Author: Andranik Taslakhchian

Turkey’s Permanent Delegation to the EU Friday rejected the European Parliament’s Turkey Progress Report over its request for recognition of the  Armenian genocide, Anadolu Agency reports.

The report, which the EP passed in April by 375 votes in favor and 133 against, arrived at Turkey’s Permanent Delegation to the EU on Friday.

According to diplomatic sources from the delegation speaking anonymously due to restrictions on speaking with the media, the report was rejected over its remarks calling for recognition of the 1915 events “genocide”.

Turkey also returned a previous report in spring 2015 for the same reason.

“Turkey will reject the European Parliament Progress Report on Turkey to be voted on Thursday if it includes any mention of an ‘Armenian genocide,’” Turkey’s then-EU Minister Volkan Bozkir said.

Global climate risk management issues will be discussed at a three-day workshop organized by the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) in Armenia and the RA Ministry of Nature Protection.

The Integrated Climate Risk Programme, funded by the Government of Sweden and implemented by the UNDP Bureau for Crisis Prevention and Recovery, is planned for the period of 2013-2016. The first phase of the programme was implemented in six countries: Armenia, Honduras, Indonesia, Kenya, Nepal, and Uganda. The project is aimed at helping countries to build resilience through risk-informed development, in order to tackle climate change and related natural hazards.

The global results-sharing workshop will provide opportunities to reflect on and share the results and good practices from across the six participating countries in order to improve the resilience and effectiveness of interventions globally.

The workshop will also address sustainability and replicability issues of the programme results with the aim of linking them to broader global partnership initiatives and support networks. In this context, the participants will help to shape UNDP’s integrated tool for mainstreaming disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation into the development agenda. Additionally, the workshop will support countries in the preparation of sustainability plans for the programme’s next phase and the new global partnership initiative “5-10-50”.

A field trip to Vayots Dzor region will be organized to showcase Armenia’s climate-resilient rural communities’ project, implemented within the framework of the programme.

Photo: REX FEATURES

 

The four members of Abba have appeared together in Sweden, and surprised fans with an impromptu singalong, the BBC reports.

The stars gathered on Sunday at a private party to celebrate the 50-year partnership between songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

During the gala, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad performed the Abba song The Way Old Friends Do.

Ulvaeus and Andersson joined in at the end of the song, marking the band’s first public performance in 30 years.

Footage of the performance has yet to surface, but images of the quartet have appeared on social media.

Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, Abba have sold almost 400 million albums around the world. Mamma Mia!, the musical based on their hits and produced by Ulvaeus and Andersson, has been seen by more than 50 million people.

During their most successful period, the band survived marriage break-ups between Ulvaeus and Faltskog, and Lyngstad and Andersson, but they finally called it a day in 1983.

Their last public performance came three years later, on the Swedish version of TV show This Is Your Life, which was honouring their manager Stig Anderson.

Germany has joined an ever-growing list of nations to officially recognise the genocide of 1.5 million Armenians by Turkey during World War 1, but New Zealand continues to stay silent, according to .

No New Zealand government has ever officially recognized the Armenian Genocide over fears Turkey would ban Kiwis from visiting the Gallipoli battlefields.

Auckland based genocide expert Maria Amoudian finds that perplexing.

“New Zealand is a really interesting case for political scientists like me, it’s a country that has always stood out as being ethically at the forefront, morally at the forefront, always for an underdog, and caring about issues like human rights,” she says.

“So it is a little bit baffling that on this one issue that it tends to shy away from even looking at it.”

The Government told Newshub that it considers historic issues between Armenia and Turkey are best left to those countries to work through.

The Greens are the only New Zealand political party that does recognize the Armenian genocide, and now they’re in a coalition opposition with Labor, political will on the issue here could be about to change.

Former Defense Minister of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Movses Hakobyan has been appointed Deputy Defense Minister of Armenia, Chief of the Logistics Department.

A corresponding decree was signed today by President Serzh Sargsyan.

The NKR Defense Army managed to rebuff the Azeri aggression for a second time, David Jamalyan, Adviser to Armenian Defense Minister, said in an interview with .

“This fact further legitimizes today’s Artsakh within its current de facto borders, legitimized the right of the people of Artsakh to self-determination and independence. For a second time Artsakh proved its right to live as a free and independent country on its area of 11, 432 square kilometers,” David Jamalyan said.

According to him, this was the first military-political conclusion of the military actions in April.

A second military conclusion is that the NKR Defense Army managed to prevent the Azeri aggression without the intensive interference of the Armenian Armed Forces.

Third, he said, is the great number of Azeri casualties amounting to 2,000 and beyond, and the quality here is more important than quantity, Jamalyan said. “Two third of the special forces of Azerbaijani army has been destroyed, and Azerbaijan will need time to recover the losses,” he added.

The aim of the military-political leadership of Azerbaijan was to proceed to the rear of the Defense Army. It intended to reach Sarsang Reservoir in the direction of Martakert, to the outskirts of Askeran in the center and Jrakan (Jabrail) to the south, the Adviser to the Defense Minister said.

David Jamalyan stressed that the public should be ready for large-scale military actions any time, especially considering that the fragile ceasefire is based on a verbal agreement between the Chiefs of Staff of the Armed Forces of Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The flame for the Olympic Games in Brazil has been lit in southern Greece, the BBC reports.

It will be taken by various runners on an international torch relay that will culminate at the opening ceremony in Rio de Janeiro on 5 August.

The ritual was established eight decades ago for the Berlin Games.

The lighting ceremony took place in Ancient Olympia, where the games took place for more than 1,000 years. A priestess performed it, focusing the sun’s rays on a metal torch.

The flame was kindled on Thursday by Greek actress Katerina Lehou.

The torch will now begin a six-day relay across Greece, passing through the town of Marathon – which which gave its name to the long distance race – as well as a camp for refugees and migrants in Athens, the International Olympic Committee has said.

The flame is due to arrive in Brazil on 3 May for a 100-day relay across the country, travelling through 500 cities and villages in every Brazilian state.

It will be carried by about 12,000 torch bearers.

U.S. Vice President Joseph Biden met on Thursday with President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan on the margins of the Nuclear Security Summit.

In addition to bilateral relations, the sides discussed the regional situation in the South Caucasus, international problems and challenges. In this context, the sides exchanged views on the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement within the OSCE Minsk Group process and developments in the Middle East.

“The Vice President stressed that the United States is committed to a democratic, prosperous, and secure Armenia at peace with its neighbors. The Vice President thanked President Sarkisian for welcoming more than 20,000 Syrian refugees. Addressing the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Vice President expressed concern about continued violence, called for dialogue, and emphasized the importance of a comprehensive settlement for the long-term stability, security, and prosperity of the region.”

President Sargsyan assessed current Armenian-American partnership as being on the highest level in the history through joint efforts, which is evidenced by the visits of different levels of recent years. The President praised the United States’ contribution to the economic development and implementation of reforms in various fields of Armenia.

Sargsyan stressed the importance of the US role in regional security and stability, especially the active involvement of the US in the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan held consultations on the current state and perspectives of development of Armenian-German economic ties, the ongoing joint programs and achievements.

Taking into consideration that the Armenian President is going to visit Germany in the near future, the regular sitting of the Armenian-German Inter-Governmental Commission and a business forum are scheduled this year, the discussions focused on preparatory works.

“Germany is our country’s number one partner among the EU member states. The commodity turnover has fluctuated between 350 and 450 mln USD over the past 5-6 years. There are tens of companies with German capital functioning in Armenia, which certainly contribute to the development of our country,” President Sargsyan said.

The President said membership in the Eurasian Economic Union is a new opportunity for inviting European countries to invest in Armenia and thus enter the EEU market.

The President stressed the importance of partnership with the German Development Bank (KFW) and praised Germany’s technical assistance. “Germany is a second donor country for Armenia after the United States. Germany has provided hundreds of millions of dollars in technical assistance to Armenia,” the President said.

Armenia’s Ambassador to Germany A shot Smbatyan briefed the President on the current state of Armenian-German trade relations, the dynamics of development, the ongoing and future programs, the perspectives of cooperation in a number of spheres of reciprocal interest – information and communication technologies, tourism, healthcare, education and others.

Armenia condemns the launch of ballistic missile by North Korea.

“We condemn the launch of the ballistic ‪‎missile by the ‪Democratic People’s Republic of Korea , which violates ‪‎UN Security Council resolutions and raises tension in the ‪‎Korean peninsula,” the Armenian Ministry of foreign Affairs said in a statement.