Author: Torgomian Varazdat

Statement by the Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia at the “Financing the 2030 Agenda: A discussion on financing for the SDGs building on the Addis Ababa Action Agenda”

Excellencies,

“It always seems impossible until it’s done”: These are the words of Nelson Mandela – a man who made the impossible come true. No matter how ambitious and challenging is the task, the joint determination and synergy of efforts that 50 years ago lay at the foundation of the United Nations Development Program to build a better life for all, without exclusion, should guide our endeavours. We need to act collectively and resolutely to alleviate the plight of the most vulnerable groups and communities, who need it most.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

In its Agenda 2030 the international community has reaffirmed the inter-linkages between sustainable development and peace, good governance, human rights and rule of law. Humanitarian response to crisis situations and emergencies consumes significant resources of the international community and takes growing prominence in the global agenda, including within the UN system. Thus, it remains a priority for the UN system to advance its conceptual, normative and operational capacity aimed at strengthening and adapting its prevention function.

With a growing relationship of over 20 years, there have been a number of joint projects implemented in Armenia by the UNDP in key areas such as democratic governance, poverty reduction, integrated border management, the environment protection, and disaster risk reduction. Last year the Government of Armenia and the United Nations signed the third Development Assistance Framework (UNDAF), which is a strategic document that will guide our cooperation for the period of 2016-2020 reflecting Armenia’s vision and commitment for improving the living standards of its population.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

The adoption of the Vienna Programme of Action for the Landlocked Developing Countries and its integration into the Agenda 2030 has been an important step to promote a sustainable and inclusive development agenda. To ensure the effective implementation of the Vienna Programme of Action and mainstream it into our policies, a few weeks ago, our Government adopted a national strategy for its implementation. It will be important to give proper consideration to the implementation of the international commitments to address the specific needs of the landlocked countries within a comprehensive global reporting framework for the Agenda 2030. Such a follow-up and reporting framework should involve multiple stakeholders, including the transit countries.

The focus of our session today has a direct link to the synergies and links between the ongoing developmental processes, including the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, as well as a number of other important agreements reached earlier – the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction, the Addis Ababa Action Agenda, and the COP 21 landmark agreement.

The conventional approach to financing the Sustainable development goals requires updating from a range of perspectives. Enhancement of infrastructure and sustainable investment, including through blended finance, will be critical to delivering on an ambitious development agenda. Addressing the issue of projects bankability and ensuring public-private solutions to financing projects is an important aspect of Armenia’s work with international financial institutions, in particular, for the infrastructure projects we are currently implementing.

Coherent steps should be taken on a global level to address insufficient investment in infrastructure. The crucial need to bridge the global infrastructure gap has been recognized as an important priority in the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We welcome the international commitment to bridge these gaps, including the annual gap of 1 to 1.5 trillion dollar in the developing countries.

It is important that together with limitations in finance we look at the barriers to sustainable development as well – closed borders, blockades, unduly discriminating trade regimes. The fact that a highly important inter-state railway (Gyumri-Kars) between Armenia and Turkey is not being used in the vital interests of sustainable development and regional connectivity due to an ongoing illegal blockade is a vivid example.

Infrastructure development is a high priority for Armenia, duly reflected in the recently adopted Strategy for Prospective Development for the upcoming decade.

To address the inequalities both within and among nations, we need to continue to promote rules-based, open, transparent, predictable, inclusive, non-discriminatory and equitable multilateral trading systems, in line with the commitments under the Addis Ababa Action Agenda. We share the view that it can effectively contribute to achieving the Sustainable development goals.

Ladies and Gentlemen,

2016 is the first year to follow up on the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. In holding the Presidency of the Executive Board of the UNDP, Armenia looks forward to continue its cooperation within this organisation on the Sustainable Development Goals and related matters.

 – Monday was a day of celebration, laughter, good food and poignant memories.

The Kardashian-Jenner family gathered together for a sit-down Armenian-style dinner to commemorate what would have been the late Robert Kardashian’s 72nd birthday.

And everyone, from Kris to Kylie, made sure their social media followers were keeping up as they posted details from the elaborate affair.

The 60-year-old family matriarch hosted the dinner on the cabana of her Calabasas, California mansion with her daughters Kim, Kourtney, Khloe, Kendall and Kylie helping to make it the special occasion it deserved.

Even Kris’ boyfriend Corey Gamble was among the celebrants.

Kim went around the table with her video camera, commenting on all the exquisite dishes.

The sumptuous buffet spread included such traditional dishes as stuffed vine leaves, hummus and pita bread, bulgur wheat and rice dishes, Armenian string cheese and baklava (pakhlava) pastry.

Kris set out her fine china – white with a delicate grey border design – and gleaming silverware, cloth napkins and chic wine goblets.

Squat white candles were placed down the center of the stone table and comfy pillows were planted on the backs of some of the chairs.

Armenian Officer Gurgen Margaryan was murdered in Hungary on this day twelve years ago.

On February 19, 2004 Lieutenant of the Armenian Armed Forces Gurgen Margaryan was hacked to death, while asleep, by a fellow Azerbaijani participant, Lieutenant Ramil Safarov, in Budapest during a three-month English language course in the framework of NATO-sponsored Partnership for Peace program.

In 2006, Safarov was sentenced to life imprisonment in Hungary with a minimum incarceration period of 30 years. He was extradited on August 31, 2012 to Azerbaijan where he was greeted as a hero, pardoned by Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev despite contrary assurances made to Hungary, promoted to the rank of major and given an apartment and over eight years of back pay.

Following Safarov’s pardon, Armenia severed diplomatic relations with Hungary.

The Governments of Azerbaijan and Hungary have been asked by the European Court of Human Rights to respond formally to a case brought by the relatives of Armenian army officer Gurgen Margaryan.

David Babayan, Spokesman for the President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, took to Twitter to comment on today’s vote on two anti-Armenian reports at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

“PACE rejected one anti-Armenian, pro-Azerbaijani and antidemocratic report, but accepted another one. It is not a sign of PACE compromise approach towards Azerbaijan and Armenia. It is a sign of PACE’s week immune system,” David Babayan said.

“Democratic structure should not compromise between democracy and bribery, between values and prices,” the Spokesman said.

Today the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held a heated debate on two reports on Nagorno-Karabakh: “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, by rapporteur Robert Walter (UK) and “Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water,” by rapporteur Milica Marković (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The Parliamentary Assembly the report by Walter and the one by Markovic.

The sixteenth meeting of the EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee (PCC), composed of members of the European and the Armenian parliaments, was held in Strasbourg. At the end of the two-day debates a joint Final Statement and Recommendations were adopted.

EU-Armenia Parliamentary Cooperation Committee , Sixteenth Meeting

20/21 January 2016, Strasbourg

Final Statement and Recommendations

Pursuant to Article 83 of the Partnership and Cooperation Agreement

The Parliamentary Cooperation Committee

1. 1.         welcomes the high-level opening of EU-Armenia negotiations on 7 December 2015, in view of a new comprehensive framework agreement that would cover political, economic and sectoral cooperation; recalls that the PCC had already recommended, on 20 March 2015, to use the experience acquired in the scoping exercise to establish a legally binding contractual basis in order to replace the outdated 1999 Partnership and Cooperation Agreement;
2. recalling the work carried out in negotiating the AA/DCFTA trusts that the technical result of these talks, which was safeguarded for future reference at the time, will facilitate the swift completion of the EU / Armenia negotiations which are now re-launched;
3. expects to see firmly enshrined in the new agreement a strong commitment to rule of law, democracy and human rights, which should be cornerstones of the text; further underlines that the respect for these shared values can only enhance and further facilitate cooperation in all other issues expected to be covered by the agreement, from energy, transport, or the environment to investment and trade; reminds that Armenia remains covered by the preferential GSP+ trade scheme, with an enhanced role played by the EP in its reformed monitoring procedure;
4. believes that a new, ambitious EU/Armenia framework agreement is compatible with the progressive differentiation approach promoted within the Eastern Partnership, particularly taking into account the revised European Neighbourhood Policy; reminds that enhancing citizens mobility in a secure and well managed environment remains a core objective of the Eastern Partnership, and welcomes the overall good implementation by Armenia of the Visa facilitation and Readmission Agreements, stressing that continued and sustained progress is crucial in order to further proceed with a Visa Liberalisation Dialogue;
5. underlines the need for a strong parliamentary dimension to be included in any future agreement, encouraging legislators to develop procedures allowing them to be duly informed throughout the negotiation process, and fully involved in its subsequent implementation and monitoring;
6. recalls the outmost importance and value of the annual EU-Armenia Human Rights Dialogue, as a unique format allowing to constructively focus on issues such as fundamental freedoms, including the freedom of assembly and association, the development of civil society, the rule of law, mobility, judicial reform, the continued fight against corruption, the independence of the media and the fight against torture and inhuman and degrading treatment;
7. welcomes the considerable effort recently undertaken by the Armenian National Assembly to align national legislation with the UN Convention Against Torture and looks forward to further progress on the ancillary measures currently under examination to avoid torture and fight impunity; further welcomes the review of the Judicial Code and the strengthening of the independence of the judiciary provided by the Constitutional Amendments as supported by the Venice Commission, particularly the Council of Justice; stresses the importance the EU attaches to ICC ratification worldwide;
8. takes note of the 6 December Constitutional Referendum results, recalling the first and the second opinions delivered by the Venice Commission on the draft Amendments to the Constitution, and the local EU Statement issued on 10 December 2015 which urged the authorities to fully investigate in a transparent manner the election fraud allegations;
9. underlines that the full implementation of existing recommendations already issued by previous OSCE/ODIHR election observation missions remains a key to increase the confidence in the integrity of the electoral process, and expects that the necessary amendments, particularly pertaining to the electoral code, will be adopted well before the 2017 general elections;
10. recognizes that the EU’s support over the years has been instrumental for the effective implementation and sustainability of Armenia’s reform process and institutional capacity building; thus welcomes the EU adopting, on 16 December 2015, a new support programme of €30 million to enhance further efforts in the areas of quality employment, fiscal governance and civil society participation in the democratic decision making process; notes the decisive role civil society can play in enhancing transparency and accountability in all fields of public life, but also in monitoring GSP+ implementation, through dedicated EDIHR-funded projects; supports and encourages Armenian full participation in the COSME and Horizon 2020 programmes ;
11. deeply regrets the continued -and rising-human cost of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, and the increasingly serious violations of the cease-fire agreement, including by the use of heavy artillery/mortars, which repeatedly led to the loss of life even amongst the civilian population; stresses there can be no justification for the death and injury of innocent civilians on all sides, supporting the creation of a mechanism to investigate ceasefire violations, as repeatedly called for by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs; reminds that the Minsk Group Co-Chairs noted on 26 September that Armenia has agreed to discuss the details of this mechanism, urging Azerbaijan to do the same;expects from the EU to play a more active role in supporting further confidence building measures to spread the ideas of peace, reconciliation and trust;
12. believes that the recent escalation proves beyond possible doubt that the status quo has become unsustainable and that th ere can be no alternative to a peaceful solution in accordance with the UN Charter, Helsinki Final Act and relevant principles of international law;
13. firmly supports the negotiation process under the auspices of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs, as the only internationally agreed format for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, in this regard, strongly encouragespan-European and other international institutions and bodies to align with the OSCE Minsk group co-chairs statements in their motions and resolutions on Nagorno-Karabakh in order to contribute to the peaceful resolution of the conflict; calls for a greater political commitment from all parties involved; calls on the European Union to include in its exchange and mobility programmes students and teachers hailing from conflict areas, such as Nagorno-Karabakh, as outlined in the Bologna Process communiqué of May 2015adopted also by all EU member states and the European Commission;
14. welcomes the steps taken by the Government of Armenia in accepting around 20,000 Syrian refugees and callson the European Commission and the EU member states to consider in a positive light any support request from the Armenian authorities in carrying out relevant programmes aimed at the further social integration of the Syrian refugees in Armenia.
15. recalls the commemorations of the Centennial o
    f the Armenian Genocide which took place in Yerevan in April 2015, and commends the participating EU institutions and their Office-Holders ; encourages all Member States and EU Institutions to contribute further to the recognition of the Armenian Genocide, noting that the issue has, in recent years, become the focus of open and public debate in Turkey itself;
16. echoes the call of the EP Plenary, which, on 10 June 2015, urged the normalisation of Armenia – Turkey relations by the ratification, without preconditions, of the protocols on the establishment of diplomatic relations, and by the opening of the unilaterally closed border; supports initiatives aimed at promotion of regional cooperation, in the belief they can contribute to the ending of isolation of any country in the region; strongly hopes such developments will help to overcome the legacy of the past and face it courageously.

Real Madrid have topped the league table of the world’s 20 richest football clubs for the 11th year in a row, according to Deloitte.

Its Football Money League, based on season 2014-15, also said the combined revenues of the 20 clubs had risen 8% to €6.6bn, a new record.

Real’s arch-rivals Barcelona rose two places to second on the list, pushing Manchester United down to third.

Paris Saint-Germain and Bayern Munich completed the top five.

The list only looks at revenues accrued and does not take into account club debts.

All the 20 clubs represented are from the “big five” European leagues, with Italy contributing four clubs, Germany three, Spain three and France one.

Real Madrid saw revenues of €577m.

The club saw revenue growth of €27.5m, including an increase of €22.7m in commercial revenues from the previous season.

DELOITTE FOOTBALL MONEY LEAGUE

•1. Real Madrid: €577m

•2. Barcelona: €560.8m

•3. Man Utd: €519.5m

•4. Paris Saint Germain; €480.8m

•5. Bayern Munich: €474m

•6. Manchester City: €463.5m

•7. Arsenal: €435.5m

•8. Chelsea: €420m

•9. Liverpool: €391.8m

•10. Juventus: €323.9m

Photo: Getty Images

 

The world’s oldest man has died at the age of 112 in the Japanese city of Nagoya, local officials say, the BBC reports.

Yasutaro Koide, who was born on 13 March 1903, was officially named the oldest man by Guinness World Records in August this year.

At the time he was quoted as saying his secret to long life was not smoking or drinking, not to overdo things and to “live with joy”.

Officials said he died of heart failure and pneumonia early on Tuesday.

It is not yet clear who succeeds him as the oldest man.

The title of world’s oldest person is held by American woman Susannah Mushatt Jones, who is 116 years old.

She took the title last year after the death of Misao Okawa in Japan at the age of 117.

The oldest person who has ever lived according to Guinness was Jeanne Calment of France, who lived 122 years and 164 days. She died in August 1997.

Private of the NKR Defense Army Erik Grigoryan, born in 1995, was killed as the Army thwarted an infringement attempt by the Azerbaijani side in the northeastern direction (Talish) of the line of contact.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army were quick to spot the advancement of the Azerbaijani troops and rebuff the attack.

The NKR Ministry of Defense shares the sorrow of this heavy loss and expresses its sympathy to the families and friends of the soldier.

The Azerbaijani side violated the ceasefire about 80 times last night. The rival used weapons of different caliber as it fired more than 650 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The NKR Defense Ministry said the Army divisions are taking necessary measures to silence the rival.

Armenia’s leading Grandmaster Levon Aronian has went one position and is currently placed 6^th in new FIDE ranking released today.

Magnus Carlsen of Norway tops the ranking followed by Veselin Topalov (Bulgaria) and Viswanathan Anand (India.)

Armenia’s Gabriel Sargissian and Sergei Movsesian are ranked 43^rd and 88^th respectively; Hrant Melkumyan is placed 95^th.

On November 26 the artistic director and principal conductor of the State Youth Orchestra of Armenia Sergey Smbatyan will lead world renowned “Moscow Virtuosi” Chamber Orchestra at Tchaikovsky Concert Hall.

“Moscow Virtuosi” Chamber Orchestra was established in 1979; the founder, artistic director and principal conductor is world famous Vladimir Spivakov.

Sergey Smbatyan will direct the closing concert of the VIVACELLO Festival. The mentioned concert is dedicated to 175th Anniversary of Pyotr Tchaikovsky. The concert will feature performances by participants of Tchaikovsky Competition. This year’s winner, 17-year-old virtuoso cellist Jonathan Rouzman will perform with laureates of the previous years Ivan Monighetti and Boris Andrianov.

The concert program will include works by Pyotr Tchaikovsky, Robert Schuman and Alexander Rosenblatt works. In fact, Rosenblatt’s Jazz Variations on a Rococo Theme written for Cello and Orchestra will be performed for the first time. Alexander Rosenblatt is famous for his jazz arrangements of classical composers. Especially for this occasion he created his own versions of Tchaikovsky’s Variations on a Rococo Theme.