Author: Maral Chavushian

On February 15, the expert group from the NATO Defense Education Enhancement Program (DEEP) visited the National Defense Research Univerity (NDRU), MoD, RA. President of the NDRU, Doctor of Political Science, Professor, Lieutenant-General Hayk Kotanjian welcomed the guests. He highlighted the support provided by the NATO expert group for the defense education reforms underway in Armenia.

Professor Hayk Kotanjian noted that the target of the Second Strategic Defense Review (SDR) of the RA, launched in 2014, is the review of the National Security Strategy (NSS) of the RA. This work will be implemented through the adoption of the National Cybersecurity Strategy (NCS) of the RA based on the Draft NCS, which was developed at the NDRU and reviewed by the experts of the U.S. National Defense University (NDU) and the NATO PfP Consortium’s Working Group on Cyber Security Reference Curriculum Writing.

NDRU’s Vice President for Research, Head of the Institute for National Strategic Studies (INSS) of the NDRU, PhD in History, Beniamin Poghosyan presented the University’s main activities and work done after the visit of the expert group in March, 2016. Head of the Center for National Security Policy and Information-Communication Technologies of the NDRU Arman Grigoryan presented the main results of the Center’s activities.

The coordinator-consultant of the NDRU’s educational activities, Doctor of Political Science, Professor Arthur Atanesyan presented the work done aimed at launching the Interagency Executive Education Certificate and Master Programs. The steps taken towards the organization of strategic-operational-level military education in the NDRU, suggested by the NATO DEEP experts in March 2016, were also touched upon. The Head of the Academic-Educational Center of the NDRU’s National Institute for Strategic Defence Security Education Anna Gevorgyan presented the main activities of the Center.

The presentations were followed by Q&A session and a professional discussion ensued. At the end, the NATO DEEP expert group expressed satisfaction with the visit.

On February 7 Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan met with Frank Engel,  Member of the European Parliament from Luxembourg in Brussels.

During the meeting issues related to the freedom of expression, journalistic activities, as well as such actions in Artsakh were discussed. Frank Engel highlighted that the journalists’ activities in Artsakh have immense importance and should be enhanced. He stressed that the extradition of Alexander Lapshin cannot affect the further visits to Artsakh.

According to Frank Engel, henceforth visits to Artsakh must be even more frequent. In addition, MEP noted that the Human Rights Defender of Artsakh and the civil society should be involved in international discussions and meetings.

Arman Tatoyan stressed the importance of Frank Engel’s position and noted that “all effort are being exercised to contribute to the visits to Artsakh and the involvement of Artsakh’s democratic institutions.”

The parties reached agreement to cooperate towards that end.

During the meeting issues related to the human rights situation in Armenia, as well as the regulations of the RA new law on Human Rights Defender were discussed.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today the Ambassadors of Iran and Turkmenistan to Armenia, Seyed Kazem Sajadi and Muhammad Niaz Mashalov.

The Prime Minister said the high level of relations with Iran and Turkmenistan allows to further deepen the economic ties and launch cooperation in trilateral format.

“We are interested in developing the Armenia-Iran-Turkmenistan trilateral economic cooperation. We have the capacity to increase the volume of commodity turnover between our countries and this meeting is a testament to the importance we attach to our cooperation,” he said.

The Ambassadors, in turn, reiterated the willingness of their respective countries to expand the cooperation with Armenia and discuss the future steps in that direction.

During the meeting reference was made to the perspectives of trilateral cooperation in the energy field, the supply of energy resources and joint projects.

The parties reached an agreement to set up a joint task force to discuss concrete programs.

António Guterres, the ninth Secretary-General of the United Nations, took office on 1^st January 2017.

Having witnessed the suffering of the most vulnerable people on earth, in refugee camps and in war zones,the Secretary-Generalis determined to make human dignity the core of hiswork, and to serve as a peace broker, a bridge-builder and a promoter of reform and innovation.

Prior to his election as Secretary-General, Mr. Guterresserved as United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees from June 2005 to December 2015, heading one of the world’s foremost humanitarian organizations during some of the most serious displacement crises in decades. The conflicts in Syria and Iraq, and the crises in South Sudan, the Central African Republic and Yemen, led to a huge rise in UNHCR’s activities as the number of people displaced by conflict and persecutionrose from 38 million in 2005 to over 60 million in 2015.

Before joining UNHCR, Mr. Guterres spent more than 20 years in government and public service. He served as prime minister of Portugal from 1995 to 2002, during which time he was heavily involved in the international effort to resolve the crisis in East Timor.

As president of the European Council in early 2000, he led the adoption of the Lisbon Agenda for growth and jobs, and co-chaired the first European Union-Africa summit. He was a member of the Portuguese Council of State from 1991 to 2002.

Mr. Guterres was elected to the Portuguese Parliament in 1976 where he served as a member for 17 years. During that time, he chaired the Parliamentary Committee for Economy, Finance and Planning, and later the Parliamentary Committee for Territorial Administration, Municipalities and Environment. He was also leader of his party’s parliamentary group.

From 1981 to 1983, Mr. Guterres was a member of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe, where he chaired the Committee on Demography, Migration and Refugees.

For many years Mr. Guterres was active in the Socialist International, a worldwide organization of social democratic political parties. He was the group’s vice-president from 1992 to 1999, co-chairing the African Committee and later the Development Committee. He served as President from 1999 until mid-2005. In addition, he founded the Portuguese Refugee Council as well as the Portuguese Consumers Association DECO, and served as president of the Centro de Acção Social Universitário, an association carrying out social development projects in poor neighbourhoods of Lisbon, in the early 1970s.

Mr. Guterres is a member of the Club of Madrid, a leadership alliance of democratic former presidents and prime ministers from around the world.

Mr. Guterres was born in Lisbon in 1949 and graduated from the Instituto Superior Técnico with a degree in engineering. He is fluent in Portuguese, English, French and Spanish. He is married to Catarina de Almeida Vaz Pinto, Deputy Mayor for Culture of Lisbon, and has two children, a stepson and three grandchildren.

Below is the Secretary General’s Appeal for Peace:

On my first day as Secretary-General of the United Nations, one question weighs heavily on my heart.

How can we help the millions of people caught up in conflict, suffering massively in wars with no end in sight?

Civilians are pounded with deadly force. Women, children and men are killed and injured, forced from their homes, dispossessed and destitute. Even hospitals and aid convoys are targeted.

No one wins these wars; everyone loses. Trillions of dollars are spent destroying societies and economies, fueling cycles of mistrust and fear that can last for generations. Whole regions are destabilized and the new threat of global terrorism affects us all.

On this New Year’s Day, I ask all of you to join me in making one shared New Year’s resolution:

Let us resolve to put peace first.

Let us make 2017 a year in which we all – citizens, governments, leaders – strive to overcome our differences.

From solidarity and compassion in our daily lives, to dialogue and respect across political divides… From ceasefires on the battlefield, to compromise at the negotiating table to reach political solutions…

Peace must be our goal and our guide.

All that we strive for as a human family – dignity and hope, progress and prosperity – depends on peace. 

But peace depends on us.

I appeal to you all to join me in committing to peace, today and every day.

Let us make 2017 a year for peace.

Thank you. 

PHOTO: XINHUA

 

At least 40 people have been killed when a platform collapsed at a construction site in China’s Jiangxi province.

The accident took place at a power plant in Fengcheng where a cooling tower was under construction.

There were a number of people still trapped at the scene, China’s Xinhua news agency reported.

Jiangxi province’s fire services said 32 fire trucks and 212 soldiers had been deployed.

A total of 68 people were at the construction site at the time of the accident.

Following an international call for tenders, Veolia, through its subsidiary Veolia Djur, has won the affermage contract for all drinking and wastewater services in Armenia. The 15-year contract is worth €800 million. Already present in Erevan for more than 10 years, Veolia will now provide the entire Armenian population with its expertise and know-how. By 2030, Veolia will be supplying drinking water 24/24 to around three million Armenians.

Under this contract, Veolia is entrusted with managing drinking water production and distribution and wastewater treatment facilities; and developing and improving the yield of the country’s drinking water network. Drinking water production, distribution and invoicing will amount to almost 174 million cubic meters a year by the end of the contract. Veolia will be extending to the entire Armenian population the service quality and continuity that it already provides to the one million residents of the country’s capital, Erevan.

International financial institutions, such as the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD), KFW Development Bank and the European Investment Bank (EIB) will also be contributing to this major project in Armenia by financing the $200 million investment required over the coming four years.

“This success is exemplary: it is the result of a joint effort by Veolia’s teams who have managed to capitalize on the experience and professionalism of the Group’s employees in Erevan and to apply the best practices developed by a network of experts working in over 40 countries. The contract is confirmation of Veolia’s international expertise in managing and optimizing large public networks on behalf of local authorities. It is also an affirmation of the relevance of our development strategy in Central and Eastern Europe, and further strengthens our lead position in the field of drinking water production and distribution,” explains Malika Ghendouri, Vice President of Central and Eastern Europe for Veolia.

Two strong earthquakes have hit central Italy, damaging buildings and injuring dozens of people, the BBC reports.

A 5.5-magnitude quake struck at 19:10 (17:10 GMT) near Visso in Macerata province, followed two hours later by a 6.1 magnitude tremor in the same area.

Emergency teams have worked through the night. In August an earthquake killed about 300 people south of Visso.

There are few reports of serious injuries but bad weather has been hampering efforts to assess the damage.

Visso is 70km (45 miles) from Amatrice, which was badly damaged in the 6.2 magnitude quake in August.

Wednesday’s earthquakes were felt across central Italy, including in the capital, Rome, where buildings shook and doors and windows rattled.

“Tens” of people were hurt, but only four people suffered serious injuries, Italy’s civil protection chief Fabrizio Curcio said.

The second earthquake was considerably stronger than the first and numerous smaller aftershocks have occurred. One witness told Italian TV he saw part of a building collapse in front of him.

Photo: AP

 

Pope Francis on Sunday canonized seven new Saints including Argentina’s “gaucho priest” Jose Gabriel del Rosario Brochero, reports.

Know as “Cura Brochero”, the Argentinian who made it his mission to take the Gospel message of salvation to the peripheries, was proclaimed a Saint together with six others in a Mass in St. Peter’s Square.”

During his homily the Pope said “saints are men and women who enter fully into the mystery of prayer. Men and women who struggle with prayer, letting the Holy Spirit pray and struggle in them.”

The others to be canonized were  two Italians, two from France, a Spaniard and a young Mexican martyr, José Sanchez del Rio who died during the Cristero struggle upholding his faith.

Some 80,000 people filled St. Peter’s Square for the occasion, including many flag-waving Argentinians who had made the journey to Rome to see Brochero elevated to sainthood.

Amongst them was also Argentine President Mauricio Macri and his family.

Two of the new Saints are martyrs:  José Sánchez del Río, a 14-year-old boy who was killed in 1928 in Mexico during the “Cristero” struggle which opposed the government’s anti-Catholic and anticlerical policies. Under torture José refused to disown his faith; a handwritten note addressed to his mother and found on his dead body read: “I promise that in heaven I will prepare a place for all of you. Your José dies defending the Catholic faith for the love of Christ the King and Our Lady of Guadalupe”.

The first martyr belonging to the La Salle Order, killed in 1792 during the French Revolution. His name is Salomone Leclercq; he too chose to die in the defense of his faith.

Then there is “Cura Brochero” (José Gabriel del Rosario Brochero), an Argentinean priest “’who smelt of sheep’ and travelled enormous distances on the back of a mule during the 19th century to bring consolation and Jesus’ message of salvation to the poorest of the poor.

The Spanish Bishop of Palencia Manuel González García, founder of the Congregation of the Eucharistic Missionaries of Nazareth, the Disciples of Saint John, and the Children of Reparation.  He was known for his strong devotion to the Eucharist and became known as the “Bishop of the Tabernacle”. He died in 1940.

Father Lodovico Pavoni of the Italian city of Brescia, founder of the religious congregation ‘Sons of Mary Immaculate’ or ‘Pavonians’. During the industrial revolution of the 19th century he set up an Oratory for Christian education and together with his ‘labourer brothers’ he taught the poor and the marginalized trades and religious education in the belief that improving social conditions would  improve the spiritual life, and improving the spiritual life would improve social conditions..

Alfonso Maria Fusco, a priest from the southern Italian city of Salerno, founder of the Congregation of the Sisters of St. John the Baptist, commonly known as Baptistine Sisters. Their mission was to evangelize, educate and promote youth, especially those who were most poor, abandoned and at risk. He was particularly close to the impoverished and neglected farmers of the South of Italy after the unification of Italy in 1861.

Finally the French Discalced Carmelite mystic and writer Elizabeth of the Trinity who died aged just 26 in 1906 from Addison’s disease, which in the early 20th century had no treatment with which to cure or allieviate the suffering of its victims. Even though her death was painful, Elizabeth gratefully accepted her suffering as a gift from God. Her last words were: “I am going to Light, to Love, to Life!”

The Russian embassy in Damascus has been shelled from the areas controlled by al-Nusra Front and Faylaq al-Rahman militants, the Russian Foreign Ministry said, Sputnik News reports.

“The Russian diplomatic mission came under mortar shelling on October 3. One of the mines exploded on the embassy area near its residential department. Fortunately, no one was wounded. The diplomatic mission sustained material damage. Another two mines went off next to the embassy.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s agent insists Manchester United fans have not seen the best of the midfielder because he is not fully fit, according to .

The 27-year-old summer signing from Borussia Dortmund was left on the bench by Jose Mourinho for the first three games of the season.

He was handed his first start in the 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester City but was substituted at half-time.

Mkhitaryan picked up a thigh injury while on international duty with Armenia in the build-up to the derby and missed the defeat to Watford on Sunday with the same problem.

But his agent, Mino Raiola, insists he will show why United shelled out more than £25m to sign him when he returns.

He told the Daily Mail: “Mkhi was the best player in the German league the last two seasons. He has a strong mentality and will be an asset once fully fit.”

Raiola also revealed United beat off competition from another Premier League club to sign the former Shakhtar Donetsk man.

Hr added: “We had almost agreed with another Premier League club but Dortmund wouldn’t let him go, then United pushed it over the line.”