Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan is attending the summit of the European People’s Party (EPP) in Brussels today. Chaired by EPP President Joseph Dole, European Council President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean Claude Juncker, the heads of state and government of EU Eastern Partnership countries represented in the EPP.
Participants of the summit are expected to discuss the settlement of the existing economic issues and perspectives of development, the current global challenges, including the Syria crisis, migrant issues, the political conjuncture in EU member states and issues related to the European Neighborhood Policy.
Russia could act as the main mediator in the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, Russian President’s Special Representative for Gas Exporting Countries Forum (GECF), ex-Prime Minister Viktor Zubkov told Trend.
“It’s necessary to agree on Karabakh settlement through Russian mediation,” he added.
Zubkov said tensions between Russia and Turkey will in no way affect the South Caucasus.
lists Armenia’s capital Yerevan among Europe’s 16 oldest continually inhabited cities.
While many of the world’s oldest cities, settled around the Fertile Crescent in the Middle East, are off-limits to travellers at present, Europe’s most ancient settlements are very much open to visitors.
The Telegraph reminds that Some 30 years before Rome was founded, the city that is now Armenia’s capital was serving as an important stop along the caravan routes from Asia to Europe.”
“It was invaded by Assyrians, Romans, Byzantines, Persians, Arabs, Seljuks, Mongols and Turks, and later by the Soviet Red Army in 1920. Since the dissolution of the Soviet Union, the capital of the Republic of Armenia has seen the growth of cultural institutions (it is home to a bewildering number of museums). Tourism is also developing slowly – a handful operators currently offer guided trips to the country.”
Other cities in the list include: Zadar, Croatia; Mtskheta, Georgia; Cádiz, Spain; Mytilene, Lesbos, Greece; Lisbon, Portugal; Chalcis, Greece; Larnaca, Cyprus; Kutaisi, Georgia; Thebes, Greece; Trikala, Greece; Patra, Greece; Chania, Crete; Plovdiv, Bulgaria; Athens, Greece; Argos, Greece.
The has included the Armenian Embassy in Cairo among the 17 places that “belong in a fairy tale.”
Other places that could go right between the tales of Cinderella and Rumpelstiltskin include:
Baron Empain Palace, Heliopolis
Photo Credit: Christian Papiermacher
The Baron Empain Palace was built in the early 1900s by Belgian Edouard Louis Joseph, the founder of Heliopolis. The residence has long been abandoned, and visitors are not allowed. This combined with the stories of the Baron’s daughter’s death in the basement and other hauntings make this Cambodian-temple inspired palace the prime setting for a modern, if not eery, fairy tale.
Champollian House, or Prince Said Halim’s Palace, Downtown
Here is another abandoned masterpiece. Once the home to Ottoman Empire Grand Vizier and Muhammad Ali’s grandson, Said Halim, the mansion became Al-Nassiriyah Secondary School for Boys after his assassination by an Armenian Revolutionary Federation Agent. Now its crippled beauty stands alone in a forest of concrete apartment buildings, just waiting to inspire our imagination.
Armenian Embassy, Zamalek
Speaking of the Armenians, this quaint cottage looks like it could be a part of Sleeping Beauty or Hansel and Gretel, but with some sort of extra spell put on it because it looks exquisitely out of place surrounded by palm trees.
Bab al Futuh, Old Cairo
Soaring towers? Check. Arched entrance? Check. High walls? Check. The Gates of Conquest have got it all. Let the daydreaming of knights and dragons begin.
Residential Home, Korba
There’s something about turrets and picturesque windows that just get our whimsical fairytale-loving minds running.
Coptic Graveyard
Photo Credit: Michal Huniewicz
How can even death look so enchanting? It’s official; Cairo is magical.
Marriott Hotel, Zamalek
Magic could definitely happen here, or at least a “happily ever after.” Cue the “Beauty and the Beast” soundtrack. Or Cinderella. Or anything that we can swirl around in big dresses to!
Al-Muizz Al-Deen Street
Going back to the Fatimads and the construction of Cairo, Al-Muizz street has a fairytale vibe to it with a generous splash of Islamic influence. In our opinion, it would make the perfect setting for a modern-day Aladdin musical!
Abdeen Palace, Abdeen
Whimsical and romantic, what else does a fairy tale require? Once the home of kings, the Abdeen Palace is now a museum, gracing Cairo with its presence since the mid 1800s.
Basilique Church, Heliopolis
Imposing and majestic, all we need are gargoyles and a baby Quasimodo dropped at the door to get our very own “Hunchback of Basilique.” It is the home of Cairo’s first pipe organ. Did we mention some say there is a secret tunnel connecting this church to the Baron Palace? The plot thickens…
Gates of Islamic Cairo
Those towers could easily be the home to an enchanted princess. Fairy tale picture perfect.
Qasr El Nile Lions, Downtown
The formidable guardians of the Qasr el Nil Bridge. Why haven’t these magnificent warriors inspired their storybooks of myths and legends yet? Somebody please write them now.
Sabil, Islamic Cairo
Photo Credit: Michal Huniewicz
The underground level of an ancient water dispensary carved out of pure stone equals the perfect mysterious setting for a dark fairy tale.
Banyan Trees, Zamalek and Garden City
These banyan trees supernaturally growing in the midst of Cairo’s concrete jungle look like witches’ hair, or at least like the home to mischievous sprites!
Maison du Canada, Zamalek
Perfect for a princess, what now belongs to Canada once hosted Queen Farida herself. A dream is a wish a heart makes, and our hearts are wishing to move in!
Spanish Embassy, Zamalek
Maybe they don’t match the rest of Cairo, but we love the creativity of these embassies!
The Citadel, the Overseer of Cairo
The Citadel could be included on this list out of magnificence alone, but it’s hard to find anything that can compete with the romantic allure of this formidable structure. Standing tall on the hilltop, with the city sprawling below it…
On 26 February, 2016, the United Nations in Armenia and the Ministry of Emergency Situations in Armenia signed the Customs Facilitation Agreement, a bilateral agreement allowing the expedition of the import, export and transit of relief consignments and possessions of relief personnel in the event of disasters and emergencies. This marks a major step forward in strengthening preparedness and a pioneering initiative for others in the region.
Armenia’s vulnerability to natural disasters led the Government to prioritize the rapid deployment of international aid in emergency situations by lowering customs barriers. The negotiations between the UN and the Government of Armenia started in 2013. To date, similar agreements have been signed with the governments of Belarus, Bhutan, Dominican Republic, Honduras, Liberia, Mali, Moldova, Nepal and Uzbekistan.
Developed by the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) in 1994 and approved by the World Customs Organization in 1996, the Model Customs Agreement between the UN and member states includes recommended measures to expedite customs clearance procedures, including simplified documentation and inspection procedures, the temporary or permanent waiving of duties and taxes on imports, as well as clearance arrangements outside official working hours and locations.
The agreement signed today will allow aid consignments, including search and rescue teams, search dog teams and mobile medical units, high technology emergency communication equipment and other emergency relief items a speedy import / export and transit into the country in the event of a disaster requiring external assistance.
Such agreements along with vital information shared by natural authorities enable UN agencies, intergovernmental, governmental and non-governmental organizations as well as other humanitarian actors to quickly contact appropriate National Customs Authorities to bring in relief consignments for saving lives and reducing the suffering of the affected people.
Kim Kardashian released the first picture of her son Saint West to mark her late father Robert Kardashian’s birthday on Monday, the Daily Mail reports.
Writing a tribute to the lawyer on her website KimKardashianWest.com the 35-year-old explained: ‘Today is my dad’s birthday.
‘I know there’s nothing more in the world he would have wanted than to meet his grandchildren. So I wanted to share this pic of Saint with you all.’
The two-month-old is seen dressed in a simple cable knit cotton vest, arms outstretched beside his head as he sleeps soundly on a white sheet.
His hands are clenched, as the baby dreams quietly.
February 22 would have been the 72nd birthday of the grandfather Saint will never get to meet – lawyer Robert Kardashian – and it is obviously a date Kim wanted to remember.
On her website she added a further tribute to the patriarch of the Kardashian clan, who died in 2013.
‘Happy Birthday dad!’ she wrote. ‘I can’t believe you would have been 72 today.
‘So much has gone on in our lives since you’ve been gone, and I know you have been my guardian angel seeing everything unfold! I love you and miss you so much!’
Kim and her husband Kanye West welcomed their son back on December 5, but had not released any images of the infant until now.
Arthur Abraham: As an Armenian, I have two values to fight for – pride and honor
WBO super middleweight champion “King” Arthur Abraham, who will defend his world title against undefeated WBO #1 super middleweight contender and mandatory challenger Gilberto “Zurdo” Ramirez on April 9 in Las Vegas, wasn’t able to make today’s Los Angeles Pacquiao-Bradley undercard presser. However he did send a statement from his training camp in Germany. The statement reads:
“This fight is a dream come true for me. I fought in Hollywood, Florida vs. Edison Miranda, against Andre Dirrell in Detroit and vs. Andre Ward in Carson, California. But the flair of a big-time event was missing. I was at Manny’s fight vs. Shane Mosley at the MGM Grand in 2011 and the atmosphere captured my imagination. Afterwards, it was my wish to one day step into this very ring and on April 9 I will finally get the chance to share the spotlight with the “Pac-Man.”
I do not take a win that night for granted, as Gilberto Ramirez is a young upcoming boxer from Mexico, one of the greatest fighting countries. He wants to write history by becoming the first Mexican to win a world championship at super middleweight.
But myself being an Armenian, living and fighting out of Germany, I have two values to fight for: pride and honor. I will go into this fight with the following words on my mind: “Mejor morir de pie que vivir arrodillado!” This is going to be my greatest victory. Thank you!”
Russian Deputy Foreign Minister Grigory Karasin held a meeting with the EU Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia Herbert Salber.
The parties discussed the situation in the South Caucasus in the context of the complex international situation, fight against terrorism and threats to security and stability in the region.
Special attention was paid to the situation at the borders of Abkhazia and South Ossetia.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict.
The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is implementing a multi-year renovation project at Yerevan’s Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School, with the sponsorship of the fund’s Eastern US affiliate. Founded in 1939, the school provides a curriculum that combines music and general education. Currently it has more than 600 students.
The extensive renovations are expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2016 academic year. To date, the campus, which was built in 1973, had undergone seismic retrofitting, a complete structural redesign, and a slew of upgrades. The improvements include a new roof, new doors and windows, and new heating, air-conditioning, electrical, water, plumbing, and security systems. Other significant enhancements include the addition of an elevator and evacuation staircases.
The main building of the campus has been thoroughly modernized and now features a sizeable foyer. The renovations have also included the reconstruction of the gym and the transformation of the concert hall into a state-of-the-art auditorium, complete with a new stage and amenities for performers and audiences alike. Thanks to the refurbishments, the school’s symphony orchestra, string quartet, brass band, choir, and jazz band now have comfortable and fully appointed rehearsal rooms.
The final phase of renovations will include the construction of wheelchair ramps at the entrance of the school, a completely upgraded lighting system throughout the grounds, and the installation of pavilions and benches in the inner courtyard. Artistic touches, including a relief sculpture on the facade of the main building, created by architect Jim Torossian, as well as the interior relief sculpture and stained-glass windows, will continue to lend the school an esthetic character all its own.
In 2014, the Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School celebrated the 75th anniversary of its founding. Legendary composer Aram Khachaturyan has called the storied school a “foundry of musicians.” Its alumni have included Eduard Tadevosyan, Ruben Altunyan, Vahram Sarajev, Jean Ter-Mergeryan, Levon Chaushyan, Sergey Smbatyan, Tigran Hamasyan, Aram Talalyan, Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Armen Babakhanyan, Stepan Lusikyan, and other musical giants who are the pride of the Armenian people.
After drawing a blank in his last four appearances for Arsenal, Mesut Ozil has now been dethroned as Europe’s assist king, Goal.com reports.
Instead, it is now Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan who leads the way with the most assists of any player in Europe’s top five leagues, having collected 17 in all competitions this season.
Admittedly, the Armenian only has nine league assists compared to Ozil’s 16, but he has been prolific in Dortmund’s cup competitions while the German has yet to create a goal outside the Premier League this season.
Mkhitaryan has assisted six times in the Europa League (including qualifiers) and twice more in the DFB-Pokal, with his most recent assist coming in the 3-1 victory over Borussia Monchengladbach.
After helping Barcelona run riot against Gary Neville’s Valencia, Neymar is now tied with Ozil on 16 assists, making him the most creative member of the fabled MSN attack.
Any further competition for the European assist crown is likely to come from Angel Di Maria, currently tied in fourth place with 12 assists, with Kevin De Bruyne’s contribution likely to stall following his injury setback.
Meanwhile, Tottenham fans may be surprised to see a familiar name sneak into the top 10, with Roberto Soldado tied with Cristiano Ronaldo and Douglas Costa with 10 assists this season.