Author: Antonian Lara

 

 

 

Issues of Armenian-Turkish relations and Turkey’s role in conflicts were raised at the 62nd NATO Parliamentary Assembly Session held in Istanbul November 18-25. The Q&A periods turned into heated debates at times and was described in Turkish media as “row” between Armenian and Turkish politicians.

The head of the Armenian delegation Koryun Nahapetyan asked about the closed border with Armenia and Turkey’s role in the Karabakh conflict after Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu’s report on the concept of “zero problems with neighbors.”

“Trapped in an awkward situation, the Turkish FM tried to make some baseless accusations against Armenia and Armenians. He even referred to the issue of Genocide although we had never raised the question,” Nahapetyan said.

The head of the Armenian delegation said he would not describe the debate as a “row,” but added that “Cavusoglu definitely got nervous.” The Turkish Foreign Minister even recalled the reasons behind his decision to become a diplomat.

“He recalled ASALA, the fact that Turkish diplomats were affected by the organization’s activity. Cavusoglu said he became a diplomat ignoring his mother’s objections,” Koryun Nahapetyan said.

During the plenary sitting the Armenian delegates had an opportunity to address questions to NATO Secretary General. Asked about NATO’s possible role in the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border, Jens Stoltenberg said “it is an issue of the two countries and NATO can play no role here.”

Referring to the Karabakh conflict, the Secretary General said the organization’s stance on the issue had not changed. “NATO is in no way involved in the settlement of the conflict and welcomes the negotiation process under way within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group.”

The Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center (ISTC), which has been supporting the development of Armenia’s IT sector since 2014, opened its new home on Thursday, November 10, welcoming its first guests to its new 1,000 square-meter state-of-the-art premises on the Yerevan State University Campus.

The ISTC – a joint project of the Government of Armenia, the Enterprise Incubator Foundation, IBM, USAID, and Yerevan State University – helps meet the demand for quality specialists to work in Armenia’s IT sector. ISTC will help develop and strengthen the education and research potential of Armenian universities in the areas of IT and hi-tech. The new facility, fully equipped with the latest IBM technology, will also offer a favorable and innovative environment for the development of sustainable businesses, providing the startups with space and infrastructure, technical and business consulting, and networking opportunities.

“I am proud of the fact that this uniquely designed partnership promotes the education of one of Armenia’s most valuable resources – its youth. The collaboration between the private sector and universities creates economic opportunities for younger generations of Armenia,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr., who was joined at the opening of the new facility by Armenia’s Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies Vahan Martirosyan, and IBM University Relations Manager Sergey Belov. Attendees at the opening included high-level guests from the Government of Armenia, IBM, and the U.S. Embassy, as well as more than 100 Armenian tech and business representatives.

Supporting the development of Armenia’s IT sector has long been a priority of the U.S., Ambassador Mills said. “USAID support to the IT sector began a decade ago. Since that time, USAID has played an important role in laying the foundation for a strong and vibrant IT sector in Armenia,” he said during the opening. “We see the establishment of the Innovative Solutions and Technologies Center as a capstone achievement in our efforts to partner with you to develop and strengthen IT in Armenia.” Ambassador Mills also emphasized the Center’s important role of fostering cooperation between Armenian and U.S. institutions of higher education, noting that the ISTC has signed collaboration agreements with several U.S. universities, including for example Duke University, Fordham University, and Stanford University.

The ISTC serves students and university faculty, providing them with the latest hardware and software for training and research.  Since the project’s launch, the ISTC has already assisted more than 100 professors from nine major Armenian universities to improve their training courses.  Thanks to these efforts, more than 1,500 students have already received training through 30 modernized curricula in the areas of artificial intelligence, business process management, cloud computing, and cyber security among others.  Several new Master-degree programs in cutting edge technological areas have also been designed with local universities and will be launched in the next academic year.

“The Enterprise Incubator Foundation consistently initiates and implements strategic projects targeted at IT development in the country, formation of innovative environment, and provision of quality training for personnel.  One of our most important achievements is the establishment of ISTC. Thanks to this initiative, international knowledge and financial resources will be accessible to Armenia.  IT specialists will be trained in line with market requirements.  And local companies with have the chance to engage in global networks,” EIF Director Bagrat Yengibaryan said during the event.

IBM’s Sergey Belov noted that ISTC is a best practice of education and research, which can serve as a basis for IBM to promote collaboration and development in the region. “The American University of Armenia and Yerevan State University will have new and fully personalized Academic Hubs, including software and educational materials for their students and professors,” he said.

Several new ISTC initiatives were also announced during the opening event, including the launch of the Research Grant Program that will help develop the R&D capacity of Armenia’s higher education institutions. The program will provide its beneficiaries with full access to the IBM cloud infrastructure as well as support them with funding and research commercialization. Another new initiative will facilitate exchange programs for Armenian researchers at IBM partner universities in the United States.

On the margins of its grand opening event, ISTC also launched the “Smarter Armenia Hackathon ’16,” a two-day contest for students, challenging them to create the best IT solutions in finance, healthcare, and the telecommunications industry.

On a visit to the United Arab Emirates, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan had a meeting with the heads of a number of investment and development companies.

The interlocutors hailed the warm friendly relations between Armenia and the Arab world, especially the United Arab Emirates. They noted, however, that the economic ties do not correspond to the high-level political dialogue.

The heads of investment and development companies noted that the Armenian President’s visit to UAE and the meetings with the leadership of the country are a testament to the willingness of the parties to intensify the relations in the trade and economic sphere.

They assured of their interest in investment programs in Armenia and pledged their willingness to discuss Armenia’s proposals on cooperation in different spheres, to visit the country and study the environment on the ground.

President Sargsyan informed the participants of the meeting that the Armenian side has prepared strategic investment packages, which he keeps in the spotlight. The President said UAE investments in different spheres of the Armenian economy are welcome, and added that large investors will be offered privileges conditions.

A Hungarian Parliament panel has rejected an Armenian Genocide recognition bill submitted by the Green Party, which holds five seats in the 199-member Parliament reports, quoting Turkish media.

The bill failed to pass the Foreign Relations Committee because of the vote of the Fidesz and Jobbik parties.

Marton Gyongyosi of the Jobbik Party, vice-chairman of the Hungarian National Assembly’s Foreign Affairs Committee, said “the issue should be left to historians and international law experts.”

“Hungarian lawmakers should not be concerned about what Pope Francis, politicians and parliaments of other countries say,” he said.

President Serzh Sargsyan visited today Euromotors Company to attend the inauguration of “BMW, Mini and Rolls-Royce” exhibition hall.

The opening ceremony was also attended by co-owner of Euromotors, Prince Group President Adel Al Marzuki, BMW Group Vice President Thomas Rhein, Company Sales Director Konrad Baumgartner, Regional Director Victor Eisenbraun, Director of Euromotors Jaber Al Marzuki, co-owner of Euromotors, founder of Multi Group concern Gagik Tsarukyan, Armenian officials.

Accompanied by them, the President of Armenia toured the newly built exhibition hall, which is the largest such facility in the region. After being told about the new jobs and the investments made so far, Serzh Sargsyan was shown the exhibits on display.

– The Andean Parliament, a legislative body composed of representatives of Bolivia, Colombia, Ecuador, Peru and Chile, approved on September 17 a recognizing the “Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the authorities of the Ottoman Empire between the years 1915-1923” and condemning “any policy of denialwith respect to genocide and crimes against humanity suffered by the Armenian nation.”

The resolution, presented by Pedro de la Cruz, representative of Ecuador, and approved unanimously at a meeting of the organization in Montevideo, expresses its solidarity with the Armenian people and communities of the diaspora, while “urging” the international community to “acknowledge this historical fact as an unconditional support for truth and justice and as a form of rejection of such acts that shame all humanity.”

The Andean Parliament is the “governing body and representative of the peoples of the Andean Community,” according to a constitutive treaty of October 25, 1979. Its work focuses on the “parliamentary management, policy development and popular representation on issues related the Andean integration process such as education, mobility, migration, social and labor rights, energy, environment and climate change, coexistence and security, food security and sovereignty, competitiveness and entrepreneurship, among others.”

President Serzh Sargsyan has left for the Republic of Kyrgyzstan for a working visit.

President Sargsyan will participate in the sitting of the Council of Heads of CIS member states.

Photo: Suren Stepanyan

 

 – The little robot makes odd beeps as it spins around the room, detecting fires with its thermal sensors and extinguishing flames with a strong blast of air.

Its mission accomplished, the beeps die down and the machine comes to an abrupt halt.

Rather than being the brainchild of experienced engineers in a hi-tech lab, the firefighter robot was designed by Armenian schoolboys Rafael and Sahak Sahakyan – brothers aged 18 and 14.

It is one of several inventions to come out of Armenia’s youth robotics programme, which aims to establish engineering groups in every school by 2019. Already there are 121 after-school clubs, catering for pupils between 12 and 18.

The government hopes the scheme will improve the quality of engineering education and encourage inventors of the future.

At the brothers’ school in Gyumri, one of the poorest cities in Armenia, more than 20 pupils gather after lessons every week to design and create robots.

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On August 29 Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received the delegation of the German-Armenian Forum headed by Member of Bundestag Albert Weiner.

Minister Nalbandian hailed the activity of the Forum targeted at the further reinforcement and expansion of bilateral ties.

The interlocutors praised the high-level cooperation established between Armenia and Germany and discussed steps towards the deepening of relations.

Albert Weiner briefed Minister Nalbandian on the current activities and plans of the Forum.

Edward Nalbandian hailed the recognition of the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag and valued the efforts of the German-Armenian Forum in the process.

During the meeting reference was made to Armenia-EU relations and the ongoing negotiations on a new legal framework with the EU.

The Armenian Foreign Minister briefed the German lawmakers on the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group targeted at the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue.

The Armenian neighborhoods of Aleppo came under rocket attack of the opposition militants on Wednesday, reports, quoting its sources in Aleppo.

According to the source, the rockets fell in the area adjunct to the Armenian Evangelical Church in Aleppo. Head of the Armenian Evangelical community of Aleppo, Rev. Harutyun Selimyan confirmed no fatalities were reported.

He said there were children taking exams at the school at the moment of the attack. “They were lucky to survive,” Rev. Harutyun Selimyan said. He added, however, that the attack had caused serious material damages.

Other districts of Aleppo were also targeted by militants. Six were killed, dozens were wounded.