Author: Anna Tamamian

On April 3, Igor Nazaruk, Ambassador of Belarus in Yerevan, was summoned to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia.

During the meeting Deputy Foreign Minister Sharavsh Kocharyan expressed to the Ambassador the deep bewilderment of the Armenian side regarding some provisions reflected in the statement of the MFA of the Republic of Belarus on the developments around Nagorno-Karabakh, released on April 2, 2016.

It has been stated to Igor Nazaruk that such statement is incompatible to the spirit of the Armenia-Belarus relations and contradicts the commitments of the sides taken within the framework of the CSTO and other international structures, undermines the negotiation process while encouraging the use of force in the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement process.

Armenian-Turkish-Belgian ensemble Adana is the winner of Octaves de la Musique 2016 award in the world music category, informs.

The band aims to reconcile Armenian and Turkish cultures and is led by Armenian-Belgian Vardan Hovanissian (duduk) and Turkish-Belgian Emre Gültekin (saz, vocals). The rest of the ensemble includes Belgian musicians Joris Vanvinckenroye on double bass and Simon Leleux on percussion.

Adana recently performed at Babel Med Music world music showcase in Marseilles, receiving a standing ovation from the audience. People stood up at the end of the showcase to give them an ovation. An exceptional performance that shows the interest in this project reconciling Armenian and Turkish cultures.

Octaves de la Musique are the awards presented every year to artists living in Belgium (Wallonia-Brussels). They are handed out by professionals (booking agents, artist managers, record labels, artists, institutions).

Armenia-based Triada Studio’s Shadowmatic won the Best Technical Achievement and People’s Choice Award at the .

Shadowmatic is an imagination stirring puzzle where you rotate abstract objects in a spotlight to find recognizable silhouettes in projected shadows, relevant to the surrounding environment.

The project is focused on delivering immersively photorealistic graphics across iOS devices and the new Apple TV, combined with gameplay that’s stimulating, challenging, and relaxing at the same time. The game features 10 rooms, each flavored with unique concept, atmosphere and music. The music is best experienced with headphones, and is available separately on iTunes.

The game includes a system of hints. To enjoy the game to its fullest, however, we recommend resorting to them on rare occasions only.

The International Mobile Gaming Awards have been celebrating the best of mobile gaming for ten years.

Created during Monte Carlo’s IMAGINA Festival in 2004, they have since reviewed thousands of mobile games from all around the world.

The Awards have been the first to recognise games such as Angry Birds, Infinity Blade, Edge, Candy Crush and The Walking Dead, studios such as Supercell (formerly Sumea and Digital Chocolate), and amazing technologies like augmented reality, location based games and the first mobile MMOs.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan visited today the Technology and Science Dynamics Company, which produces the Armtabs and Armphones.

The Prime Minister was briefed on the industrial process and the future plans. It was noted that the quality of the Armenian tabs and phones is no worse than that of the famous brands, while the price is considerably lower.

The Technology and Science Dynamics Company distributed 700 tabs to Armenian schools last year. The production of the company is sold in Armenia and abroad. Talks are under way with Armenian ICT companies on the sale of the production on the Armenian retail market.

The Technology and Science Dynamics Company cooperates with foreign partners towards development of research programs. The company currently employs 117 people, whith the number expected to increase in the future.

Stressing the importance of the company’s activity, PM Abrahamyan said the government prioritizes the IT sphere and will maintain support to the development of the field.

 

On a working visit to the Russian Federation, President Serzh Sargsyan attended today the official opening ceremony of the “Armenia: Legend of being” exhibition at the State Historical Museum of Moscow organized under the program of cooperation between the Ministries of Culture of Armenia and Russia.

More than 160 unique items from the three leading museums in Armenia – the History Museum, the Museum of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and the Matenadaran Institute of Ancient Manuscripts – are showcased.

The exhibition will provide the visitors with an opportunity to learn about the centuries-long history of Armenia, its multifaceted cultural traditions.

President Sargsyan left a note in the book of honorary guests: “It’s an honor for me, as the President of Armenia, to be in one of the oldest buildings of Moscow – the State Historical Museum of Moscow, where the “Armenia: Legend of being” exhibition dedicated to the centuries-long history of the Armenian people is on display. There ar many glorious pages of interweaving of history of the brotherly Armenian and Russian peoples. I’m confident that the collection of the unique documents and items kept here will be enriched with new valuable testaments of our everlasting friendship.”

President Sargsyan later participated in an award ceremony at the Armenian Embassy in Russia. The President bestowed a Friendship Order to Valery Zorkin, President of the Russian Constitutional Court, for considerable contribution to the reinforcement and development of Armenian-Russian friendly ties, the long-term effective cooperation in the field of constitutional justice.

Friendship Orders were awarded to Russian’s Prosecutor General Yuri Chayka and President of the Russian Investigative Committee Ivan Bastrykin for their contribution to the deepening of cooperation between the law-enforcement bodies of the two countries, the reinforcement and development of Armenian-Russian friendly ties.

 

 

 

Issues related to Armenia-NATO relations and perspectives of cooperation were discussed at a conference in Yerevan co-organized by the Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs, the Armenian Center for National and International Studies with the support of the NATO Office in Tbilisi and the Embassy of Poland in Armenia.

Armenia-NATO relations are seen by many as ‘exceptional,’ as Armenia continues the effective cooperation with the North-Atlantic Council despite being part of a different security bloc.

“Some objective and subjective factors have somehow affected the relations over the past years, but the cooperation continues to develop dynamically,” said Styopa Safaryan, founder of the Armenian Center for National and International Studies.

Poland’s Ambassador to Armenia Jerzy Marek Nowakowski noted that there is will on both sides to implement different programs of cooperation.

“There are broad opportunities for cooperation and the North-Atlantic Alliance is ready to provide necessary assistance for the development of comprehensive relations. The cooperation must not be necessarily military, since the Alliance is not just a security organization, but also a system of values. I’m confident that the deepening of cooperation between Armenia and NATO will continue, since Armenia’s interests ties it to democratic states,” the Ambassador stated.

Political dialogue has always had an important place in the Armenia-NATO relations ever since 1992, said Gagik Hovhannisyan, Head of Foreign Ministry’s NATO Division. He briefed on a number joint programs.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today heads of delegations participating at the International Ministerial Conference titled New Challenges of Public Health which is being held in Yerevan on March 1-2. Present at the meeting were the Minister of Health of the Russian Federation Veronica Skvortsova, Minister of Health and Medical Education of Iran Hassan Hashemi, Minister of Labor, Health and Social Issues of Georgia David Sergeenko, Minister of Health of the Republic of Belarus Vasiliy Zharko, and Deputy Minister of Health and Social Development of Kazakhstan Elzhan Birtanov.

The President of Armenia welcomed the guests to our country and stressed the importance of the Yerevan Conference on the modern issues and challenges of public health. Underscoring that public health all over the world is viewed as one of vital factors of national security, as well as one of the primary indicators of the countries’ successful social and economic policy, Serzh Sargsyan noted that in the contemporary world problems of public health recognize no boundaries: new viruses and epidemics are not confined within a state and today they pose the most serious threat to the peoples in every country. According to the President, such problems can be efficiently solved only through a closer cooperation, exchange of special experience, by sharing success and achievements with the partners which is exactly what the Ministerial Conference in Yerevan is convened for.

The participants of the meeting thanked the Armenian authorities and in the person of the RA Minister of Health Armen Muradian the officials of the health care system of Armenia for creating such an important platform for discussions and invitation to participate in the forum. They noted that in the area of public health the field for cooperation is extensive and there are many still unutilized opportunities. The guests stressed with satisfaction that at the Yerevan Conference there have been made pretty interesting and useful reports, presented were facts and references have been made to the programs implemented in the participating states based on best practices. Discussed were also reforms conducted in this area, existing problems and challenges. According to the Ministers, cooperation in this format will considerably promote relations and cooperation between the representatives of the area and will give an impetus to the development of health care.

Outgoing Fifa president Sepp Blatter and suspended Uefa boss Michel Platini have had bans from all football-related activities upheld, the BBC reports.

But the suspensions have been reduced from eight to six years by Fifa’s appeals committee.

Both were found guilty of breaches surrounding a £1.3m ($2m) “disloyal payment” to Platini.

They both deny any wrongdoing and Blatter has already said he will appeal to the Court of Arbitration for Sport.

The committee said “activities and services rendered to Fifa, Uefa and football” was a mitigating factor.

Fifa’s presidential election is due to take place on Friday to find Swiss Blatter’s replacement.

At a meeting with Head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) Abuzar Ebrahimi Torkaman in Yerevan on Sunday, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, lauded Iran’s influential role in helping to restore peace in the region.

“The religious dialogue pursued by Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization will result in the promotion of peace in the region,” His Holiness Karekin II said.

“We thank the Iranian government for preserving the Armenian artifacts in Iran and registration of Armenians’ churches in the UNESCO’s list of world heritage as well as freedom of Armenians in performing their religious ceremonies in Iran,” he added.

The Armenian Catholicos reiterated the need for the expansion of mutual cooperation between Iran and Armenia, and said, “The two countries’ cultural relations are satisfactory.”

His Holiness Karekin II said that boosting Armenia-Iran relations in the religious sector can be of paramount importance because religious ties can be a model for the entire world.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the Chairman of the European Parliament’s Conservatives and Reformists Group Jan Zahradil.

At the meeting, the parties discussed the Armenia-EU cooperation, including EU parliamentary cooperation, reforms carried out in Armenia with the assistance of the European Union, as well as a number of issues of mutual interest.

The President of Armenia underscored that Armenia is ready to move forward cooperation with the European Union in the areas of reform stimulation, mobility, efficient governance, democracy, human rights, multifaceted economic cooperation and other areas. According to the President, in this process cooperation with the partners from the European Parliament has an important role. Serzh Sargsyan noted that Armenia-European Union active interaction, including high-level visits testify to the continuous development of the RA-EU relations. Speaking about the start in the end of the last year of the negotiations launched in Brussels on the RA-EU new comprehensive legal document, President Sargsyan underscored that Armenia expects that the negotiations will take a normal course and the parties will bring this important process to a successful conclusion.

At the request of the guest, the President of Armenia spoke about Armenia’s internal and foreign policies, presented his views on the current international problems and regional challenges, and informed Jan Zahradil on the recent developments in the NK peace process.

The Chairman of the European Parliament’s Conservatives and Reformists Group Jan Zahradil presented the history of his Party, its priorities, activities carried out by this leading European political force and stressed that his Party is interested in developing relations with Armenia in the interparty as well as Armenia-EU formats.