Author: Hambardsumian Paul

Iran’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Bahram Qasemi has called on Azerbaijan and Armenia to exercise self-restraint, saying that dialogue and negotiations are peaceful channels for settlement of disputes, Isna reports.

Qasemi said, “Iran invites its two northern neighbors to self-restraint and recommends both sides to do their best to stabilize the situation on the ground through dialogue and negotiations.”

He also hoped that innterational institutes shouldered with ending the struggle would perform their responsibility to end the conflict.

The spokesman also voiced Iran’s readiness for the establishment of peace and security in the region with the help of both sides.

“The leadership of Azerbaijan violates the peaceful efforts of the international community and throws down the gauntlet to the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said, commenting on the statement of the President of Azerbaijan that “the April military actions and the ongoing tensions along the Line of Contact are the internal matter of Azerbaijan.”

“First of all, Azerbaijan has signed the 1994 Trilateral Armistice Agreement and the 1995 Agreement on the Consolidation of the Ceasefire Regime, which have no time limitations, with Armenia and Nagorno-Karabakh. The international community and the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries, which have the mandate for mediation mission, have called on numerous occasions to strictly adhere to those agreements, maintain ceasefire regime and resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh issue exclusively through peaceful negotiations,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said in comments to Armenpress.

“It is obvious that resumption by Azerbaijan of military actions against Nagorno-Karabakh in April of 2016 is a gross violation of Azerbaijan’s international commitments entered into under the abovementioned agreements, constitutes an explicit disregard for the calls of the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries and is an aggression against the self-determined Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

“In its recent statement the leadership of Azerbaijan violates the peaceful efforts of the international community and throws down the gauntlet to the Minsk Group Co-Chair countries,” he noted.

“Either Azerbaijan believing that Nagorno-Karabakh settlement is its internal issue pretends that it takes part in the ongoing negotiations within the framework of the Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, or it participates in the negotiations at the same time pretending that the conflict is its internal issue. Both cases are aimed at undermining the mediatory efforts of the international community,” the Deputy Foreign Minister said.

“If the leadership of Azerbaijan makes such statements without realizing the abovementioned, it still bears the responsibility for the war crimes committed by the Azerbaijani side during the April aggression,” Shavarsh Kocharyan concluded.

President Donald Trump has nominated Colorado federal appeals court judge Neil Gorsuch for the US Supreme Court, the BBC reports.

If confirmed by the Senate, the 49-year-old would replace the vacancy left on the court by the late Justice Antonin Scalia.

The upper chamber’s Democratic leader has already said he has “very serious doubts” about the nominee.

The court has the last legal word on many of the most sensitive US issues, from abortion to gender to gun control.

Photo: Reuters    

The Foreign Relations Senate Committee has narrowly approved Rex Tillerson as US secretary of state, despite concerns about his business ties to Russia, the BBC reports.

It split along party lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favour and all 10 Democrats against. A full vote will now be held in the Republican-run Senate.

The Foreign Relations Senate Committee approved Mr Tillerson after leading Republican Senator Marco Rubio dropped his opposition.

Mr Rubio sparred with Mr Tillerson, a 64-year-old Texan oilmen, during confirmation hearings earlier this month, accusing him of being soft on Russia.

Photo: AP

German police are hunting for the perpetrator of the truck attack at a Berlin market which killed 12, the BBC reprts.

Police released the only detained suspect on Tuesday, saying there was not enough evidence to hold him.

They now say more than one attacker may be on the run, possibly armed, and security has been stepped up in the German capital.

So-called Islamic State (IS) said one of its militants carried out the attack, but offered no evidence.

The former suspect, a Pakistani national named Naved B, had denied any connection with the attack. He was released by authorities who said there was no evidence he was involved.

Police said there were no forensic clues to link him to the vehicle, and had expressed doubt about his involvement soon after his arrest.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

An 18th Century Chinese imperial seal has been sold for a record €21m ($22m) – more than 20 times its estimated price, the BBC reports.

The sale, to an unnamed Chinese collector, took place in Paris on Wednesday after a heated bidding war, Drouot auction house said.

The palm-sized seal is made of red and white steatite, a type of mineral rock.

It was one of hundreds owned by Emperor Qianlong, one of the longest serving Chinese emperors.

The previous record set for an auctioned seal was €14m in 2011.

On the occasion of the 60th anniversary of Public TV and the 90th anniversary of Public Radio of Armenia, Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan handed certificates of gratitude to a group of employees of the Public TV and Radio Company.

Certificates were handed to Vardan Hovhannisyan, author of “My Army” program (Public TV), Seyran Shahsuvayan,  author of the “”Warrior” program on Public TV, journalists of “Radiolur” news program of Public Radio of Armenia Alisa Gevogyan and Armine Gevorgyan, and author of the “Witness of the time” program of Public Radio of Armenia Irina Krpeyan-Barseghyan.

Congratulating the awardees, Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan stressed the importance of mass media in the army in terms of presenting comprehensive and unbiased information about the activity of the Armed Forces.

Minster Sargsyan said he welcomes any new ideas on Army-related  issues and expects continuation of cooperation with a view of calling new programs to life.

“Everything is OK at Manchester United,” Armenia international Henrikh Mkhitaryan told reporters in Yerevan today.

Despite receiving little playing time at Man Utd, Mkhitaryan says nothing can prevent him from moving forward.

“I have passed a long way to reach where I am now. Nothing can prevent me from achieving my dream,” Mkhitaryan said.

“If I give in now, it will mean I have achieved nothing and done nothing to reach there,” he said.

“I will find the strength to struggle in this situation,” the midfielder said.

Mkhitaryan pledged to do his best to reach his goal.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan talked to reporters after being appointed .

On 4 November Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received prime-minister of the Republic of Armenia Karen Karapetyan.

A wide range of issues related to economic cooperation between the two Armenian states were on the discussion agenda.
President Sahakyan once again congratulated Karen Karapetyan on being appointed to the post of head of the RA Cabinet of Ministers, wished him new successes and expressed hope that during his premiership high-level economic ties between the RA and NKR would continue their consistent development and expansion.

Bako Sahakyan handed in the “Mesrop Mashtots” order to Karen Karapetyan which was awarded to him on 30 August of the current year for support shown to Artsakh in realization of significant socioeconomic projects and in connection with the 25th anniversary of the NKR proclamation.

Prime-minister Arayik Haroutyunyan and other officials partook at the meeting.