Arsen Poghosyan, Deputy Head of the General Department of Civil Aviation of Armenia, received a delegation led by Eamonn Brennan, Chief Executive of the Irish Aviation Authority.
The meeting addressed a wide range of issues related to air cooperation between Armenia and Ireland, including the perspective of establishing direction air communication between the two countries, which will have a positive influence on the development of interstate relations.
Photo: KCNA
North Korea has claimed that the missile it tested on Sunday was a new type of rocket capable of carrying a large nuclear warhead, the BBC reports.
The missile, launched at a steep angle, reached an altitude of 2,000km and travelled about 700km, landing in the sea west of Japan.
North Korea said on Monday it was a test of the abilities of a “newly developed ballistic rocket”.
South Korea’s military said it could not yet verify the North’s claims.
But it said the North’s missiles did appear to be able to leave and re-enter the atmosphere, which is crucial to developing intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBMs), the Yonhap news agency reported.
Repeated missile tests by the North this year – not all of them successful but all a breach of UN sanctions – have sparked international alarm and raised tensions with the US.
The US and Japan have called for an emergency meeting of the UN Security Council on Tuesday.
The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors added its voice Tuesday to those calling on the White House to recognize the Armenian genocide, reports.
Supervisor Kathryn Barger recommended sending a letter to President Donald Trump.
“Now is the time to put our words into action,” Barger told her colleagues. “We need our national leaders to call what happened between 1915 and 1923 what it is, a genocide.”
She noted that Trump, like past presidents, stopped short of that designation, referring instead to “one of the worst mass atrocities of the 20th century” when mourning the killings of an estimated 1.5 million Armenians.
Supervisor Hilda Solis said officials should not be “intimidated by the threats that are made by the Turkish government,” which has long denied that a genocide occurred.
Even without using the word genocide, Trump’s April 24th statement drew criticism from the Turkish Ministry of Foreign Affairs, which claimed it included “misinformation and false definitions.”
The board will also urge the county’s congressional delegates to support House Resolution 220, sponsored by Rep. Adam Schiff, D-Burbank, which would formally recognize the genocide.
A longtime advocate for the Armenian community, Peter Darakjian, told the board there were no local survivors left to share the horror of the genocide, now that a 101-year-old woman had died.
“History seems to repeat itself if it goes unrecognized. Genocide seems to do the same,” Darakjian said. “Enough already, after 102 years.”
Los Angeles County is home to more than 200,000 Armenians, the largest such community outside of Armenia.
Photo: AFP
Donald Trump has indicated he will scrap plans to find cash for his border wall in this week’s spending bill, the BBC reports.
The president’s close adviser, Kellyanne Conway, said funding for the wall would be left out of a budget measure that must pass by Friday.
Building the wall, paid for by Mexico, was a key campaign promise.
Democrats had threatened to block the bill if money was earmarked for the wall, so its omission may now avert a government shutdown.
But the president insisted on Twitter that he still supported the wall and that it would be built.
The EU and Armenia have concluded negotations on a Partnership Agreement. The deal is likely to be signed in May.
President Serge Sargsyan spoke to ’ Brussels correspondent Andrei Beketov in an exclusive intervew.
Is the Armenia-EU deal a step forward or backward from the Association Agreement, which Armenia called off in 2013?
“Because of the will of both sides, this agreement isn’t so different from the previous one. There no much different in the political part, as for he economic part, we have to make sure there are no contradictions with our commitments vis-à-vis the Eurasian Economic Union, which we are a member of.
But Russia objected the association agreements with Armenia, Ukraine. Did you have to water down the agreement to sooth Russia, your ally?
On the very beginning of the negotiations, our understanding was that we can have both –the Association Agreement with the EU and close integration with the Eurasian Economic Union. Russians never told us we could never sign such an agreement, they told us “you can, but you’ll have to pay for energy at world market price.”
Do you see the future of the Eurasian Economic Union as a match to the Eurasian Union?
I think it’s too early to speak about achieving equivalents. It would be better to talk about cooperation between the two, and we show with our example that it’s possible.
What can you offer the European Union aside from football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan?
We have many famous people like Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Levon Aronian, we have Olympic champions. But we can also be useful for the EU by exporting our agricultural products; IT is also developing very fast in Armenia. Most importantly, we can be a friendly neighbor for the European Union, a trustworthy and predictable neighbor.
Armenia also relies on Russia on security. Are you looking for alternatives, e.g. NATO?
I’ve just met with NATO Secretary General. I invited him to Armenia for us to celebrate our work of the past 25 years. We don’t see any contradiction between this partnership and our alliance with Russia within the framework of the CSTO.
You are taking the current presidential Republic of Armenia into… what will it become?
It’s going to be a very desirable country for every single Armenian. I strongly believe that the parliamentary form of government is more efficient to offer better opportunities for better governance. It provides better opportunities for citizens, representatives of civil society that participate in the running of our country.
Your name is not on the list of the Republican Party of Armenia for the April parliamentary elections. Does it mean you are quitting politics?
That means we are taking into consideration the concerns voiced by the opposition. That also means we are creating opportunities for young people to express themselves in politics.
A 64-year-old woman has successfully given birth to healthy twins – a boy and a girl – in Burgos, northern Spain, the BBC reports.
The Recoletas Hospital delivered the twins by Caesarean section, the usual method in such rare cases.
The unnamed woman had undergone fertility treatment in the US, Spanish media report.
In 2012 the woman gave birth to a girl, who was later taken into care by social services, amid welfare concerns.
Social workers said the girl was being brought up isolated, poorly clothed and with bad personal hygiene, the Spanish daily El Pais reported.
No decision has been taken yet about the mother’s twins. They and the mother are reported to be in good health in hospital. The boy weighs 2.4kg and the girl 2.2kg.
Photo: Reuters
At least four people have died in an avalanche at a ski resort in Tignes in eastern France, rescue services say, the BBC reports.
Nine people were buried by the snow after the avalanche swept through an off-piste area of the resort, which lies close to the Italian border.
Two people were pulled out alive, the rescuers said, while three remain unaccounted for.
The avalanche was reportedly 400 metres (1,300ft) wide and occurred at an altitude of 2,100 metres.
It struck during a particularly busy time for the resort, at the beginning of the half-term school holiday.
Contract serviceman of the NKR Defense Army Gegham Manukyan (born in 1979) has been killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side in the northern direction of the Defense Army at about 11:00 today, the NKR Defense Ministry said in a statement.
Investigation into the details of the incident is under way.
“The NKR Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses support to the serviceman’s family and friends,” the Ministry said.
The Ministry said another soldier, private of the NKR Defense Army Koryun Kirakosyan (born in 1988) was heavily wounded in Azeri firing in the Martakert direction at about 12:00 today.
Ex-Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has submitted an application on withdrawal from the Republican Party of Armenia. Ruben Tadevosyan, head of the Republican Party’s organizational committee confirmed the news to Public Radio of Armenia.
Governor of Ararat Province Rubik Abrahamyan has also submitted his resignation, the Government’s Public Relations Department confirms.
Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan is expected to sign accept the resignation today.
Jose Mourinho has praised the form of Manchester United winger Henrikh Mkhitaryan, according to Manchester United’s official website.