Category: 2019

The opposition voices conditions for new agreement between Baku and the EU

Kalashian Nyrie
Kavkazsky Uzel
May 13 2019
The opposition voices conditions for new agreement between Baku and the EU

Fail Medzhid
[Armenian News note: the below is translated from Russian]

On the eve of the Eastern Partnership summit in Brussels, the National Council of Democratic Forces of Azerbaijan and the Republican Alternative party specified in their statements conditions for an agreement on partnership between the EU and Azerbaijan. In particular, they called the authorities of the country to release political prisoners and stop putting pressure on the opposition.

On 13 and 14 May, celebrations are going to be held on the occasion of the 10th anniversary of signing the agreement on Eastern Partnership programme between the EU and six post-Soviet countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, the Ona.az [website] wrote on 10 May.

In particular, under the chairmanship of EU High Representative [for Foreign Affairs] Federica Mogherini, an annual meeting of 28 EU member states and the countries participating in the Eastern Partnership programme is going to be held on 13 May. During the meeting, they are going to discuss the progress, which has been achieved within the 20 Results project planned for 2020. On 14 May, in the Charlemagne building of the European Commission, a conference is going to be held with the participation of the heads of state and government chairmen of the Eastern Partnership countries, foreign ministers of the EU member states and representatives of civil society, youths and journalists.

On the eve of the anniversary events, the National Council of Democratic Forces (NCDF) of Azerbaijan made a statement on the upcoming signing of an agreement between the Republic of Azerbaijan and the EU.

“A complete and smooth transformation of Azerbaijani society into the European family is the best strategic choice in the best interests and aims of people,” the statement said. Its authors emphasised the there is no alternative to this choice.

“It is necessary to draw Azerbaijan closer to the legal, political, and economic area of Europe, sharing the values and principles of human rights, supremacy of the law, democracy, free competition,” the statement said.

The NCDF is in favour of the speediest signing of an agreement on comprehensive support, which implies “deep and comprehensive free trade”.

“Azerbaijan should assume international obligations in the sphere of free trade. Only this can put an end to the bureaucratic and oligarchic monopoly and corruption in the country’s economy, redeeming it from oil dependence,” a member of the NCDF coordination centre, Vahid Maharramli told Kavkazsky Uzel on 12 May.

The NCDF shows support for any agreement with the EU, which implies Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity and sovereignty, the statement also said.

The NCDF shows full support for the European Parliament’s resolutions on Azerbaijan, considering that a strategic partnership agreement should be signed only under the conditions envisioned by these resolutions.

The EU should encourage Azerbaijan to meet the requirements [fighting corruption, money laundering and tax avoidance, achieving progress in securing main freedoms, and release of arrested activists and journalists] set out in the resolutions, the document also said.

The NCDF thinks that Azerbaijan should meet the following requirements: Releasing all political prisoners, abolishing the practice of politically motivated arrests, and securing freedom of the mass media and meetings. Apart from this, according to the NCDF, the authorities of the country should take into account the OSCE’s recommendations, introducing large-scale electoral reforms, including the enhancement of the electoral legislation.

According to the authors of the statement, the Azerbaijani authorities should also restore favourable conditions for the work of independent NGOs, stopping putting pressure on political parties and activists, taking real steps towards the country’s joining the WTO, and carrying out fair reforms in the judiciary system.

According to the NCDF leader Camil Hasanli, the EU should take up a principled position when signing the new agreement.

“We would like to believe that the EU will take lessons of the past into consideration, in particular, the shameful “caviar diplomacy [reference to the bribery of PACE deputies, who took advantageous decisions for the Azerbaijani authorities]”, which took place in the Council of Europe and which significantly undermined Azerbaijani citizens’ trust in the honesty of European institutions. We cherish high hopes that the new agreement will not result from behind-the-scenes “compromises”, which is effectively conformism. Releasing political prisoners, lifting restrictions on the activities of democratic institutions, and showing univocal support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity should become indispensable conditions for the new agreement,” he told Kavkazsky Uzel.

Authorities should carry out reforms in human rights sphere

In the statement, which was disseminated on 11 May, the Republican Alternative (ReAl) party emphasised that the path to “ensuring sustainable development of Azerbaijan goes via increased cooperation with the EU”.

ReAl stands for creating free trade zones, signing an association agreement with the EU, expanding partnership in the spheres of energy security and democracy.

“Signing an association agreement envisions creating free trade zones and speeding up integration in the EU economy. Apart from this, this liberalises and cancels the visa regime, simplifying by doing so human connections and reciprocal travel, and offering greater opportunities for access to quality higher education. However, Azerbaijan has unfortunately turned down the EU’s offer to sign an agreement on free trade. As a result of the talks, the sides agreed to sign an agreement on strategic partnership. Against this background, our party agrees even with a document of the kind, as it may prove to be a road map leading to an association agreement,” ReAl executive secretary Natiq Cafarli told Kavkazsky Uzel.

Members of the party think that the mechanisms for strengthening democratic institutions, commitment for holding free elections and reforms in the human rights should be fixed in the new agreement.

The authorities should release all political prisoners, bringing to a stop pressure on the opposition and civil society, and carrying out an electoral reform, the statement by the party emphasised.

“In the resolutions adopted in 2018 and January 2019, the European Parliament warned that it would not approve the agreement with Azerbaijan, unless the problem of political prisoners is resolved and progress is ensured regarding other issues of democratisation,” Cafarli reminded.

Apart from this, the new agreement should fix the date of Azerbaijan’s signing an agreement on joining the WTO and creating free trade zones with the EU, without which no real liberalisation and diversification of the economy is possible, he emphasised.

The EU should also univocally voice support for Azerbaijan’s territorial integrity, Cafarli added.

“After the draft agreement was initialled and the text of the document was published, our party once again expressed its attitude towards the document. If the issues outlined by us fail to be reflected in the document, the party will reserve the right to campaign against signing the new agreement, calling the European Commission not to sign the document and the European Parliament not to ratify it,” he recommended.

However, he finds it hard to say when the new agreement is expected to be signed.

“About one and a half months ago, there was information that the document would be signed or at least initialled in the middle of May. However, despite optimistic comments, the sides avoided announcing concrete dates. Recently, they have become cautious about forecasts. It seems that reaching agreement on all issues will take some more time,” Cafarli said.

At the end of April, the head of the EU representation in Baku, Kestutis Jankauskas also found it difficult to name the date of signing the agreement.

“Without naming the date, I can say that we are going to work for speediest signing of the agreement,” the Turan [website] reported quoting Jankauskas on 24 April.

In the press service of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry, they refused to give Kavkazsky Uzel a concrete date for signing the agreement under the pretext that the work was continuing.

Earlier, in April, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that more than 90 per cent of the text of the document had been agreed with the EU.

“Azerbaijan views the agreement on partnership with the EU as one of the extremely important basic documents, which open opportunities for settling different issues. We can proudly say that more than 90 per cent of the text has already been agreed on and that work is being carried out to reach agreement on the remaining part,” the Trend [edition] reported, quoting Mammadyarov on 4 April.

Azerbaijani Foreign Minister also emphasised that there were unsettled issues, which were related to the agreement, and that settling them “will require flexibility not only on the part of Azerbaijan, but also the EU.

EU Supreme Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy Federica Mogherini emphasised the importance of Azerbaijan as a partner of the EU.

“At present, we are at a final and decisive stage of talks on our new ambitious bilateral agreement, which, I am sure, will broaden and deepen our relations. This is sure to work in favour of our citizens in the EU and Azerbaijan. We share the aspiration for a speedy completion of talks,” the edition quoted Mogherini on 4 April.

Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Joint Statement Regarding the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue

Badalian Vardan
Congressional Documents and Publications, USA
May 16, 2019

Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA) News Release


WASHINGTON, D.C. – Today, the co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Reps. Adam Schiff (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Jackie Speier (D-CA), Peter King (R-NY) and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), released the following statement in response to the first U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue.

“As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we are pleased by the outcome of the first U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue which was successfully completed last week. The Strategic Dialogue with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the first since the conduct of free and fair elections earlier this year. We are pleased that the State Department is taking the opportunity to deepen our already strong bilateral ties to Armenia, and to extend targeted assistance to promote economic growth, advance good governance proposals, and realize the Armenian government’s democratic reform agenda. The Caucus looks forward to continuing to advocate for engagement with Armenia and assistance to strengthen Armenia’s democracy and economic development.”

Read this original document at:

Lydian Announces First Quarter 2019 Results and Corporate Update

Garnik Tadevosian
ENP Newswire
May 16, 2019 Thursday

Lydian Announces First Quarter 2019 Results and Corporate Update


TORONTO – Lydian International Limited (TSX: LYD) (‘Lydian’ or ‘the Company’) announced today its results for the three months ended March 31, 2019.

All dollar amounts referenced in this news release are, unless otherwise indicated, in United States dollars.

First Quarter 2019 and recent developments include: Illegal Blockades – The blockades continue at Lydian’s Amulsar Gold Project, having been in place since June 22, 2018. As a result, two of Lydian’s subsidiaries formally notified the Government of Armenia on March 11, 2019 of the existence of disputes with the Government of Armenia under the UK bilateral investment treaty and the Canada bilateral investment treaty.

Third Audit – In March 2019, the Government of Armenia commenced its third-party assessment of the Amulsar Gold Project’s environmental impact on water resources, geology, biodiversity, and water quality. The duration of this audit is expected to be 12 to 16 weeks. The Company does not accept the need or legal basis for this audit but is cooperating fully with this audit as it progresses.

Court Rulings – Armenian courts have recently issued two rulings in Lydian’s favour: On April 10, 2019, the Administrative Court of the Republic of Armenia ruled in favour of Lydian and instructed the Armenian Police to remove trespassers and their property from the Company’s Amulsar Project site. The Administrative Court’s ruling was effective May 10, 2019 unless appealed prior to that date. The Company is not aware of any appeal having been filed during the prescribed period and has requested official acknowledgement from the Administrative Court that the order is effective. Following receipt of this acknowledgement, Lydian will demand enforcement of the order if not already acted upon by the Armenian Police and The Criminal Court of Appeal of the Republic of Armenia ruled on April 19, 2019 that the police are to initiate a criminal investigation against protesters. The Prosecutor has fifteen days from the official receipt of the judgment to appeal to the Cassation Court of Armenia (the highest Armenian court). Lydian received official notice of the judgement on May 13, 2019 and has been informed unofficially that the Prosecutor received the judgement on May 13, 2019. Therefore, Lydian believes the Prosecutor has 15 days from May 13, 2019 to register an appeal.

Hydrogeological Survey – The Company completed an isotopic investigation of groundwater systems at Amulsar and the Jermuk area, confirming the findings of the Amulsar Project’s EIA and ESIA by conclusively demonstrating that there is no hydraulic connection between the groundwater regimes at the Amulsar Project and Jermuk.

Going Concern Implications

Following a change in the Government of Armenia in May 2018, demonstrations and road blockades occurred sporadically throughout the country. These initial protests primarily targeted the mining sector, including the Amulsar Gold Project. Despite recent court rulings in favour of the Company, a continuous illegal blockade at Amulsar has been in place since June 22, 2018, causing construction activities to be suspended since this date. Access has generally been limited to contractor demobilization and winterization during Q4 2018.

The Government of Armenia has not enforced the rule of law to remove the illegal blockades at Amulsar and prosecute other illegal acts carried out against the Company. Furthermore, the Government of Armenia has taken certain actions and failed to act on other matters. The Government of Armenia’s actions and inactions have substantially restricted the Company’s access to capital and caused conditions to occur that were deemed events of default by the senior lenders, stream financing providers, and equipment financiers. As a result, in December 2018 the Company entered into an amended and restated forbearance agreement (the ‘AR Forbearance Agreement’) and, thereafter, in January 2019 the Thirteenth Amending Agreement (the ‘Thirteenth Amending Agreement’) and the AR Stream Agreement (the ‘AR Stream Agreement’) with its senior lenders, stream financing providers, and equipment financiers.

The Company’s ability to continue as a going concern is dependent upon the Government of Armenia resolving the disputes it has created with the Company and making the Company whole. It will also be necessary for the Company to continue to receive forbearance under the AR Forbearance Agreement and funding under the Thirteenth Amending Agreement. Blockade-related costs will continue to be incurred until the illegal blockades are removed and unrestricted access for all purposes is available to the Company. Thereafter, the Company anticipates additional time and funding will be needed for site restoration, sourcing of financing, if available, for completing construction and working capital until positive cash flows from operations can be achieved. Alternatively, funding will be required until a strategic alternative can be arranged, if at all, or to support the Company’s legal alternatives.

While the Company has entered into the AR Forbearance Agreement with its senior lenders, stream financing providers, and equipment financiers, as a result of the actions and inactions of the Government of Armenia there is no assurance that the Company will be able to meet its obligations under the applicable credit or loan agreements with its senior lenders, stream financing providers, and equipment financiers and that the Company will avoid further events of default as contemplated under such agreements. As a result, the Company may not be able to receive forbearance and continuing funding from the same parties under the AR Forbearance Agreement, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the AR Stream Agreement. Therefore, there is a risk that the Company will be in default under its agreements with its senior lenders, stream financing providers, and equipment financiers, which may ultimately result in one or more secured parties exercising rights to demand repayment and enforcing security rights, which may result in partial or full loss of the assets of the Company. During this forbearance period, Lydian will continue to engage with its lenders and stream financing providers to address the issues resulting from the illegal blockades and seek continuing forbearance and funding, while at the same time evaluating a range of strategic, financing, and legal alternatives.

Although the Company has obtained sufficient financing to date, including during the period of the illegal blockades and as provided in the AR Forbearance Agreement, the Thirteenth Amendment, and the AR Stream Agreement, as a result of the actions and inactions of the Government of Armenia there can be no assurance that adequate financing will be available when needed at commercially acceptable terms and that the Company will ultimately be able to generate sufficient positive cash flow from operations, find an acceptable strategic alternative, or fund legal alternatives. Furthermore, there are no assurances of future forbearances or lenders not demanding repayment and exercising security rights under the respective credit agreements. These circumstances indicate the existence of material uncertainties that create significant doubt as to the Company’s ability to meet its obligations when due, and accordingly, continue as a going concern.

At March 31, 2019, the Company recognized an additional non-cash impairment loss of $ 28.0 million. More detailed financial and other information can be found in the Company’s unaudited interim condensed consolidated financial statements and management’s discussion and analysis for the three months ended March 31, 2019, which are available on SEDAR under the Company’s profile ().

Basketball Is ‘War, Minus the Shooting’ in Sectarian Lebanon

Emil Lazarian
The New York Times
May 16, 2019 Thursday 09:45 EST
 
 
Basketball Is ‘War, Minus the Shooting’ in Sectarian Lebanon
Lebanon Dispatch
 
by Vivian Yee
 
HIGHLIGHT: The professional basketball season resembles an election campaign, with party colors adorning team jerseys and banners of political patrons hanging in stadiums. Then there are the insults and riots.
  
 
BEIRUT, Lebanon — Frankly speaking, their team was never going to win. But that did not stop the die-hard fans in the stands from hurling abuse at their rivals. Some taunts were of the “your mother” variety, others from a genre that the Lebanese, perhaps uniquely among world basketball fans, have come to perfect: the political insult as game-time rallying cry.
 
What they shouted cannot be printed, but it was unflattering enough to Lebanon’s president, Michel Aoun, the standard-bearer of the political party unofficially backing the rival team, that a brawl broke out.
 
Riot police officers swarmed the court. The TV announcers tut-tutted. Two basketball officials who tried to silence the chanting landed in the hospital.
 
“And it was a hopeless case,” moaned Akram Halabi, the president of Lebanon’s national basketball federation. “They were losing by 33 points!” (Mr. Aoun himself was not at the game, so was never in any danger.)
 
These days, with the hosting rights to soccer’s World Cup a matter of geopolitical intrigue and President Trump regularly laying into the N.F.L., few expect sports to be just about sports anymore.
 
But sports have a particularly political cast in Lebanon, whose 18 officially recognized religious sects and affiliated political parties live, work and socialize with each other, but never stop angling for advantage. It’s a country where partisanship lurks behind, roughly speaking, everything. (See also: schools, hospitals, banks, chess clubs, Ping-Pong and Girl Scouts.)
 
Then there is Lebanese basketball, a popular sport with a passionate fan base, whose professional season resembles nothing so much as an election with a lot of very tall, very muscular campaign surrogates.
 
Each basketball club gets the bulk of its financing from a politically connected sponsor who, in return, reaps fan — and voter — loyalty for his political party.
 
Party colors adorn the players’ jerseys. Stadiums are hung not only with championship banners, but also with large posters of political patrons, like the enormous photo of the assassinated former prime minister, Rafic Hariri, that presides over one team’s home games.
 
Sunni Muslims root for a Sunni Muslim-financed team, Maronite Christians for a Maronite Christian team and Armenians for an Armenian team.
 
Lebanese basketball is “war, minus the shooting,” said Danyel Reiche, a professor at the American University of Beirut who researches politics and sports in Lebanon.
 
“I think we should not have a romantic view of sports, that it’s always good and always brings people together,” Mr. Reiche said. “It can also divide them.”
 
Indeed. Fans of Al-Riyadi, the Sunni team, have been known to wear all red to games against Homenetmen, the Armenian team, as a jeering reference to the flag of Turkey — where at least one million Armenians were slaughtered in a genocide a century ago.
 
Politics, both local and regional, have mixed ingloriously with basketball in Lebanon for years.
 
In 2006, the Lebanese national basketball team made it to the World Cup only after a stomach-churning 13-hour bus ride when that year’s war with Israel forced them to flee their country.
 
Perhaps the lowest moment arrived in 2013, when the national playoffs collapsed in acrimony after the country’s interior minister, apparently trying to boost his team, ordered a quarterfinal game postponed. Lebanon was then temporarily suspended from international basketball competition.
 
Everyone blamed the politicians, including some of the politicians.
 
“I am deeply sorry to announce the end of Lebanese basketball, which has been slayed by politics and sectarianism,” the minister for youth and sports, Faisal Karami, said at the time. “There is a dirty political atmosphere in the country, and it has ruined everything.”
 
It was all so unnerving to Hassan Whiteside, a future Miami Heat star then competing in the Lebanese league, that he immediately left to play in China. He has had nothing but bad things to say about Lebanon ever since.
 
Considering its size (about the same as Connecticut), population (about six million) and record in other sports (undistinguished), Lebanon is pretty good at basketball. Its youth teams are on the rise. Its national team beat China last year, though it failed to qualify for this year’s World Cup.
 
Fans are happy to tell you all about the last Lebanese player who made it big: Rony Seikaly, a Beirut-born college star at Syracuse who played in the N.B.A. for more than a decade.
 
Lebanese officials dream of catapulting another Lebanese into the N.B.A., and Mr. Halabi, the national federation’s president, is trying to depoliticize and professionalize the game by drumming up broadcast deals and apolitical business sponsors for the teams.
 
He says the federation has made progress on developing youth teams, fostering homegrown coaches and banning religious and political slogans at games — though this has proved tricky to enforce.
 
About the only nonpartisan aspect of the league might be the players themselves, many of them Europeans or Americans who find themselves on the international circuit after college careers failed to bloom into N.B.A. contracts. Under federation rules designed to help Lebanese players grow, teams can have only two foreigners on the court at any one time.
 
Foreign and Lebanese players of different religions play for all the teams, winning fervent followings regardless of background. Mr. Reiche recalled going to Riyadi home games where the crowd would chant praise for the Virgin Mary whenever a Christian player scored.
 
And the national team — whose players were once picked for their religions, but who now make the cut based on merit — packs stadiums with a pan-sectarian following cutting across political lines.
 
Still, outside of national games, moments of comity tend to be brief. Asked to describe Lebanese fans, Slobodan Subotic, a Slovenian who coached Riyadi before becoming the national team’s coach, had three words: “Crazy! Crazy! Crazy!”
 
“But I like this atmosphere,” said Mr. Subotic, who can no longer go on morning jogs in Beirut without running into star-struck fans. “Sometimes things happen, but they’re not serious.”
 
Not always, anyway. There is a reason the riot police regularly patrol games.
 
Daniel Faris, an American of Lebanese descent from New Mexico who plays for Champville and got dual citizenship to play on the national team, has witnessed enough fights — including one where his teammates started brawling with rival spectators — that he has learned to be cautious about trash-talking certain teams’ fans. “I just support whoever’s paying me,” he said. “I stay out of it.”
 
Basketball has been played in Lebanon since at least the early 20th century, spreading from the American University of Beirut into local schools and clubs.
 
But it was a casual affair until the mid-1990s, when a Lebanese media tycoon, Antoine Choueiri, began heaping tens of millions of dollars into the Lebanese league, raising the sport’s profile and that of his Christian political party.
 
Besides fights in the stands and heartbreak on the court, life as a Lebanese basketball fan can be trying for another reason: the waxing and waning of the sponsors’ generosity.
 
Around election time, according to federation officials, budgets can suddenly double, only for teams to fall into disarray later on when backers decide they are no longer getting a useful boost from basketball and pull out, as Mr. Choueiri eventually did.
 
“When it’s not an election year,” said Tony Khalil, a former player who now serves as the national federation’s secretary-general, “you won’t see them.”

Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Joint Statement Regarding the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue: Rep. Jackie Speier

Tatoyan Vazgen
Congressional Documents and Publications

May 17, 2019


Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues Joint Statement Regarding the U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue;
Rep. Jackie Speier (D-CA) News Release



WASHINGTON, D.C. – The co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, Reps. Jackie Speier (D-CA), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Gus Bilirakis (R-FL), Peter King (R-NY), and Frank Pallone Jr. (D-NJ), released the following statement yesterday in response to the first U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue.

“As co-chairs of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues, we are pleased by the outcome of the first U.S.-Armenia Strategic Dialogue which was successfully completed last week. The Strategic Dialogue with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan was the first since the conduct of free and fair elections earlier this year. We are pleased that the State Department is taking the opportunity to deepen our already strong bilateral ties to Armenia, and to extend targeted assistance to promote economic growth, advance good governance proposals, and realize the Armenian government’s democratic reform agenda. The Caucus looks forward to continuing to advocate for engagement with Armenia and assistance to strengthen Armenia’s democracy and economic development.”

Read this original document at:

Armenian Cultural Week in Tehran to help deepen ties: Diplomat

Babken Chilingarian
Iran Daily
Saturday
Armenian Cultural Week in Tehran to help deepen ties: Diplomat
 
 
He pointed to longstanding amicable ties between Iran and Armenia, saying, “Armenia’s Cultural Week will be held in Tehran with the aim of deepening and enhancing relations between the two countries, Mehr News Agency reported.
 
Located northwest of Iran, Armenia has a special significance in economic, political relations and longstanding cultural ties, he said.
 
Khachaturian expressed his satisfaction with strengthening bilateral relations in every field, adding that political, economic and cultural ties between the two sides were gradually boosted after the independence of Armenia in 1991.
 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran last year, at the head of a high-ranking political and economic delegation, is solid evidence behind good and amicable ties between Iran and Armenia, Khachaturian added.
 
He expounded on the cultural activities of Cultural Division of Armenian Embassy in Tehran, and added, “We hope that the first Cultural Week of Armenia will be held in Tehran by year’s end, which is a good opportunity for the two countries to broaden their cultural ties in particular.”
 
Speaking in an interview with IRNA, Khachaturian pointed to his recent meeting with Deputy Minister of Culture and Islamic Guidance Mohsen Javadi, saying that both sides agreed to hold Cultural Week, but it still needs preparatory work.
 
The event is to include an Armenian film festival, art and historical exhibits.
 
Elsewhere in his remarks, Khachaturian referred to the making of the Armenian drama, ‘Yeva,’ directed by Anahit Abad, as one of the best examples of cultural cooperation between Iran and Armenia.
 
‘Yeva’ was selected as the Armenian entry for Best Foreign Language Film at the 90th Academy Awards.
 
The movie was jointly made by the Farabi Cinema Foundation and the National Cinema Center of Armenia.
 
Elsewhere in his remarks, Khachaturian called for Armenian cultural figures’ presence in Iran, saying some of them, like Sayat-Nova, are famous in the Caucasus and in the world.
 
He said that the Armenian diplomatic mission is to hold a concert in Tehran and Tabriz.

Iran, Armenia eye deepening cultural ties

Vorskanian Yeghisabet
Mehr News Agency (MNA), Iran
Saturday
Iran, Armenia eye deepening cultural ties
 
 
TEHRAN, May 18 (MNA) – Cultural Attaché of Armenian Embassy to the Islamic Republic of Iran Eduard Khachaturian said on Saturday that Tehran-Yerevan ties will be broadened upon organizing Armenia’s Cultural Week in Iran.
 
He pointed to longstanding and age-old amicable ties between the two countries of Iran and Armenia, which dates back to many years ago, and said, “Armenia’s Cultural Week will be held in Tehran with the aim of deepening and enhancing relationship between the two countries.”
 
Located in northwest part of Iran, Armenia has a special significance in economic, political relations and longstanding cultural ties, he reiterated.
 
Political, economic and cultural ties between Iran and Armenia were gradually boosted after independence of Armenia in 1991, he said, adding, “currently, the two countries are moving forwards strengthening bilateral relationship in every field.”
 
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to the Islamic Republic of Iran last year at the head of a high-ranking political and economic delegation is a solid evidence behind good and amicable ties between Iran and Armenia, Khachaturian added.
 
He expounded on the cultural activities of Cultural Division of Armenian Embassy to Tehran and added, “we hope that the first cultural week of Armenia will be held in Tehran by the yearend, the issue of which is a good opportunity for the two countries to broaden their cultural ties in particular.”

Ex-Armenian president released on bail due to Karabakh leaders’ personal guarantees

Emil Lazarian
ITAR-TASS
Saturday 2:50 PM GMT
Ex-Armenian president released on bail due to Karabakh leaders’ personal guarantees
 
YEREVAN May 18
 
HIGHLIGHT: Yerevan’s court released on bail former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, accused of toppling the legitimate government in 2008, on Saturday following personal guarantees from the former and incumbent leaders of unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Boko Saakyan and Arkady Gukasyan, TASS reported from the courtroom.
 
YEREVAN, May 18. /TASS/. Yerevan’s court released on bail former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan, accused of toppling the legitimate government in 2008, on Saturday following personal guarantees from the former and incumbent leaders of unrecognized republic of Nagorno-Karabakh, Boko Saakyan and Arkady Gukasyan, TASS reported from the courtroom.
 
“The court has ruled that Robert Kocharyan be released from custody under personal guarantees from Boko Saakyan and Arkady Gukasyan,” Judge David Grigoryan read out.
 
On April 29, the Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office upheld the indictment in the so-called March 1 case against former President Robert Kocharyan, former Deputy Prime Minister Armen Gevorgyan, former Secretary General of the Collective Security Treaty Organization (a military assembly of post-Soviet republics) Yuri Khachaturov and former Defense Minister Seiran Oganyan and submitted the case to court.
 
Armenia was rocked by a series of protests in the wake of the presidential election held on February 19, 2008. The protesters strongly opposed its official results, with Serzh Sargsyan winning the race. The protests were organized by supporters of first Armenian President Levon Ter-Petrosyan who had presidential ambitions at that time. In the emerging clashes, about eight protesters and two police officers were killed and 33 more police officers were admitted to hospitals with injuries. About 230 people asked for medical assistance then.
 
After the change of power on May 8, 2018, the investigation into the March 1 riots was restarted resulting in Kocharyan’s arrest. Besides, charges were pressed against some other high-ranking officials, including Khachaturov and Gevorgyan.
 
In December 2018, Armenia’s Court of Appeals upheld the first instance court’s ruling to arrest the former head of the republic who is accused of overturning the constitutional system in 2008. On the same day, Kocharyan decided not to wait for the enforcement of the court award and appeared at the National Security Service’s detention facility in person.

Sports: Arsenal in discussions over Europa League visa issue

Jirair Kafian
Belfast Telegraph Online
May 16, 2019 Thursday 8:45 AM GMT
Arsenal in discussions over Europa League visa issue
Several fans with dual British-Armenian nationality face difficulties in travelling to the final.
 
 
Arsenal are liaising with the Foreign Office after it emerged season-ticket holders with dual British and Armenian citizenship have been denied visas to travel to Baku for the Europa League final.
 
The Gunners face Premier League rivals Chelsea in the Azerbaijani capital on May 29 – but the decision to host the fixture in Baku’s Olympic Stadium has thrown up plenty of issues since the two London clubs qualified last week.
 
Hostility remains between neighbouring countries Armenia and Azerbaijan over the disputed Nagorno Karabakh region, where a ceasefire was declared in 1994 after fighting erupted several years earlier.
 
Arsenal’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, captain of the Armenia national team, missed the Europa League group game against Qarabag in Baku earlier this season because of the issue.
 
The club are now working with UEFA in the hope safety measures can be put in place to allow the 30-year-old to travel for the final as part of Unai Emery’s squad.
 
Now some supporters face the same issue, with several British-Armenian season-ticket holders not being granted entry into Azerbaijan.
 
Press Association Sport understands Arsenal are now in talks with the Foreign Office in an attempt to ease the situation.
 
Arsenal in discussions over Europa League visa issue twitter 1
 
Arsenal and Chelsea have already declared their disappointment at the ticket allocation for the final, with both clubs receiving in the region of 6,000 tickets each for a stadium which has a full capacity of 69,870.
 
Travel to Baku, which lies further east than Baghdad and Riyadh, is also proving an issue for those fans who have qualified for a match ticket.
 
Only seven miles separates the London teams’ stadiums, but their fans must embark on a 2,500-mile trip to attend the game.
 
An Arsenal statement on that issue read: “We are bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations UEFA can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000. Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are.
 
What has happened this season is unacceptable and cannot be repeated.Arsenal statement on Europa League final ticketing
 
“We have 45,000 season ticket holders and for so many fans to miss out due to UEFA selecting a final venue with such limited transport provision is quite simply not right. The reality is that whoever reached the final would not be able to meet demand from their supporters.
 
“We would like to understand the criteria by which venues are selected for finals, and also how supporter requirements are taken into account as part of this. Moving forward we would urge UEFA to ensure that supporter logistics and requirements are a key part of any future decisions for final venues as what has happened this season is unacceptable and cannot be repeated.”
 
There are only three scheduled flights per week between London and Baku, but all seats are sold out in the days before and after the match – other non-direct flights can take over 10 hours.
 
Driving the distance would take upwards of 50 hours behind the wheel, while a train journey could last as long as four days.
 

Sports: Ex-Armenia head coach: I think Mkhitaryan should not go to Baku

Chakhmakhchian Vatche
News.am, Armenia

Former manager of Armenia national squad Vardan Minasyan believes that Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan does not have to travel to Baku for Arsenal vs. Chelsea Europa League final.

“I think he should not go if there is a security problem. Other problems can be solved, but is person’s safety is at stake, football is out of the question,” press service of Ararat Armenia FC quotes Minasyan.

Armenia national squad captain and Arsenal midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s participation in the Europa League final is still uncertain.

As reported earlier, however, Azerbaijan Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokeswoman Leyla Abdullayeva had assured that Mkhitaryan can play in this match in Baku.

“Many major sports events have been hosted in Azerbaijan, and Armenian athletes have taken part in them,” Abdullayeva had said. “Sports and politics are separate.”

UEFA also had informed that the Armenia international faces no safety concerns in the Europa League final in Azerbaijan. The organization had informed that it had asked for guarantees that Mkhitaryan will have no problems, and that the Association of Football Federations of Azerbaijan had confirmed that he will have no problems with respect to entry to the country and accommodation in capital city Baku, and that all necessary measures would be taken to ensure his safety.  

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is on the Azerbaijani border guards’ “blacklist” because of visiting Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) numerous times.