Armenia is placed 91st (8 positions down from last month) in the new FIFA World Ranking.
Argentina tops the ranking followed by Germany and Belgium.
Armenia’s rivals in Euro-2016 qualification round are placed as follows: Portugal – 4th, Denmark – 28th, Serbia – 63rd and Albania – 32nd.
Frank Engel, member of the European Parliament, has tabled an urgent official enquiry to the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Frederica Morgherini following attacks by the Azerbaijani army against Armenian civilians.
The aggressions on villages in Armenia, which resulted in the death of three women, have already been condemned by several members of the European Parliament last Friday.
In his question, Mr Engel (MEP – EPP Group) underlines the fact that this is the second attack on civilian population perpetrated by Azerbaijan on the land of the Republic of Armenia this month and asks Ms Morgherini to pronounce herself on these military actions. He also highlights that this second aggression took place on the eve of the OSCE Minsk Group peace talks that the co-chairs are trying to organise in New York.
Mr Engel, who is also a member of the European Friends of Armenia’s Advisory Council, refers to the two latest resolutions on Azerbaijan adopted consecutively by the European Parliament (September 2014 and September 2015) and in particular to the recommendation to apply sanctions against this country’s officials.
“I think that Mr Engel’s step is essential. All European Union Institutions should react to such an aggression, especially when one country that is part of the EU neighbourhood and the Eastern Partnership attacks the population of another one”, explains Mr. Lorenzo Ochoa, director of European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA).
The questions by Mr Engel will be translated to the European Union working languages. Once the External Action Service receives the question it will answer within three weeks.
On September 17, within the framework of the program of Worldwide Reading Commemorating the Centenary of the Armenian Genocide, the Stockholm City Library held an Armenian literature and music evening, Press Service of the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.
The event was organized by the International and City Libraries of Stockholm in cooperation with the Embassy of Armenia in Sweden and the Assembly of Armenians of Europe.
Ambassador of Armenia Artak Apitonian addressed the audience with opening remarks. Renowned Swedish actress Ida Gyllensten presented in Swedish the novels of Krikor Zohrab, author and translator Max Edenborg presented the poetry of Daniel Varoujan and Siamanto.
In the musical part of the evening the melodies of Komitas were performed on duduk by Swedish Armenian musician Hayk Hakobyan. The biographies of the authors were presented by the Chairman of the Assembly of Armenians of Europe Garo Hakobian and the Armenian originals of poetry were read by Nancy Khachadurian.
The appointment of Armenia’s new Justice Minister has caught the attention of world media.
A Lebanon based website has posted the photos of newly appointed Minister Arpine Hovhannisyan and presented details from her biography and work experience.
The website describes her as “the youngest and most beautiful Minister of Justice in the world.”
The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France) traveled to Yerevan and Baku to meet President of Armenia Serzh Sargsian and President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev. The Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk also participated in the meetings.
The Co-Chairs have issued the following statement:
During our visit to Yerevan and Baku, we noted recent high-level meetings and discussed with each President current proposals to advance negotiations towards a lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. We welcomed the readiness of the Presidents to meet each other later this year, and they instructed their Foreign Ministers to continue their work with the Co-Chairs on an agenda for the presidential summit.
We also welcomed the period of relative stability along the Line of Contact and Armenia-Azerbaijan border that coincided with major international events in both countries over the last several months. However, we are concerned about the recent rise in tensions, and we urged the Presidents to avoid a deadly escalation of violence and take all measures to adhere strictly to the ceasefire.
The Presidents repeated their commitment to exchange data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross.
The Co-Chairs also traveled to Vienna to brief the members of the Minsk Group.
The Turkish authorities have made a decision to renovate the St. Gevorg Church in Canakci village in Kigi district of Bingöl Province, reports, quoting Turkish sources.
A written statement by the Governor’s Office in Bingöl says the Church will be restored in a short time, according to the decision of the Erzurum Regional Council for Conservation of Cultural and Natural Heritage.
The 250-year-old St. Gevorg Armenian Church is nearly ruined. The head of Canakci village had earlier informed the governor that the church could cause damage to the neighboring buildings if not restored.
The opening ceremony of the Golden Apricot 12th International Film Festival took place at the Opera and Ballet Theatre after Alexander Spendiaryan Sunday.
Lusine Avanesyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Stepanakert
Russian billionaire German Sterligov intends to start farming in Artsakh. He’s currently in Nagorno Karabakh to look for appropriate lands.
Sterligov will announce his plans at a press conference Monday.
The billionaire told Public Radio of Armenia he’s not made a final decision on his future steps. Sterligov added, however, that his wife is modeling clothes and is going to open a fashion house in Karabakh.
Manchester United have agreed a £12.7m fee with Torino for Italy full-back Matteo Darmian, The Daily Star reports, quoting Sky Italia.
The Red Devils are reported to have had two bids for the 25-year-old rejected but the two clubs have now come to an agreement.
Darmian can play on either side of the defence although his preference is at right-back, a position Louis van Gaal has made his priority to strengthen.