KeghartArmeniaNow.com, 14 November 2015
After showing their solidarity with France by bringing flowers to the French embassy in Yerevan during the whole day on Saturday, hundreds of Armenians also turned out in the capital’s France Square in the evening to commemorate the victims of last night’s coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris.
Candles were lit in memory of more than a hundred people killed in one of the worst acts of terrorism in the history of France.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also came to the square to pay homage to the victims.
ArmeniaNow.com, 14 November 2015
After showing their solidarity with France by bringing flowers to the French embassy in Yerevan during the whole day on Saturday, hundreds of Armenians also turned out in the capital’s France Square in the evening to commemorate the victims of last night’s coordinated terrorist attacks in Paris.
Candles were lit in memory of more than a hundred people killed in one of the worst acts of terrorism in the history of France.
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan also came to the square to pay homage to the victims.
Earlier, he already condemned in strong terms the attacks and expressed solidarity with the French nation.
Speaking at an event held today at the Mount Musa Memorial in Armenia’s Armavir Province on the occasion of the 100th Anniversary of the Mount Musa Heroic Battle, the Armenian head of state also addressed the Paris attacks.
“It [the Mount Musa self-defense] was one of the heroic episodes of the Armenian history to which our French brothers made an invaluable contribution. Hundred years have passed but our sense of gratitude has not weakened even a bit,” Sargsyan said.
“Unfortunately, by the irony of fate we witnessed last night terrorist attacks, unprecedented terrorist acts by their scale, committed at the heart of France – Paris. All of us are deeply shocked by it.
“I strongly condemn those terrific and ghastly actions which claimed multiple innocent lives.
“In recent years, the growth of this kind of inhuman violence in different countries of the world gives rise to serious concerns. I am confident that each member of the civilized community will join the struggle against this evil facing us. We must not allow violence, extremism and intolerance to prevail. We are obliged to make concerted efforts at revealing and eradicating all those factors which cause such horrible manifestations of extremism.
“In this difficult time, Armenia stands beside the brotherly country of France and is ready to provide full support.
“I express my deepest sympathy to French President Francois Hollande, the friendly people of France and to the victims’ relatives, wishing patience, strength and vigor to them and a speedy recovery to the injured.
Our prayers, hearts and souls are with the French people,” the Armenian leader said.
"… people lit candles and laid flowers outside the French Embassy in Yerevan and in the city’s France Square on Saturday. President Serzh Sarkisian took part in a candlelight vigil that was held in the square decorated with French national flags on the occasion. Sarkisian strongly condemned the attack in a message sent to Hollande."
Armenian among missing after attacks in French capital
A young French Armenian is still missing following a series of terrorists attacks in Paris last week, according to Nouvelles d’Armenie magazine, which quotes her family.
Lola Ouzounian was reportedly at the Bataclan concert hall on November 13 when Islamist gunmen stormed into the place and began shooting at the people inside. Her father, Eric Ouzounian, says he lost sight of his daughter in the turmoil and hasn’t heard from her since.
As many as 129 people were killed and several hundred others were wounded in coordinated attacks that targeted crowded venues on a Friday night in Paris. The Islamic State – a terrorist group known as ISIS that controls vast territories in Iraq and Syria – claimed responsibility for the bloody acts of terrorism that French President Francois Hollande described as “an act of war”.
The group said its militants carried out the attacks, including suicide bombings, in retaliation for French air strikes against ISIS positions in Syria.
No citizens of Armenia were hurt in the attacks. Nor are there are any reports – other than on the indefinite fate of Ouzounian – that would suggest there were any ethnic Armenians among the victims. (France is home to a sizable Armenian community. According to various estimates, the number of ethnic Armenians in France may be as high as 800,000).
Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and other officials quickly condemned the Paris attacks and thousands of Armenians staged floral tributes and candle vigils in Yerevan over the weekend.
His Holiness Karekin II, the Catholicos of All Armenians, conducted a memorial service in Echmiadzin on Sunday in memory of the Paris terror victims.
The Armenian Diaspora worldwide also reacted to the Paris carnage.
The System of a Down rock band’s Armenian American frontman Serj Tankian wrote in an Instagram post: “Those who attack concert halls, restaurants, cafes, markets and places of worship to kill innocent civilians are cowards. Our Parisian fans are one of the best in the world so can’t help thinking of everyone who went to the Eagles of Death Metal show.”
Last week’s attacks in Paris are not the first to rock France this year. Eleven people were killed and 11 others were wounded in an attack carried out by Al-Qaeda-linked gunmen against the editorial office of a French satirical weekly, Charlie Hebdo, in Paris in January.
A number of attacks were reportedly prevented by French security services and in one case a group of foreign nationals, including one ethnic Armenian, showed heroism in rendering a would-be attacker harmless.
Mark Moogalian, a 51-year-old Armenian-American professor at the Sorbonne, received the Legion d’Honneur award – the highest honor of France – from President Hollande earlier this year for his role in preventing a terrorist attack on a Paris-Amsterdam train in August.
Moogalian was shot in the back, but survived after trying to apprehend an attacker together with three other American citizens and one British national on the train.
Parents Confirm 17-Year-Old Lola Ouzounian’s Death in Paris Attacks
PARIS—The parents of Lola Ouzounian, a 17-year-old Armenian girl who was attending the concert at Bataclan when the venue was attacked by terrorists on Friday, confirmed her death, adding they had identified her remains.
Chairman of the Coordinating Committee for Armenians in France (CCAF) Mourad Papazian told news.am that law enforcement officials told Ouzounian’s parents, who then had the harrowing task of identifying Lola’s body.
Lola was attending the Eagles of Death Metal concert at Bataclan when the terrorists stormed the venue. During the commotion the father and daughter were separated. There has been search for Lola since Friday.
Paris became the latest target of attacks by groups affiliated with the Islamic State, also known as ISIS, ISIL or Da’esh, as it is commonly called in Arabic. French officials put the death toll at 129, with 352 injured, 99 of them critically when terrorists attacked several sites in Paris on Friday, one of them the Stade de France, where French President Francois Hollande was attending a friendly match between France and Germany.
A date for Ouzounian’s funeral services has not been announced.
Keghart
Keghart
