Author: Dabaghian Diana

 

 

 

The Military Attachés of the diplomatic representations registered in Armenia visited the Peacekeeping Brigade today within the framework of the NATO Week events, familiarized with the history of creation of the unit, the ongoing works and everyday life.

Deputy Chief of the Operative Department of the Peacekeeping Brigade, Major Yervand Voskanyan briefed the Military Attachés of the US, German, French and British Embassies on the history of the brigade.

According to the Brigade’s Commander, Major General Arthur Simonyan, two detachments with 56 and 65 peacekeepers currently carry out mission in Afghanistan. Another 35-member group is in Kosovo, while a 32-member detachment is on mission in Lebanon. The Commander says the mission in Lebanon may be expanded in the future.

German Embassy’s Military Attaché Michael Westerman hailed the cooperation with the Armenian authorities, especially the ministry of Defense and the Peacekeeping Brigade. He expressed gratitude for Armenia’s contribution to NATO’s peacekeeping mission in Afghanistan.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the world famous French scientist, one of the forefathers of the Internet, Executive Director of Open-Root organization Louis Pouzin who has become the recipient of the RA Presidential Award in the area of Information Technologies for his global contribution to the IT area.

The President of Armenia welcomed the celebrated scientist and his spouse Chantal Lebrument in our country and underscored that the RA Presidential Award, which was bestowed on Mr. Pouzin, is the embodiment of the Armenian people’s gratitude and admiration for the individuals who are moving the world forward and whose talent allowed the West to achieve technological advantage compared to the East. “This award serves another purpose too: to invite the attention of our young people to the individuals and activities which have become successful, and is called to inspire them. We want to prove that knowledge can make someone world famous and allow to live a prosperous life and enjoy respect,” said the President of Armenia.

Louis Pouzin said that throughout his life he has been working with pleasure and has been happy to contact persons who are resolute in their steps. “I am confident that there are many such people in Armenia with whom it is possible to work and implement programs. My objective is to maintain a constant contact with them and thanks to that link even to develop new programs and carry out works,” said Louis Pouzin at the meeting with the President of Armenia.

After the meeting, at the Presidential Palace there took place the ceremony of the cancelling a special envelop dedicate to the recipients of the RA Presidential Award. This is a special philatelic product – a thematic envelop with two stamps produced in 2013 and is dedicated to the “RA Presidential Award for the global contribution in the area of Information Technologies” topic. This special edition envelop, which was printed in 500 copies, was cancelled with a special seal. The envelop depicts the recipient of the RA Presidential Award in the area of Information Technologies for year 2016, the French scientist, the inventor of datagram, one of the five forefathers of the internet Louis Pouzin and the six previous recipients of the Award.

In the evening, at the Presidential Palace there will be a reception in honor of the recipient of the RA Presidential Award in the area of Information Technologies for year 2016 Louis Pouzin and Mrs. Chantal Lebrument.

Additional information on the RA Presidential Award for the global contribution to the IT area

Mr. Louis Pouzin is the seventh recipient of the RA Presidential Award for the global contribution to the area of information Technologies. The first award was bestowed on the former President of the Board of Directors of Intel Corporation Greig Barrett in 2010, the second one was given in 2011 to Steve Wozniak – a co-founder of the Apple Computers corporation, the third one – in 2012 went to Federico Faggin – the Honorary President of the Synaptics Company, the fourth award went to Tsugio Makimoto, the President of Semiconductor Industry Association, President of the Techno Vision company, former CEO of the Hitachi Company, the fifth – to Chief Development Officer of Sysco Systems, Inc., Mario Mazzola, the sixth – to Director General of Kaspersky Lab Evgeni Kaspersky.

The RA Presidential Award for the global contribution to the IT area was founded by President Serzh Sargsyan’s decree of July 6, 2009 and is aimed at the enhancement of the area’s development. The award is annual and is bestowed on the individuals who have made outstanding contribution to the area and whose input – technological, educational, organizational, financial or other has resulted in significant developments in the area of information technologies. The nomination program is carried out by the award committee designated by the President of Armenia and the international commission. The award represents a medal symbolizing Armenia and high technologies, a diploma and a souvenir.

Christiano Ronaldo has signed his contract extension with Real Madrid in the Board Room of the Santiago Bernabéu accompanied by President Florentino Pérez, according to the club’s official website.

The Portuguese player is linked to the club until 30 June 2021. Following the signing, he received a replica of the Puerta de Alcalá and a shirt with his name and 2021 on the back.

“I thank the people at Real Madrid, the city of Madrid, my colleagues and everyone who helped me get to this point,” Ronaldo said.

“It is a special day for me, very important, as it continues my link with Madrid.

“As I’ve always said, it is the club of my heart and this is a unique moment in my life, to renew for five years.

“But it won’t be the last contract, that’s clear, because in the next five years I will continue doing the same.”

The delegation headed by Lieutenant-Colonel Movses Hakobyan, Chief of the General Staff of RA Armed Forces, participated in the 23rd annual conference of European Armies held in the German city of Wiesbaden October 25-26.

Led by U.S. Army Europe (USAREUR) and featuring high-ranking military officials from 42 countries, the conference was aimed at the exchange of views on the threats facing the European security and stability and the ways of resisting the challenges.

Pope Francis has arrived in Georgia at the start of a three day trip to the Caucasus which will also take him Sunday for a brief visit to Azerbaijan, Radio Vatican reports.

On Friday, Georgian government, civil and religious leaders and members of the Catholic community turned out at Tbilisi’s international airport to greet the pontiff, whose plane touched down shortly before 3:00 pm local time.

Meeting national authorities and members of the diplomatic corps in Tbilisi, Georgia Friday, Pope Francis described the Caucasus nation as a “blessed land, a place of encounter and vital exchange among cultures and civilizations” which, since the 4th century, “discovered in Christianity its deepest identity and the solid foundation of its values.”

The Pope was speaking at the Presidential palace shortly after his arrival in the Georgian capital.  In his address, he recalled his meeting in the Vatican last year with President Giorgi Margvelashvili and thanked him for the invitation to visit his country whose values, expressed “in culture, language and traditions,” he said, place it fully “within the bedrock of European civilization.”

Photo: ESA

 

Europe’s Rosetta probe has ended its mission to Comet 67P by crash-landing on to the icy object’s surface, the BBC reports.

Mission control in Darmstadt, Germany, was able to confirm the impact had occurred when radio contact to the ageing spacecraft was lost abruptly.

The assumption is that the probe would have been damaged beyond use.

In the hours before the planned collision, Rosetta sent back a host of high-resolution pictures and other measurements of the icy dirt-ball.

“I can announce full success of this historic descent of Rosetta towards Comet 67P,” said European Space Agency mission manager Patrick Martin.

“Farewell Rosetta; you’ve done the job. That was space science at its best.”

Scientists expect all the data gathered at 67P in the past two years to keep them busy for decades to come.

On September 28, in the framework of the working visit to Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan met with Director of the European Friends of Armenia NGO Diogo Pinto. During the meeting, the sides discussed a range of issues related to joint projects and their realization.

Later in the day the NKR Foreign Minister had a working lunch with member of the Belgian Parliament and PACE Piete De Bruyn. The sides touched upon the existing situation of the peaceful settlement of Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the large-scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the NKR on April 2-5 as well as its consequences.

On the same day, Karen Mirzoyan participated in an event dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Armenia organized by the Embassy of Armenia in Brussels.

The working visit of Minister Karen Mirzoyan to Belgium has ended.

The Armenian parliamentary delegation headed by Vice-Speaker of the National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov had a meeting with Gerardo Amarilla, President of the House of Representatives of the Oriental Republic of Uruguay.

Edward Sharmazanov hailed the relations between the two countries based on goodwill, mutual understanding and support.

The Deputy Speaker noted that “Armenia is interested in establishing multi-faceted cooperation with Latin American countries, including Uruguay” and voiced hope that the visit would help achieve progress.

Sharmazanov emphasized the close cooperation between the two countries within the framework of international organizations. He commended Uruguay’s balanced stance on Armenia-related resolutions at the UN.

Speaking about the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, Edward Sharmazanov said: “We spare no effort to reach full recognition of the Armenian Genocide. The mass condemnation of such crimes will help prevent the reoccurrence of new crimes against humanity. Uruguay took the lead in the process of recognition of the Armenian Genocide, serving an example to the entire world and thus proving its commitment to universal values,” he said.

Referring to the Karabakh issue, Sharmazanov said “Armenia and Artsakh stand for exceptionally peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict” and added that there was no alternative to the realization of the Artsakh Armenians’ right to self-determination.

He emphasized the role of the Armenian community in the deepening of the Armenian-Uruguayan relations.

Photo: DHA via AP

 

The Syrian Foreign Ministry has assessed Turkey’s intrusion into Syrian territory as an act violating the country’s sovereignty, the news agency SANA reports.

“Damascus condemns the intrusion of Turkish tanks into Syrian territory under the cover of air support provided by the US-led international coalition,” the statement says. “Syria regards such actions as outright violation of its sovereignty.”

The Syrian Foreign Ministry said that resistance to terror “is not confined to driving out militants of the terrorist group calling itself Islamic State (outlawed in Russia) only to replace them with other extremist groups supported from Turkey.”

The trailer for “Ithaca,” a film based on William Saroyan’s 1943 novel “The Human Comedy” has been released.

The film tells the story of a 14-year-old telegraph messenger (Alex Neustaedter) in upstate New York whose older brother (Jack Quaid) is overseas fighting in World War II. Ryan and Hanks play their parents.

The film featuring Meg Ryan and Tom Hanks will hit theaters September 9, 2016.