Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev had a brief conversation in Dushanbe.
Before the CIS summit kicked off in the Tajik capital, the CIS leaders posed for a group photo, after which the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijan president were seen walking together and exchanging a few words.
Russia-based Armenian real estate tycoon Samvel Karapetyan’s Tashir Group of Companies has been included in Forbes Russia’s 200 Largest Private Companies of Russia list.
Forbes lists Tashir Group of Companies 48th in the 200 list. According to Forbes Russia, Tashir Group of Companies maintains a staff of 45000 people in Russia and it made 164,000,000,000 rubles (roughly 2,5 billion dollars) in 2017.
The top three are Lukoil, X5 Retail Group and Surgutneftegaz.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan has participated at the CIS Council sitting in Dushanbe, Tajikistan. Presidents of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan, Azerbaijan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova and the Deputy Prime Minister of Turkmenistan took part in the session, the PM’s office said.
The results of cooperation of 2018 and the main direction for future development of partnership within the organization were summed up. The preparation works for a joint celebration of the 75th anniversary of the Great Patriotic War victory in 2020 was highlighted. Several bilateral cooperation documents were signed. The CIS chairmanship was passed on to Turkmenistan.
The Council adopted a statement on the 70th anniversary of the universal declaration of human rights protection, approved the CIS Cultural Capital to be held in Tajikistan in 2021, and to declare 2021 the year of architecture and urban development in the CIS.
The 2019-2023 joint intergovernmental program of combating crime was approved and an IT field anti-crime agreement was signed between the CIS states. Amendments were made in the charter of defense ministerial council of the CIS states and the charter of the CIS anti-terrorist center. A number of multilateral cooperation documents in the humanitarian, law enforcement and military fields were signed.
The next CIS summit will take place October 11, 2019 in Ashkhabad, Turkmenistan.
At the narrow-format session the Armenian Prime Minister attached importance to raising effectiveness of cooperation within the CIS and deepening of ties. According to Pashinyan steps should be taken to realize the potential of the CIS for developing regional cooperation. “It will contribute to increasing competitiveness of national economic and the welfare of citizens, development of humanitarian ties and strengthening of human relations,” he said.
Speaking about the 75th anniversary of Victory in 2020, the PM noted that May 9th will forever remain a symbol of unbending courage and unity of peoples, who fought together at the front and selflessly struggled for the common victory, bringing decisive contribution in liberating the world from Nazism.
“The Armenian nation has unique attitude in shaping the Victory. Half of the Armenians who were conscripted to the army did not return home from this terrible war. More than 70,000 Armenian servicemen were awarded military certificates and medals, and more than 100 of them were awarded the title of USSR Hero. This holiday, as well as the memory of the fallen, call upon us all to mark the 75th anniversary of Victory deservedly, jointly counter the attempts of re-writing history and glorification of Nazism and neo-Nazism propaganda,” Pashinyan said.
Pashinyan also emphasized the importance of adopting the statement on the 70th anniversary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.
“Cooperation in the economic, innovative, cultural-humanitarian fields is developing in the CIS. In this context I would like to inform that the Global IT Forum will take place in Yerevan in 2019, which will become an important arena for developing practical and scientific ties between representatives of various countries of the world. We expect our CIS partner countries to have active participation in this important event,” he said.
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a short conversation with Russian President Vladimir Putin within the framework of the CIS summit in Dushanbe, Tajikistan.
In a video Putin is seen talking to the Armenian PM while the latter is gesturing. Then Putin gestures, seemingly suggesting some sort of an agreement.
“Pashinyan intended to walk away, but after taking a step he returned to the Russian President when the latter said something again,” RIA Novosti said.
Earlier the Armenian PM had a brief conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev on the sidelines of the summit.
President of France Emmanuel Macron, one of the main guests of the Yerevan La Francophonie summit, will be in Armenia for the event October 11-12, French Ambassador Jonathan Lacote told ARMENPRESS.
The ambassador said that Macron will be accompanied by his foreign minister Jean-Yves Le Drian, among others.
The International Organisation of La Francophonie represents one of the biggest linguistic zones in the world. Its members share more than just a common language. They also share the humanist values promoted by the French language. The French language and its humanist values represent the two cornerstones on which the International Organisation of La Francophonie is based.
Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan says he will disclose details of a brief conversation with Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev after returning to Armenia.
“A conversation took place between me and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev in Dushanbe. I will tell the details after returning to Yerevan,” Pashinyan said on Facebook.
Before the CIS summit kicked off in the Tajik capital, the CIS leaders posed for a group photo, after which the Armenian PM and the Azerbaijan president were seen walking together and exchanging a few words.
The American Chamber of Commerces in Armenia (AmCham) is the leading business association in the country with more than 120 members from all business segments. Through advocacy efforts in various areas AmCham promotes a healthy business and investment environment in Armenia for all sectors of the economy its members represent.
AmCham believes that sustainable businesses, which are closely connected to healthy economic, social and environmental systems, can create economic value and contribute to healthy ecosystems and strong communities.
In this respect, AmCham welcomed the Government’s announced commitment to promote responsible practices and international standards in the mining sector in Armenia. AmCham believes that responsible mining, based on ICMM, IFC, EBRD and other internationally recognized standards and frameworks, can be a viable part of the Armenian economy. As stated before, we believe that AmCham members like Lydian Armenia, which counts EBRD among its shareholders, already comply with these standards. Moreover, AmCham welcomes the protection of biodiversity and expects all member companies to comply with the law.
While AmCham welcomes professional and impartial audits in the mining sector, the developments of the last few months have raised some concerns.
While the head of the State Inspection of Environment and Mining claimed new ecological factors and publicly called to halt the project, the Minister of Environmental Protection refuted those findings. We consider it of utmost importance to ensure that such premature statements that are not based on sound scientific data do not send controversial messages to the market.
AmCham also regrets that the roads to Amulsar remain blocked for more than three months and Lydian Armenia is deprived of its legal right to operate. While concerns around the industry are understandable, AmCham expects that these concerns be addressed through legal means and in a fair and professional manner. We also expect to see standards be applied equally and fairly to all players in the industry.
As a business organization, AmCham looks forward to seeing a viable, responsible and sustainable mining sector in Armenia. In this regard a level playing field and the transparent, predictable and non-discriminatory application of the law are vital.
Russian President Vladimir Putin’s spokesperson Dmitry Peskov has commented on the brief conversation that took place between Putin and Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan in Dushanbe.
Peskov said that Putin did not discuss prospects of his visit to Armenia with Pashinyan. “They’ve talked about other topics, current [topics],” Peskov said, according to RIA Novosti.
MediaMax, Armenia Sept 28 2018 Armenian MFA: Blame-shifting by an aggressor is unacceptable Yerevan/Mediamax/. Azerbaijan is refusing to settle the Karabakh conflict peacefully and conducts regular military actions at the border with Armenia and on the Line of Contact with Artsakh, Head of International Organizations Department at Armenian MFA Vahram Kazhoyan said at the UN General Assembly session in response to the speech by the head of Azerbaijani delegation. “It is unacceptable when an aggressor is shifting the blame onto others to play the victim,” said Kazhoyan. He emphasized that “the only threat to regional security is Azerbaijan, whose citizens traveled to Middle East in large numbers to join terrorist organizations”. “Those people now announce they return to fight against Artsakh. It happened in April 2016, when Azerbaijan realized a large-scale attack on the civilian population of Artsakh,” added Vahram Kazhoyan.
Photo exhibition titled “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” opened in Aznavour Center in Yerevan on September 27. The exhibition tells about crucial moments of history of the two countries: the events in May 1968 in Paris and May 2018 in the Armenian capital.
The “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” exhibition is the first joint project by French Embassy in Armenia and Aznavour Foundation and the first event held in the house-museum named after the renowned chansonnier.
One of the halls displays pictures taken by French photographer Philippe Gras during the May 1968 events in Paris: the student uprising, walkouts, clashes between police and protesters, portraits of the demonstrators.
Two key moments, one exhibition: “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” – Mediamax.am
Next door, visitors can view the shots Armenian photographer Karen Mirzoyan made during the velvet revolution in Armenia in 2018.
Two key moments, one exhibition: “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” – Mediamax.am
According to French Ambassador to Armenia Jonathan Lacôte, opening the exhibition before the start of the La Francophonie Summit is symbolic. He believes the center is going to welcome a large number of guests who will come to see “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18”.
Two key moments, one exhibition: “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” – Mediamax.am
“The pictures by photographers Philippe Gras and Karen Mirzoyan draw parallels between two key moments in Armenian and French history. I leave it to the visitors to decide how similar or different the events are. One thing is indisputable: the same as France is still speaking about the May 1968 events fifty years later, so will Armenia talk about the May 2018 in Yerevan fifty years from now,” said Jonathan Lacôte.
Two key moments, one exhibition: “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” – Mediamax.am
Aznavour Foundation CEO Kristina Sarkisian highlighted that the exhibition is the beginning of cooperation with the French Embassy.
Two key moments, one exhibition: “Paris, May ‘68 to Yerevan, May ‘18” – Mediamax.am
On October 11, high-ranking officials from Armenia and France will announce the interactive museum project about Charles Aznavour, with the beloved Armenian-French chansonnier in attendance. The museum is to serve as an education center as well.
Lusine Gharibyan
Photos: Emin Aristakesyan
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