, отдавших жизнь во имя суверенитета и территориальной целостности нашей республики, под аккомпанемент Военного оркестра прозвучал Государственный гимн Азербайджанской Республики.
На мероприятиях было рассказано о славном жизненном пути и многогранной деятельности Общенационального лидера Гейдара Алиева, о проделанной им работе в экономической, политической, военной, социальной, культурной и других сферах Азербайджана, с чувством признательности были помянуты шаги, предпринятые государственным деятелем мирового масштаба. Было отмечено, что благодаря огромному опыту государственной деятельности и мудрости Общенационального лидера Азербайджан под его руководством встал на путь стабильного развития, процесс армейского строительства стал осуществляться на основании законодательства.
Было отмечено, что в армейском строительстве, как и в других сферах, политический курс Общенационального лидера успешно продолжается Президентом Азербайджанской Республики, Верховным Главнокомандующим Вооруженными Силами Ильхамом Алиевым.
В рамках цикла мероприятий творческими коллективами Армейского идеологического и культурного центра имени Ази Асланова, а также Идеологического и культурного центра Гянджинского гарнизона были представлены литературно-художественные композиции.
В Азербайджанской Армии проведен цикл мероприятий по случаю 101-летия Общенационального лидера – ВИДЕО
Azerbaijan Army holds a series of events on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the birth of the Great Leader – VIDEO
On May 10, under the instruction of the Minister of Defense, Colonel-General Zakir Hasanov, a number of events were held in the Azerbaijan Army on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the birth of the National Leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev.
According to the plan, socio-political training classes, round tables, and conferences were organized, documentaries and videos dedicated to Heydar Aliyev were shown, quizzes, cultural, patriotic and sports events were held, as well as the monument to the Great Leader was visited.
At the events held with the participation of military personnel, representatives of the public and the offices of the military attaches of the Republic of Azerbaijan accredited to foreign countries, the memory of the National Leader and the heroic sons, who became Shehids for the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the Motherland, was honored with observing a minute of silence. The National Anthem of the Republic of Azerbaijan accompanied by a military orchestra was performed.
The speakers at the events highlighted the glorious life path and multifaceted activities of the Great Leader, work done by him in the economic, political, military, social, cultural, and other fields of Azerbaijan during his presidency, and gratefully recalled the steps taken by the world-renowned politician. It was emphasized that the foundation for Azerbaijan’s sustainable development has been laid, and the army development has been done on a legal basis thanks to the extensive state experience and wisdom of the National Leader Heydar Aliyev.
It was noted today, as in other areas, the political line of the Great Leader in the field of army development is successfully continued by the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Mr. Ilham Aliyev.
As part of the events, the creative teams of the Army Ideological and Cultural Center named after Hazi Aslanov, and the Ganja Garrison Ideological and Cultural Center presented literary-artistic compositions.
Azerbaijan Army holds a series of events on the occasion of the 101st anniversary of the birth of the Great Leader – VIDEO