Author: Greg Madatian

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs will visit Stepanakert for talks with Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan and Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan has said.

Speaking to Artsakhpress, Babayan said the border issues and the ceasefire violations would be in the spotlight.

“Naturally, reference will be made to the overall negotiation process and the regional developments. The issue of implementing a mechanism of investigation of border incidents will also be raised,” he said.

The Spokesman added that during meetings with the mediators official Stepanakert makes different proposals, which Baku turns down. He said Stepanakert has offers to make at the forthcoming meeting, but added that the Co-Chairs should first of all try to bring Azerbaijan to the constructive field.

David Babayan stressed the importance of a meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. “This will be an important mechanism for maintaining peace and stability,” he said.

The Co-Chairs are expected to arrive in Armenia on October 26 to meet with Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian.

 

 

 

Under a presidential grant, the Research on Armenian
Architecture Fund and the Digital Monument NGO have published a map-guide to the historical monuments of Gegharkunik and Kotayk provinces.

“Such guides help improve the knowledge of the homeland and contribute to the development of tourism,” Samvel Karapetyan, President of the Research on Armenian Architecture Fund, told reporters today.

According to Armen Gevorgyan, President of the Digital Monument NGO, three thousand copies of the guide have been distributed among the Governor’s Offices of Kotayk and Gegharkunik, a number of hotels, more than 40 tour-operators free of charge.

The authors say they will continue to publish map-guides to the historical-architectural monuments in all provinces of Armenia, if appropriate funding is available.

Turkey has again summoned the Russian ambassador after a second violation of its airspace by a Russian warplane operating in Syria in two days, the BBC reports.

It did the same after the first violation on Saturday, after which two Turkish F-16 jets were scrambled.

Turkey said the second violation occurred on Sunday.

Russia said Saturday’s violation was for just a few seconds and due to poor weather. It has not officially reacted to Sunday’s incident.

Saturday’s interception took place near Yayladagi in the southern Hatay region, Turkey says.

Upon his arrival in New York on the evening of September 24th, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs Igor Popov, James Warlick and Pierre Andrieu. Anjey Kasprzyk, the personal representative of the OSCE Chairman in office participated in the meeting.

The Foreign Minister of Armenia expressed his indignation to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs on the gross violations of the ceasefire by Azerbaijan, which caused human losses among the civilian population.

“Azerbaijan has developed a bad practice of escalating the situation, even at the expense of human casualties, on the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh and at the border with Armenia, ahead of important visits to the region and high level meetings, thus undermining the meetings and impeding the negotiation process”, underlined Minister Nalbandian.

Strongly condemning the killing of three Armenian citizens, as a result of ceasefire violation by Azerbaijan, Minister Nalbandian said: “This yet another provocation by Azerbaijan came as a response to the expectation, expressed by the Minsk Group Co-chairs on holding productive talks between Armenian and Azerbaijani Foreign Ministers in New York.”

The possible steps on stabilisation of the situation were discussed at the meeting.

A special cover dedicated to the 40^th anniversary of OSCE founding document Helsinki Final Act took was cancelled in Yerevan on September 16.

The Special cover represents a unique philatelic product – a thematic cover, on which the stamp dedicated to the OSCE and issued in 2012 is attached and which will be cancelled with a Special postmark. The Special cover has been designed with a print run of 1000 pcs. It depicts the logotype of the 40^th anniversary of Helsinki Final Act.

The participants of the cover signing ceremony were “HayPost” CJSC Trust Manager Mr. Juan Pablo Gechidjian, Deputy Minister of Transport and Communication of the RA Mr. Gagik Tadevosyan, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the RA Mr. Edward Nalbandyan, Director of OSCE Conflict Prevention Center Mr. Marsel Peszko, Head of OSCE Office in Yerevan Mr. Andrey Sorokin, President of the Union of Philatelists of the RA Mr. Hovik Musaelyan.

“HayPost” CJSC pays great attention to the development of the Armenian philately and enhances the interest of the broad segments of the society with regard to the philately and stamps through issuing similar philatelic products.

Ukraine has closed its airspace to Syria-bound Russian planes with humanitarian aid, Ukrainian Prime Minister Arseniy Yatsenyuk said Thursday, RIA Novosti reports.

Yatsenyuk said during a meeting with his Slovak counterpart Robert Fico that Ukraine would not let Russian aircraft with humanitarian supplies to war-torn Syria use the country’s airspace.

He said that he ordered a Ukrainian state company that services the country’s airtraffic to strengthen control over any flights of Russian aircraft to Syria.

Armenia held Denmark to a goalless draw in a Euro-2016 qualifier held at Vazgen Sargsyan Stadium in Yerevan.

The visitors started on the front foot and forced Armenian goalkeeper Gevorg Kasparov into a good save after just two minutes when Riza Durmisi fired at goal from distance.

However, they missed the creative influence of injured midfielder Christian Eriksen as they struggled to create genuine openings, and Armenia gradually took control as Gevorg Ghazaryan headed wide and Lars Jacobsen blocked Marcos Pizzelli’s effort in a quiet first half.

The hosts continued in the same vein after the restart and managed to test Kasper Schmeichel with long-range strikes when the Leicester City goalkeeper held Robert Arzumanyan’s 25-yarder, before Pizzelli’s effort from a similar distance had the same result.

Armenia had the best opportunity of the game when Ruslan Koryan slipped Yura Movsisyan through on goal, but the striker could only fire into the side-netting with just Schmeichel to beat.

Nicklas Bendtner tested Gevorg Kasparov with a low drive in a rare effort for Denmark, but the game failed to spark into life and both sides had to settle for a single point.

On 3 September Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic President reported.

The meeting addressed a number of issues related to the situation along the contact line between Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan armed forces.

A Thai court has issued an arrest warrant for a Turkish man who is the husband of a Thai suspect already being sought in connection with Bangkok’s deadly bombing, the Associated Press reports.

National police chief Prawut Thavornsiri identied the man as Emrah Davutoglu. He is facing charges of conspiracy to possess unauthorized war materials.

Wednesday’s arrest warrant is the eight issued by Thai authorities in connection with the Aug. 17 bombing of a central Bangkok shrine, which left 20 people dead and more than 120 wounded.

Prawut says that Davutoglu is believed to have been “part of a network that provided accommodation” to those connected with the bombing.

Earlier this week, police issued an arrest warrant for his wife, Thai national Wanna Suansan, whose name was on the lease of an apartment that police raided over the weekend and discovered bomb-making materials.

A gunman has opened fire at a cinema in the US state of Louisiana, killing two people and injuring several others before shooting himself, officials say, the BBC reports.

Police said the attacker was a 58-year-old white male armed with a handgun but did not release any further details.

Witnesses said the man opened fire about 20 minutes into a screening of a film at the Grand Theatre in Lafayette.

Police chief Jim Craft said officers responded to reports of a shooting at about 19:30 local time.

Mr Craft said seven other people were taken to a local hospital with injuries ranging from critical to non-life threatening.

The gunman’s identity is known to police, Mr Craft added, but is not being released at this time.

The police chief said that the gunman did have a criminal history but that it was “pretty old”.