Author: Arpi Talalian

On November 6 Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in the 38th General Conference of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization (UNESCO).

The same day Minister Nalbandian addressed the plenary sitting of the Conference.

The event has brought together high-level delegations from 195 UNESCO member states. The participants are expected to approve the action plan and the budget for the coming years.

Elections of the UNESCO governing bodies are also envisaged.

On October 9, the meeting between Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian and Canada’s Minister of International Development and La Francophonie Christian Paradis.

Welcoming the guest, Minister Nalbandian mentioned that despite the distance between Armenia and Canada, the two states effectively cooperate both on bilateral and multilateral formats and the recently intensive high-level contacts create a firm basis for the development of the relations.

Expressing gratitude for the reception, hosting of Conference of Ministers of Foreign Affairs of the International Organization of La Francophonie (OIF) and high-level of the organization of the event, Minister Paradis thanked for the support of Michaëlle Jean candidature for OIF Secretary General, announced by Canada at the Dakar Summit.

During the meeting, pending issues on the agenda of OIF member-states and steps to resolve them were touched upon.

The Ministers discussed steps, undertaken for the activation of political dialogue, facilitation of visa regime, expansion of trade and economic cooperation between states.

Minister Paradis stressed significant role that the Armenian community in Canada plays in the public, political and economic life.

Edward Nalbandian and Christian Paradis exchanged views on a range of pressing international and regional issues. In this context, Minister Nalbandian underscored, that nearly 1,7000 refugees from Syria received asylum in Armenia. Minister Paradis, in his turn, presented Canada’s assistance to the refugees and displaced persons from the Middle East.

The Foreign Minister presented to the guest efforts exerted by Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

On the last day of his working visit to the U.S., October 1, Serzh Sargsyan took part in a “reference-free” discussion held by the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace. In his extensive speech to representatives of the U.S. expert community, the president touched upon the issues on Armenia’s foreign policy agenda, and the present-day international problems and challenges which pose a threat to peace and security.

The president presented the problems existing at the current stage of the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process and the situation in the region. Serzh Sargsyan also reflected upon the Middle East crisis and Armenia’s approaches to that issue. Armenia’s president presented the status of ongoing reforms being implemented in Armenia with the support of its European partners, the process of RA constitutional amendments and the logic of changes envisioned in the Draft Constitution.

Serzh Sargsyan responded to multiple questions from the discussion participants, touching upon, inter alia, issues on Armenia’s socio-economic development, our country’s policy to ensure steady economic growth through getting involved in different integration processes, and upon the prospects of Armenia-Turkey relations.

Serzh Sargsyan also had a private conversation with William Burns, president of the Carnegie Endowment for International Peace.

Today’s Google Doodle is dedicated to Armenia’s Independence Day. The doodle is available on the Armenian service of Google (google.am).

A Google Doodle is a special, temporary alteration of the logo on Google’s homepage that is intended to celebrate holidays, events, achievements and people.

On September 21, 2015 Armenia celebrates the 24th anniversary of independence.

On September 17-19, “French Days in Artsakh” festival will be held in the Nagorno Karabakh Republic. In the framework of the festival a range of events presenting France and its culture will take place in Artsakh. The festival’s aim is to strengthen and broaden friendly ties, dialogue and cooperation between Artsakh and France.

Around 200 guests from France, representing France-Karabakh Friendship Circle, municipalities of French towns twinned with Artsakh communities, Support to Karabakh association and Armenian community of France, as well as artists and journalists will visit Artsakh in the framework of the festival.

The ceremonies of gala opening of the “Eternity” sculpture (by Toros) in the Stepanakert square of France and laying the foundation of The House of Paul Eluard francophone center, festive event in Stepanakert school N1, the demonstration of Artsakh and French cuisines, ceremony of the opening of Yeznik Mozyan vocational school in Shushi, the presentation of animation films of Folimage French studio at the State Museum of Fine Arts of Shushi, contest on making postcards symbolizing the Karabakh-France friendship in Stepanakert’s Shahumian Square are included in the program of “French Days in Artsakh” festival. A concert at Stepanakert Revival square on September 19 by French-Armenian singer Patrick Fiori will conclude the festival.

 

 

 

“The Eurasian Economic Union is a purely economic structure and has nothing to do with security. Therefore, no issue of border security can be discussed,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters today. He added that the issue will be raised at the forthcoming CSTO summit on September 15.

Does Armenia expect concrete actions from the CSTO? Shavarsh Kocharyan said that we “first and foremost rely upon ourselves on issue of our security and defense.”

“We should understand that if a country relies upon others, the outcome may be sad,” he said. He added, however, that “the role of any country is important to us, and this first of all refers to countries we have agreements with.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister stressed that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict proceeds within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group. He said progress is absent because Azerbaijan puts the emphasis on issues favorable to itself. “There will be no progress unless Azerbaijan changes its behavior, while speaking about unilateral concessions is simply strange.”

Referring to reports on the expected visit of Crimean leader Sergey Aksenev to Armenia, Shavarsh Kocharyan declared that “the Armenian Foreign Ministry has not sent any official invitation to the leadership of Crimea, but added that “any person with a Russian passport is free to visit Armenia.”

The delegation headed by Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan will leave for Grodno (Belarus) on September 8 to participate in the sitting of the Inter-Governmental Council of the Eurasian Economic Council, Government’s Press Service reports.

 

 

 

Famous English film director Sean McAllister’s film A Syrian Love Story is included in the competition of documentary films of the Golden Apricot International Film Festival.

It is a story of love and family under the conditions of the Syrian crisis. Filmed over five years, A Syrian Love Story charts an incredible odyssey to political freedom in the West. For Raghda and Amer, it is a journey of hope, dreams and despair: for the revolution, their homeland and each other.

“I have tried to avoid politics as much as possible and focus on the love story of a couple, which is more universal than politics,” Sean McAllister told a press conference today.

Having left school at 16, Sean McAllister worked in a variety of factories in the North of England before he picked up a camera and filmed his way into the National Film School, where he graduated in 1996.

His first film, Working for the Enemy was followed up with The Minders and both earned him Royal Television Society Award Nomination. After these came Settlers (2000) and Hull’s Angel in 2002.

From his early films to his more recent international successes, Sean McAllister’s films portray, with characteristic intimacy and frankness, people from different parts of the world who are struggling to survive but are survivors. They are caught up in political and personal conflicts, trying to make sense of the world we live in.