Twenty-two cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were reported at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.
The rival used firearms of different calibers as it fired more than 90 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions, NKR Defense Ministry said.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the frontline and confidently perform their military duty.
Maria Zakharova, Spokesperson for the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, walked in downtown Yerevan, took some photos and shared her impressions on Facebook.
“While the bosses are having supper after a “good job” as Sergey Lavrov said, there is an opportunity to walk about post-afternoon Yerevan. This city attracts with its character, not luxury,” Zakharova wrote.
Maria Zakharova was accompanying Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov, who had arrived in Armenia to participate in the meeting of the CSTO Council of Foreign Ministers.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov and US Secretary of State John Kerry discussed in a phone conversation on the issues concerning further steps of co-chairs of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE)’s Minsk Group (Russia, France, the US) on the settlement in Nagorno-Karabakh following the meeting of the presidents of Russia, Armenia and Azerbaijan in St. Petersburg on June 20.
Lavrov and Kerry also focused on cooperation in fight against terrorists in Syria, TASS reports.
Scotland’s first minister has said a second independence referendum is “highly likely” after the UK voted to leave the EU, the BBC reports.
Nicola Sturgeon said it was “democratically unacceptable” that Scotland faced the prospect of being taken out of the EU against its will.
She said the Scottish government would begin preparing legislation to enable another independence vote.
Scotland voted in favour of the UK staying in the EU by 62% to 38%.
The UK as a whole has voted to leave, by a margin of 52% to 48%, prompting UK Prime Minister David Cameron to announce he would stand down by October.
Hamshen Armenian rock musician Yasar Kurt was 40, when he discovered his Armenian roots. The musician has now released a new album titled “Hamshen Highlands,” reports.
The album, released after a break of 5 years, reflects the musician’s Armenian roots and includes Black Sea melodies.
Speaking to Agos, the singer said he regrets no song in Hamshen Armenian dialect has been included in the album. “It’s a pity that the younger generation does not speak Armenian. Even those who know the Hamshen Armenian dialect, rarely use it,” he said.
Yasar Kurt hopes to release a new album in Armenian or Hamshen Armenian in cooperation with the “Vova” group and Aysenur Kolivarin the near future.
The ranks Armenia as the first among the 10 places it considers deserve more travellers.
“Despite occasional skirmishes along the Karabakh border, however, Armenia today is safe, with a burgeoning tourist infrastructure, largely centered around family-run B&Bs and agrotourism-style homestays, designed to attract adventurous backpackers to the country’s staggering and often unheralded natural and architectural beauty,” author of the article Tara Isabella Burton writes.
Few people know that Armenia was the first country in the world to adopt Christianity as a state religion, in A.D. 301. And Armenia’s ancient churches—massive, sprawling complexes of ruins nestled into the wildly green canyons and mountaintops of the countryside—are among the world’s best preserved. While other Christian churches are decorated with painted frescoes, many of which have faded or been destroyed, the carved stone lions of cliffside Geghard Monastery and intricately carved khachkars (stone graves) of Sanahin stand as a testament to the creative power of one of the world’s oldest, and least heralded, civilizations. And Armenia’s churches aren’t the only attraction of its countryside. The wildflower-dappled hills and valleys here—far more accessible than the vertiginous mountain paths of Georgia—are full of pagan temples like Garni, just outside Yerevan, and cobblestoned “spa towns” like Dilijan, nicknamed “Armenia’s Switzerland.”
Most tourists concentrate their activities around Yerevan, the country’s muted, largely Soviet-era, capital. But a half-day’s drive from Yerevan, is the town of Goris, set among caves and cliffs in Armenia’s verdant south and among the country’s most spectacular. Winding hikes through the historic village take you through the cave villages of Old Khndzoresk, while a short bus ride takes you to the ninth-century mountaintop stone monastery of Tatev, once a capital of Armenian culture and learning, accessible by one of the world’s longest cable cars. In the heart of Goris, an eccentric mountaineer runs Khachik’s B&B, a homestay with nightly home-cooked meals, garnished with fresh herbs, boasting terrace views over Old Goris.
“If Azeri officials suspect you of having visited Nagorno-Karabakh, furthermore, you may be denied access to the country entirely,” the National Geographic reminds.
Other places the National Geographic considers need more attention include: Nicaragua, Nepal, Iran, Kosovo, Uzbekistan, Albania, Timor-Leste, Georgia and Tunisia.
A shooting has been reported outside the White House, according to US Park Police, the BBC reports.
Police told ABC News that a Secret Service agent shot an armed man at a security checkpoint near the building.
The White House is on lockdown in response to the shooting. President Barack Obama was golfing in Maryland at the time.
Police said the shooting occurred west of the White House and the victim’s condition is not known.
The government opinion on Artsakh recognition bill was an important step by Armenia in terms of contributing to the maintenance of peace and stability in the South Caucasus, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan told
“Armenia thus makes it clear to the world that it will recognize Artsakh, if Azerbaijan unleashes new war,” he said.
“The fact that Armenia has not recognized Artsakh for 25 years of negotiations is an unprecedented example of constructive policy. But when Azerbaijan unleashes war with an aim of destructing Artsakh, recognition becomes a must. The process has started, and it’s a message to both the international community and Azerbaijan,” Babayan said.
He further clarified that “it’s a process, not the final step,” and adding that “the issue should always remain on the agenda, even if no positive or negative conclusion is given.”
Referring to the misunderstanding in the press connected with the government opinion on the bill, the Spokesman said “it was a message of peace, a message of preventing war.” “It cannot be compared to what Azerbaijan did in April in what became the worst blow to the talks.”
“This is an answer to Azerbaijani offensive, which implies that if aggression repeats, there will be no alternative to recognition.”
“We want Artsakh to be recognized, but Armenia should not be the first country to do that. However, the issue should always be on the agenda as a restraining factor,” Babayan concluded.
– HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, during the group meeting of HDP, apologized for the Armenian Genocide. Yüksekdağ said, “On 101st anniversary of the genocide, we apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friend, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza.”
HDP Co-Chair Figen Yüksekdağ, during the group meeting of HDP, talked about the Armenian Genocide. Yüksekdağ said, “On 101st anniversary of the genocide, we apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friends, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza.”
Yüksekdağ started the meeting by saying, “I would like to begin by commemorating Armenian, Syriac and Chaldean people who were exiled and killed 101 years ago.” Then she added: “The mentality that led to the genocide avoids recognition today. However, recognition doesn’t demean a state, it only relieves pain. These lands will eventually spill out the bloodshed, regardless of your wishes. Our history is a history of massacres. Recognizing the massacres is a both actual and historical responsibility.”
“The ones who withhold their apologies have still the same mentality. They still use “Armenian” as an insult. This means that genocidal mentality is still alive. We apologize to Armenian people. We apologize to Aunt Elizabeth, to Uncle Krikor. We apologize to our friends, comrade Garo and to our sister Roza. As I said, the mentality that led to death and destruction in the past is still active today.”