Month: September 2015

Armenian businessman Levon Hayrapetyan, accused of appropriating the shares of Bashneft oil company, has been freed from house arrest, TASS reports.

Hayrapetyan has been released on his own recognizance connected with the expiration of the maximum term of detainment envisaged by law, the agency said.

The foreign ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia may meet in New York on Sept. 24-25 as part of the UN General Assembly, said Azerbaijani FM Elmar Mammadyarov, Trend reports.

He made the remarks Sept. 15 at a briefing with his Turkish counterpart Feridun Sinirlioglu.

Mammadyarov said that according to the format he and the Armenian FM each will first meet with the co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and then a joint meeting will be held.

Armenian GM Levon Aronian leaves the Chess World Cup in Baku.

Armenia’s leading chess player lost to Alexander Areshchenko of Ukraine in a tiebreak.

Other representatives of Armenia Gabriel Sargsyan, Hrant Melkumyan and Samvel Ter-Sahakyan had left the competition at an earlier stage.

Within the framework of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Musa Dagh, pilgrims from all parts of the world visited the school after Franz Werfel in the village of Musaler.

The guests learnt about the history of the school, talked to students and teachers. Pupils staged excerpts from Werfel’s novel “40 days of Musa Dagh.

Yesayi Havatyan, chairman of the Central Body in charge of organizing the events dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Battle of Musa Dag expressed gratitude to the leadership of the school.

“We must always be proud of being Armenian,” he said.

The pilgrims headed for the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin to meet with His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians.

Clovis Acosta Fernandes, a man whom football fans around the globe will recognise, has sadly passed away at the age of 60, joe.co.uk reports. 

His name may not be familiar, but as the German national team subjected his beloved Brazil to a humiliating 7-1 defeat in the World Cup semi-final, Fernandes’ tearful face was beamed across the globe – thus becoming one of the most iconic images of the 2014 tournament.

According to reports in South America, Fernandes, a super-fan who was frequently seen through the years clutching a replica of the World Cup, died following a nine-year battle with cancer.

 

 

 

Armenia has accepted 2.5thousand Syian Armenians since May, Minister of Diaspora Hranush Hakobyan said at the National Assembly today.

She said there are still 15 thousand Armenians in Syria, 7-8 thousand of them living in Aleppo.

Some international organizations provide certain assistance to countries that host migrants, Minister Hakobyan said. She added, however, that their attention is mainly focused on countries that have refugee camps, while this is not the case in Armenia.

The Diaspora Minister also attached importance to sending humanitarian aid to Syria.

President Serzh Sargsyan, who has arrived in the Republic of Tajikistan to take part in the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council, had a meeting with Tajikistan’s President Emomali Rahmon.

The two heads of state discussed issues pertaining to bilateral and multilateral cooperation between Armenia and Tajikistan. The interlocutors particularly touched upon collaboration in political, economic, humanitarian and other spheres, as well as within the frames of the CSTO and other international organizations, talked about the further reinforcement of bilateral ties and the opportunities for implementation of mutually beneficial programs. President Serzh Sargsyan noted that the two peoples’ friendship and the current level of mutual understanding and trust between Armenia and Tajikistan provide a solid foundation to jointly develop and deepen interstate relations, promote inter-parliamentary ties, and enrich the Armenian-Tajik economic agenda with promising projects.

Emomali Rahmon welcomed President Serzh Sargsyan and stressed that Tajikistan is keen on developing its traditionally friendly relations with Armenia, and deepening ties both in bilateral and multilateral formats. To strengthen interstate relations and promote multi-sectoral cooperation, President Rahmon attached importance to the broadening of the legal framework between the two countries, which, according to him, will also contribute to trade growth.

The parties placed importance on senior-level reciprocal visits to develop relations between Armenia and Tajikistan and fulfill the agreements made at a high level. President Serzh Sargsyan invited his counterpart to pay an official visit to Armenia, which was accepted by President Emomali Rahmon with pleasure.

Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Emomali Rahmon exchanged views on issues vital to the two countries, as well as on current international and regional issues and challenges which will be discussed in more detail at the session of the CSTO Collective Security Council to be held tomorrow. The RA president presented the efforts of the RA and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs aimed at a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict.

Czech Airlines is planning to relaunch its Yerevan – Prague service effective
13 December 2015. For the time being, the route will be operated strictly seasonally, for
a limited period of time covering the traditional Christmas and New Year’s festivities. Prices of one-way Yerevan – Prague tickets start at 88,960 Armenian Drams, while return tickets start at AMD 162,460 including all taxes and fees.

Czech Airlines plans to operate two return frequencies a week on the Yerevan – Prague route, with departures from Yerevan on Mondays and Thursdays at 5:20 a.m., returning from Prague on Wednesdays and Sundays at 9:55 p.m., arriving at the Zvartnots International Airport at 4:30 a.m. on the next day. Czech Airlines will add a third weekly frequency on the route to Prague on selected days – on Saturdays 26 December 2015, 2 and 16 January 2016.

The schedule of the Yerevan – Prague route has been designed in a way to allow passengers to enjoy either a week-long stay (Monday to Sunday) in Prague or a long weekend (Thursday to Sunday). Departure times from both Yerevan and Prague allow travellers to enjoy a full day in Prague on both travel days. The Yerevan – Prague flights will be operated by Airbus A319 aircraft featuring both the Economy and Business Class cabin.

Thanks to the convenient timing of arrivals in Prague during the morning transport wave, passengers arriving from Yerevan will be able to continue upon transfer in Prague to a number of Czech Airlines’ final destinations, for example to Paris, Rome, Barcelona, Madrid, Amsterdam, Brussels, Frankfurt, Düsseldorf and more.

“For the time being, Czech Airlines’ Yerevan service will be operated from 13 December 2015 to 16 January 2016. In our attempt to renew the flights to Yerevan, we need to proceed carefully using a gradual approach as the Armenian market is extremely price sensitive and the transport demand is subject to strong seasonal imbalances,” Ján Tóth, Czech Airlines Director for Commerce, Alliances and Marketing, stated, adding: “As for further continuation of our flights, we have been analysing several models of operation for the 2016 summer season, but no model has been selected yet. The summer operation needs to be considered very carefully and a positive decision can only be made if economically feasible for the entire time of the route’s service.”

One-way tickets to Yerevan start at 88,960 Armenian Drams, while return tickets start at AMD 162,460 including all taxes and fees. Starting today, tickets are available for purchase at all Czech Airlines’ and their partners’ distribution points, i.e. on the company’s website , via all mobile and native Czech Airlines’ applications, via the Contact Centre and company’s offices and within the network of travel agencies, ticketing offices and ticket sales points.    

Matthew Karanian’s “Historic Armenia After 100 Years,” was presented at the Armenian Embassy in Canada.

Matthew Karanian is the author of the first travel guide to Armenia, and work as lawyer in California. He lectured at the American University of Armenia from 2002 to 2006.

After Ambassador Armen Yeganian’s opening remarks, Karanian offered a lecture on Armenian cultural heritage. He spoke about the six regions of Western Armenia, the hidden Armenians and church-building in Armenia.

Under the auspices of the Armenian Embassy in Canada, Karanian also presented his book in Montreal and Toronto.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan received the delegation headed by Don Grantham, the Microsoft Corporation’s Regional Director for Central and Eastern Europe.

The Prime Minister hailed the continuous cooperation with the Microsoft Corporation and noted that the Armenian Government is willing to further develop and deepen the bilateral cooperation.

Hovik Abrahamyan emphasized the effective activity of the IT companies in Armenian and noted that they make the country competitive on the most developed markets in the world. The Prime Minister highly appreciated Microsoft’s assistance through its Innovation Center and other initiatives and attached importance to the  implementation of new joint initiatives.

Don Grantham, in turn, hailed the progress reached in the effective cooperation with the Armenian Government and praised the steps Armenia takes towards the development of the IT sphere.

The interlocutors discussed the implementation of new joint projects, the protection of intellectual property, and the fight against cybercrime.

In this context, the Prime Minister stressed the importance of the active cooperation between the Microsoft and the Armenian Defense Ministry with a view of improving the country’s defense system.