Author: David Nargizian

BAKU: OSCE MG urges Karabakh conflict sides to reduce tensions

David Nargizian
Trend, Azerbaijan
18:40 (UTC+04:00)                

Baku, Azerbaijan, June 19

By Elmira Tariverdiyeva – Trend:

The OSCE Minsk Group (MG) encourages the sides of the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to consider measures that would reduce tensions on the line of contact and the international border between Armenia and Azerbaijan, says a statement by the OSCE MG co-chairs, issued June 19.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region in June, says the statement.

The main purpose of the co-chairs’ visit was to discuss the position of the sides towards the next steps in the Nagorno-Karabakh peace process after the trilateral ministerial meeting in Moscow (April 28), as well as the overall situation in the conflict zone, according to the statement.

The co-chairs met with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan in Yerevan on June 10 and with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Baku on June 19, as well as held consultations with the two countries’ foreign and defense ministers, says the statement.

In Baku, they also met with the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh.

In their talks in Baku, the co-chairs expressed deep concern over the recent violations of the ceasefire, resulting in casualties on the line of contact on the eve of their visit to Azerbaijan.

They appealed to the conflict sides to avoid further escalation, says the statement.

“In both capitals, the co-chairs called upon the parties to re-engage in negotiations on substance, in good faith and with political will,” according to the statement. “They underscored that this is the only way to bring a lasting peace to the people of the region, who expect and deserve progress in the settlement of the conflict. The presidents expressed their intention to resume political dialogue in an attempt to find a compromise solution for the most controversial issues of the settlement.”

The co-chairs will travel to Vienna to brief the members of the Minsk Group on July 3, says the statement. They also plan to meet again soon with the Azerbaijani and Armenian foreign ministers to discuss modalities of the forthcoming work.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Education: WITSA officials: Armenia prepares children for digital era

David Nargizian
iTel, Armenia
June 8 2017
WITSA officials: Armenia prepares children for digital era

 

17:05 | 08.06.17 | Interviews | visibility 291

Yerevan will host World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) in 2019. The organizational works will kick off tomorrow within the frames of 10th anniversary edition of DigiTec Business Forum.

Chairman of World Information Technology and Services Alliance (WITSA) Yvonne Chiu and Secretary General of WITSA James Poisant gave an interview to Itel.am within their visit to Armenia.

-Taiwan and Armenia have the same geographical sizes, and we will both host WVCIT, respectively in 2017 and 2019. How did Taiwan succeed in becoming a large tech hub?

Yvonne Chiu – It is great advantage that Taiwan’s government is supporting us. If you have a strategy, government will support you. You need to be patient, as success requires time.

James Poisant – Taiwan made a decision 30 years ago to fund and develop IT business globally. IT community committed the government to fund the industry, so the sector evolved. As a result, they have one of the biggest powerhouses of ICT products and services around the globe. The key to success is the joint work and cooperation of the government and the industry, regardless of who is in office.
 
– You met with the Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan yesterday. What was the topic of your discussion?

James Poisant – We saw that Armenia was developing a strategic plan. We are currently conducting a major study in Asia (23 countries), which will show the world what it actually takes to be successful in developing a digital economy. We did not have a lot of time to exactly understand where Armenia is, but you can all learn from the study, which we are happy to share with you and your government.

Mediamax

– What has surprised you in Armenian IT?

James Poisant. Tumo Center for Creative Technologies is on the right track. Training those kids in every aspect of technology is what IT industry is looking for. I was told during my last visit that these kids are being trained for the digital era. It’s perfect, that’s what you need.

Touching upon the education, schools and universities should work with the industry to succeed. When you visit the classroom, you should make sure that the curriculum prepares that child for a real job. In fact, when graduates cannot perform well in a given company, the latter faces a choice: either stay and retrain people or look for some other places. But you don’t want them to go to another country, do you?

No company wants ill-trained people. Besides, companies can simply take the work online anywhere in the world. That’s why the employees really need to be aware of the demands in the industry, they need to be compatible.

Yvonne Chiu – Education is also important. We had a tour at several IT companies, and found out that their main concern was the lack of qualified specialists. You must train students at schools, and government should help you by funding the sector.

I would like to see Armenia and Taiwan having a good friendship. You are surrounded by land, and we are surrounded by ocean. You can give us the land and we can give you the water (laughing – edt.). I noticed that Armenians are positive and hardworking people, but you need to have the right direction and focus.

Narine Daneghyan talked to Yvonne Chiu and James Poisant

401 babies born in Yerevan in one week

David Nargizian
A1 Plus, Armenia
June 7 2017
  • 11:29 | June 7,2017 | Social

A total of 401 babies, including 213 boys and 188 girls, were born in Yerevan between may 26 and June 1.

About 40399 people applied to medical institutions subordinated to the Yerevan Municipality during the reporting period, the Municipality’s Press Service reports.

Armenian President participates in National Program for Educational Excellence event

David Nargizian 
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Tuesday
Armenian President participates in National Program for Educational
Excellence event
YEREVAN, MAY 30, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan
participated in the National Program for Educational Excellence event
on May 30 in the session hall of Matenadaran, where the previous works
of the program were discussed, the launch of creating a school network
with the new “Ararat Baccalaureate” educational program was signaled,
and the first schools joining the program from both Armenian provinces
and Artsakh were presented.
The President awarded certificates of appreciation to the best
candidate schools that participated in the creation of the network and
gained high results in exams.
The President’s Office told ARMENPRESS during the event the President
greeted the participants and congratulated all teachers and
educational institutions which were qualified in the Ararat
Baccalaureate.
The President delivered opening remarks at the event.
The text of Serzh Sargsyan’s speech is available in Armenian.

Sports: Man Utd ace Mkhitaryan honoured by Armenia’s first-class medal of services

David Nargizian
Tribal Football


by Paul Vegas 

image:

Manchester United midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been honoured by Armenia.

The seven-time Armenian footballer of the year was awarded a first-class medal of services to the motherland on Sunday at a ceremony in Yerevan.

Mkhitaryan, Armenia’s captain and record goalscorer, was among those recognised by president Serzh Sargsyan at the Armenian Presidential Palace.

“I won’t compare the medal with any goal, you can’t compare those things,” he said after the ceremony.

“When Serzh Sargsyan was handing me the medal, he thanked me for good representation of Armenia.”


BAKU: Trump: US strongly supports Karabakh conflict’s peaceful resolution

David Nargizian
Trend, Azerbaijan
17:14 (UTC+04:00)                            

Baku, Azerbaijan, May 26

Trend:

President of the United States of America Donald J. Trump has congratulated President of the Republic of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev.

“On behalf of the American people, I want to congratulate you and the people of Azerbaijan as you celebrate Republic Day on May 28,” said Trump in his congratulatory letter.

“Azerbaijan is a valued partner of the United States. Together, we are working to enhance global security through our joint counterterrorism efforts. We stand with the people of Azerbaijan and are committed to strengthening our relationship through dialogue on security, economic cooperation, and democratic principles,” noted the US president.

“You are building new sources of energy for Europe, and we are grateful for our long and successful history of cooperation in this area. As you move to diversify your economy, we look forward to building new business ties to the benefit of both our countries. The United States also strongly supports the peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Trump.

“I congratulate you again on this important day and look forward to working with you as an active partner to ensure a greater future for our countries and the world,” he added.

Armenia CEC rejects annulment of election results

David Nargizian
PanArmenian
– 14:47 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The Central Electoral Commission on Sunday, May 21 confirmed the final results of Yerevan municipal elections and rejected an opposition party’s demand to annul them.

Yerkir Tsirani (Land of Apricot) party demanded last week that the Armenian CEC annul the results of elections.

In a letter addressed to the CEC chairman Tigran Mukuchyan, party representative Armen Gabrielyan argued that the police and the Republican Party (RPA) carried out “a large-scale fraud operation,” which included vote-buying cases and use of violence against MP Zaruhi Postanjyan and her daughter.

At a session on Sunday, the CEC declared that RPA will receive 46 mandates at Yerevan City Council, while YELQ bloc and Yerkir Tsirani will get 14 and five seats, respectively.

The governor of California vetoed Sassounyan’s release

David Nargizian
Ermeni Haber

US California governor Jerry Brown prevented the conditional release of Hambik Sasunyan, who shot the Turkish consul in Los Angeles in 1982 and was sentenced to life imprisonment.

In the meantime, let’s note that in 2016 During the court session held in California on December 14, it was decided to grant the pardon application of Hambik Sasunyan. The decision was to take effect only if ratified by the governor of California.

The Turkish “Habersitesi” news site, referring to the American “SFGate sitesince” news station, states that the governor used the right of veto to prevent the process of Sasunyan’s release.

Many appeals from the Turkish-American associations, as well as the letters personally addressed to the new US Secretary of State Rex Tillerson and the US Justice Minister on March 28 to the California governor’s office contributed to preventing the process by the governor.

Earlier, the Turkish Foreign Ministry also responded to the issue of pardoning Sasunyan. The latter’s statement specifically stated: “We justly expect that the US authorities will oppose that decision and prevent Sasunyan’s release.”

Let’s remind thatHambik Sassounyan (born in 1963 in Beirut, the capital of Lebanon), was a member of the secret organization “Fighters of Justice of the Armenian Genocide”. On the morning of January 28, 19-year-old Hambik shot the Turkish consul Kemal Arıkan at the intersection of Wilshire Boulevard and Comstock Street in Los Angeles, when his car was standing at a red light. After his arrest, the US court sentenced him to life imprisonment, without the right to appeal. Hambik Sasunyan is serving his sentence in the San Luis Obispo prison in the USA. Twice, in 2006 and 2010, the US court rejected Sasunyan’s request for pardon.

OSCE Minsk Group blames Azerbaijan for missile attack

David Nargizian

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group, Ambassadors Igor Popov of Russia, Stephane Visconti of France, and Richard Hoagland of the United States of America, released the following statement:

According to information collected from multiple reliable sources, on 15 May, Azerbaijani armed forces fired a missile across the Line of Contact, striking military equipment. On the evening of 16 May and continuing into 17 May, Armenian armed forces retaliated with mortar fire of various calibres. These actions by both sides represent significant violations of the ceasefire and are cause for alarm.

There are contradictory reports regarding the targets of these recent strikes, as well as about casualties sustained and damages inflicted. The Minsk Group Co-Chairs and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office continue to collect further data and analysis to gain more complete and accurate information about the current situation.

The Co-Chairs condemn these recent ceasefire violations and call upon the sides to take all necessary measures to prevent any further escalation in the conflict zone.

U.S. Embassy brings U.S. and Armenian companies together to develop renewable energy

David Nargizian

The future of energy is renewable. And it is a future that Armenia can take advantage of, for its pocketbook today and for future generations as well. That was the message of a day-long conference organized by the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, in partnership with the Ministry of Energy and Natural Resources and the firm Contour Global. They brought together representatives from some of the top U.S. renewable energy companies to meet with 70 Armenian businesses to discuss how they can best partner.

The session on May 17 allowed U.S. companies to detail their expertise and technology for clean energy and smart electric grid development.

“Armenia and its energy sector have grown so much over the last 25 years. I am excited to think about what the next 25 years will bring, knowing that it will be developed through partnerships started here today,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr., who opened the session along with the Deputy Minister of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources.

The one-day conference was designed to strengthen the increasing commercial ties between the U.S. and Armenia by introducing leading U.S. companies to Armenian energy sector operators, allowing the American companies to showcase the latest technological advances in the field.

Clean, renewable energy is an increasing part of Armenia’s Clean, renewable energy is an increasing part of Armenia’s energy sector, which has grown over the past few years. From 2010 to 2015, Armenian production of electricity grew 20%, which Ambassador Mills noted was why the U.S. Embassy sees investment opportunities in Armenia for U.S. companies.

“As many of you know, this year we are marking 25 years of U.S.-Armenian relations. Twenty five years ago, I remember well working on the issues of the newly-independent Armenia at the State Department in Washington, D.C. Those of you old enough remember well that in those early years of independence, Armenia’s energy situation was shaky. Outages were the norm. Trees were clear-cut to provide heat. It was a time of true crisis,” he said. “But Armenia did not surrender to the darkness and scarcity. Instead, with the support of friends and partners like the U.S., Armenia developed into a nation that is able to meet its needs, and in fact able to export its excess electricity.”

He highlighted the valuable work done by the Armenian government to encourage energy diversification and clean energy production, including a Solar Cell Investor Conference it organized in January. And he mentioned how the U.S. has partnered with the Armenian government, describing an exchange trip organized last month for Armenian officials and private sector representatives to visit experts in the U.S. to gain best practices for solar power energy production.

Seven U.S. companies – Honeywell Building Solutions, Honeywell Smart Energy, MacLean Power Systems, First Solar Power Solutions, Caterpillar, General Electric and Contour Global – sent representatives to the conference to share their experiences and to learn about business opportunities in Armenia. The one-day program also featured presentations by International Finance Corporation (IFC), German Development Bank KfW, Ameria Bank, Switzerland-based Meeco Group, and Armenian government officials.

“The Armenian government has been leading the efforts in diversifying the nation’s energy sector into renewables and of boosting energy efficiency programs. They have put into place mechanisms and programs enabling the growth of Armenia’s renewable and solar cell energy sectors,” Ambassador Mills said.  “And as we have for the past 25 years, the U.S. government will continue to be a partner with Armenia.”