Category: News

The armed group neutralized as a result of measures taken by divisions of the National Security Service (NSS) had special financing, goals and objectives, NSS Deputy Chief Mikael Hambartsumyan told reporters today.

He said the level of armament, the number of members and the cruelty of the group were unprecedented for the Republic of Armenia.

Hambartsumyan added that the group received funding amounting to thousands of dollars, probe is underway to reveal the source of financing.

“The group had special goals and a well-developed plan. The planned crimes were targeted against  civilians, different branches of power and state bodies,” Mikael Hambartsumyan said.

Photo: Reuters

The Pope drove past the crowd in his popemobile, waving to thousands who started lining the streets at dawn to catch a glimpse of him.

When he got to the University of Nairobi, the site of his first Mass in Africa, choirs and traditional dancers swayed to Swahili Christian music as they waited.

Music mixed with the sound of rain wafted across the field as crowds peeked under multicolored umbrellas.

“I wish I was at that Mass now,” said Jane Waceke, who was watching the Pope on television in the town of Nakuru.

The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan could meet in Tbilisi today , Armenia’s Deputy FM Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters today. Edward Nalbandian and Elmar Mammadyarov are attending an informal Eastern Partnership meeting in Georgia.

What are the expectations from the meeting? Shavarsh Kocharyan said “there can be expectations only in case Azerbaijan puts an end to its “everything or nothing” approach and refuses from the idea of seizing a favorable solution by force.”

The Deputy Foreign Minister said he has no serious anticipations. “On the other hand, it does not mean such meetings are not necessary. Meetings and talks are held even between countries in war.”

Commenting on the possible impact of the Russian-Turkish relations on Armenia, Kocharyan said: “This is a question involving our ally on one hand and our immediate neighbor on the other hand. Therefore, we should keep an eye on the developments.”

Photo: Sputnik/ Natalia Seliverstova

All military contacts with Turkey have been cut following the downing of Russia’s Su-24 military jet, the Russian Defense Ministry said Thursday, Sputnik News reports.

“There are huge perspectives for the development of friendly relations between Armenia and Georgia,” Georgian Foreign Minister Georgi Kvirikashvili told

“The Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Georgia Edward Nalbandian and Georgi Kvirikashvili participated in the six informal meeting of the Eastern Partnership FMs held in Tbilisi.

Georgia, Ukraine and Moldova have signed Association Agreements with the European Union, while Armenia and Belarus are members of the Eurasian Economic Union. However, the different integration frameworks are no obstacle to the development of our relations,” Kvirikashvili said.

According to the Georgian Foreign Minister, there are huge perspectives for the development of traditional and friendly relations between the two countries.

“We discussed with the Armenian Foreign Minister a number of important issues and referred to border-related issues. I accepted Mr. Nalbandian’s invitation to visit Armenia, which will provide another opportunity to discuss issues of reciprocal interests once again,” Kvirikashvili said.

David Cameron says air strikes against Islamic State militants Syria would be in the UK’s “national interest,” the BBC reports.

The prime minister denied claims it would make the UK a bigger target for terror attacks, as he made the case for military action in the Commons.

He told MPs the UK was already a target for IS – and the only way to deal with that was to “take action” now.

The UK could not “outsource our security to allies” and it had to stand by France, he added.

A Commons vote is expected within weeks on whether to authorise air strikes.

The prime minister is urging MPs to back military action as he sets out a “comprehensive strategy” to tackle IS.

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS

French President Francois Hollande told Russia’s Vladimir Putin on Thursday world powers must create a “grand coalition” to combat Islamic State militants who control swathes of territory in Syria and Iraq, Reuters reports.

Hollande is on a diplomatic offensive to build a common front against the militant Islamist group that has claimed responsibility for the attacks in Paris on Nov. 13 that killed 130 people.

Islamic State has also said it downed a Russian plane on Oct. 31 over the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, killing all 224 people on board.

“Our enemy is Islamic State, it has territory, an army and resources, so we must create this large coalition to hit these terrorists,” Hollande said in televised remarks at the start of bilateral talks with the Russian leader in the Kremlin.

“I’m in Moscow with you to see how we can act together and coordinate so that we can strike this terrorist group, but also reach a solution for peace,” Hollande said.

Putin said Moscow was ready to unite with Paris against a “mutual enemy” following the downing of the Russian airliner and the attacks in Paris.

“You’re paying big attention and putting a lot of efforts into the emergence of a broad antiterrorist coalition,” he said at the start of his emergency summit with Hollande in the Kremlin, according to TASS.

“What’s more, we think this coalition is absolutely necessary and that’s where our positions are the same,” Putin said.

Georgia’s Foreign Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili met his Armenian counterpart Eduard Nalbandyan in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi today, Georgia Today reports.

The Armenian has left for Georgia to take part in the 6th non-official Eastern Partnership (EaP) dialogue currently underway in Tbilisi.

At this morning’s meeting the two Foreign Ministers discussed prospects of future cooperation in existing and new directions. Both  emphasised the “existing friendly, neighboring relationship between Georgia and Armenia.”

The EaP dialogue, due to be completed today, was also being attended by the Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Moldova, as well as by delegations from Belarus and Ukraine.

European Union Commissioner for European Neighbourhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn also arrived in Tbilisi earlier today to participate in the talks, which were expected to focus on a range of regional economic and political issues facing EaP nations.

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.