Author: Arsine Chaltikian

On September 19, while paying a working visit to New York, Edward Nalbandian, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, had a meeting with Sebastian Kurz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria.

Edward Nalbandian and Sebastian Kurz exchanged views on different issues of bilateral relations, discussed ways of expanding cooperation and strengthening collaboration within the framework of international organizations.

Within the context of preparation works of Austria’s chairmanship at the OSCE, Sebastian Kurz presented to Edward Nalbandian the priorities of the Austrian chairmanship and the steps to be undertaken for their implementation.

Upon the request of the Foreign Minister of Austria, Edward Nalbandian briefed on the efforts exerted by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Armenia towards the advancement of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.

The cessation of hostilities in Syria that came into effect at sunset on Monday appears to be holding, reports suggest, the BBC reports.

The deal, brokered by Russia and the US has been described by the US Secretary of State, John Kerry, as possibly the “last chance to save a united Syria”.

Residents in the embattled northern city of Aleppo say there is calm there.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights monitoring group said it was “quiet” on nearly all fronts.

However, other reports spoke of sporadic attacks carried out by both government forces and rebels after the ceasefire had come into effect.

The Observatory said they included aerial bombardment of some villages in Hama province, and shelling near Damascus.

The Syrian army has said the truce will be applied throughout Syria for seven days, but that it reserves the right to respond decisively to any violation by armed groups.

A number of rebel factions have given a guarded welcome to the deal but expressed reservations about its implementation.

Turkey and the European Union on Friday agreed to douse tensions that had darkened Ankara’s prospects for joining the bloc in the wake of the failed July 15 coup, AFP reports.

EU foreign policy chief Federica Mogherini and Enlargement Commissioner Johannes Hahn — making the highest-level EU visit to Turkey since the coup — said that new chapters in Ankara’s long-running accession process should be opened and visa liberalisation was still on the table.

Several Turkish and EU officials had engaged in a war of words after the attempted putsch, with Brussels slamming the crackdown that followed the putsch attempt and Ankara unhappy with an apparent lack of solidarity from the bloc.

“The key element which we agreed to was that we talk more to each other and a little bit less about each other, showing full respect,” Mogherini said after talks with Turkey’s Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu and EU Minister Omer Celik.

Mogherini unequivocally condemned the coup aimed at ousting President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, saying: “There is no space whatsoever… for any attempt at a coup.”

She said the sides had an “in depth discussion” in ensuring the rule of law was protected, following criticism of the crackdown that has seen tens of thousands arrested or dismissed over alleged links to the putsch.

She said the main outcome of the meeting was “a strong recommitment to dialogue and common work on all strands of our cooperation.”

–  A Southern California App Developing company, ZaRRian Corp, has launched an emoji app much to the delight of the Armenian community around the world.

ARMOJI is an emoji keyboard that celebrates the rich Armenian culture and adds color, culture and laughter to text messages. The app features 170 fascinating emoji’s that play on Armenian stereotypes and culture that makes texting more fun. But that’s not all. The developers are currently working on more emojis that will be released soon.

Although ZaRRian Corp developed the app, ARMOJI is the brainchild of Angineh Nazarian – head of the team- and an Armenian-American who has lived in California as part of the Armenian community for most of her life.

When asked about how the idea came about for the app, Angineh said “It really came down to a simple phrase. I constantly found myself saying:  ‘I wish we had an emoji for so and so.’ And I’m sure this is something that many people have expressed! For me, this phrase finally turned into a declaration. After discussing it with other Armenians in the community I realized it wasn’t just me; we all needed an Armenian version of emojis, hence ARMOJI!”

Many users are already enjoying the Armenian Emoji app. One user of the app said “I love this app! Being Armenian I feel it’s the best way I can express myself! I can’t believe it took this long for us Armenians to get an app like this! Great added bonus is that the app runs very smoothly and it’s super easy to use!”

ARMOJI is only available on the App store for a download price of $1.99. However, plans are afoot to release the Android version in the near future. For further information, about the app, click .

Photo: AFP

 

A magnitude 6.2 earthquake has struck central Italy, leaving at least six people dead and others trapped under rubble, Italian officials said, the BBC reports.

The quake hit at 03:36 (01:36 GMT), 76 km (47 miles) southeast of the city of Perugia, at the very shallow depth of 10km (six miles), the USGS said.

The Mayor of Amatrice told Italian radio “half the town is gone”.

In Rome, some buildings shook for 20 seconds, according to La Repubblica newspaper.

A family of four had been found under rubble in the town of Accumoli, the town’s mayor Stefano Petrucci told RAI TV.

Meanwhile police said two people had died in the nearby village of Pescara del Tronto, RAI reported.

Donald Trump’s wife, Melania, took centre stage on the first day of the Republican National Convention but faced accusations that a portion of her speech plagiarised Michelle Obama, the BBC reports.

Commentators noticed similarities with Mrs Obama’s 2008 convention speech.

Mrs Trump’s speech also praised her husband as a “compassionate” man who would “fight for the country”.

It was her first speech of the campaign and she had the help of a speechwriting team.

Mr Trump’s communications adviser Jason Miller issued a statement saying: “In writing her beautiful speech, Melania’s team of writers took notes on her life’s inspirations, and in some instances included fragments that reflected her own thinking.

“Melania’s immigrant experience and love for America shone through in her speech, which made it such a success.”

Photo by Ameyaw Debrah ‏via Twitter

 

Brazil football legend Pele is getting married Tuesday for the third time, tying the knot with his girlfriend of six years Marcia Cibele Aoki, Agence France-Presse reports.

Pele, 75, told O Estado de Sao Paulo newspaper that this time, he has found “love forever.”

Pele and Aoki met in New York in the 1980s but only started seeing each other in 2010, when they crossed paths in an elevator in Sao Paulo.

Aoki, a 42-year-old businesswoman, has been by the three-time world champion’s side for nearly all his public appearances since 2012, as well as during his repeated hospital visits in recent years.

Born Edson Arantes do Nascimento, Pele is held by many as being the greatest footballer in history.

He scored 1,281 goals in 1,363 matches, appeared 91 times for Brazil between 1957 and 1971 and played his club football for Brazil’s FC Santos as well as the New York Cosmos.

The Gas and Transport Company of Georgia has officially informed Gazprom Armenia about the temporary suspension of Russian natural gas supply to Armenia from July 10 to August 10.

The suspension is connected with reconstruction works on the damaged parts of the gas pipeline along the Kazakh-Saguramo highway, Press Service of Gazprom Armenia Company reports.

The gas supply will be implemented from underground storage in Abovyan.

Armenian center back Varazdat Haroyan’s contract with Iranian Tractor Sazi has been cancelled because of discontent on the part of the club’s Azerbaijani fans, reports.

Last night Tractor Sazi announced a two-year deal with the Armenian international and posted his photo on its website.

However, in a statement released today the club said “Haroyan’s ethnicity has caused outrage among the Azerbaijani supporters of the club.”

The statement urges to “put an end to the debate and move forward.” The club will now negotiate with other players to strengthen its defense line.

An Ecuador delegation headed by First Vice-President of the National Assembly Rosana Alvarado visited the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial today to pay tribute to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims.

The guests visited the Armenian Genocide Memorial Institute. Rosana Alvarado left a note in the Honorary Guest Book.