Author: Parkev Tvankchian

The 4^th Conference on Armenian-French Decentralized Cooperation was held in Yerevan today. Attending the event were Armenia’s Minister of Territorial Administration David Lokyan, Yerevan Mayor Taron Margaryan, French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier, high-ranking representatives of local self-government bodies of Armenia and France.

“The Armenian-French cooperation has been developing and reinforcing in different directions over the past years,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in his opening remarks. He put a special emphasis on the development of inter-parliamentary ties, expansion of economic cooperation, continuous deepening of cultural and scientific-educational exchange.

Speaking of decentralized cooperation, Minister Nalbandian reminded that “joint programs are being implemented in the fields of tourism, agriculture, education, culture, healthcare and other within the framework of more than 70 agreements signed between the Armenian and French cities and regions.”

He voiced confidence that the fourth conference would open new perspectives and reveal new horizons for decentralized cooperation between the two countries.

Giuseppe Galati (Italy, EPP/CD) and Alan Meale (United Kingdom, SOC), co-rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) for the monitoring of obligations and commitments by Armenia, will make a fact-finding visit to Yerevan on 22-23 November 2016.

Discussions will focus on the electoral reform, the 2017 parliamentary elections, the implementation of the constitutional reform, including the reform of the government and judiciary, as well as the reform of the police and the establishment of an independent mechanism for complaints against the police.

In Yerevan, Mr Galati and Mr Meale are due to meet, in particular, the President of the Republic, the Prime Minister, the President of the National Assembly, and the Minister of Justice. Talks are also scheduled with the Armenian delegation to PACE, the judicial authorities, and the Head of the National Police.

Photo: AP

 

Donald Trump has asked Alabama Senator Jeff Sessions to be attorney general, the BBC reports, quoting US media.

Senator Sessions, a former prosecutor elected to the Senate in 1996, has been one of Mr Trump’s closest allies throughout the campaign.

Meanwhile, retired three star lieutenant general Michael Flynn is understood to have accepted the position of national security advisor.

Both men have courted controversy over their views previously.

However, Mr Trump has yet to confirm the appointments himself.

Transition officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, have said Mr Sessions and Mr Flynn have been offered posts in the new administration.

However, Republican National Committee spokesman Sean Spicer, who is involved in the Trump presidential transition, would not confirm the reports on CNN.

“Until Donald Trump says it, it’s not official,” Mr Spicer said.

Photo: Sputnik/ David Khizanishvil

Three parties — the ruling Georgian Dream Party, the United National Movement and the Alliance of Patriots  — have made it into the Georgian parliament, the country’s Central Election Commission (CEC) said on Sunday, after counting 99.92 percent of ballots, Sputnik News reports.

On Saturday, parliamentary elections were held in Georgia. “According to data from 3699 (99.92 percent) of polling stations, the Georgian Dream secures 48.6 percent, or 856,858 votes. The United National Movement scores 27.14 percent, or 478,416 votes. Alliance of Patriots gets 5 percent, or 88,032 votes,” the CEC said in a statement.

FOX 11 – The last known survivor of the Armenian Genocide was a special guest at an event hosted by the Armenian Law Students’ Association at Loyola Law School.

Aleksan Markaryan shared his memories of the genocide.

He said he was fired from his childhood job at a pharmacy because he was a Christian.

Markaryan remembers being called an infidel. In order to save his life, he converted to Islam.

He remembers watching people in his village as they were taken away to never be again, the genocide ended a long eight years later in 1923.

During that time, up to 1.5 million Armenians were exterminated by the Ottoman Government – now modern Turkey.

Photos by Pierre Suu/Getty Images

 

Reality television star Kim Kardashian, Russian model Natalia Vodianova and others showed up at the launch for Armenian-American jewelry designer Siran Manoukian in Paris, according to

The Los Angeles-born designer and socialite, a longtime friend of Kardashian, was launching her own clothing label Maison Siran.

Attending the event were Portuguese model Sara Pinto Sampaio, German model Toni Garrn, Elton John’s husband David Furnish and Siran Manoukian’s friend Emiliya Kazandzhyan, American Armenian writer and president of a charity fund.

Kim Kardashian was tied up and robbed at gunpoint at a luxury Paris residence by assailants disguised as police who made off with millions in jewelry after she made a series of high-profile appearances at Paris fashion week.

 

According to a decree signed by President Serzh Sargsyan, David Lokyan has been appointed as Minister of Territorial Administration and Development.

According to a decree signed by President Serzh Sargsyan, Levon Mkrtchyan has been appointed Minister of Education and Science.