Category: News

President Serzh Sargsyan received today Dean of the Fletcher School of Law and Diplomacy of Tufts University James Stavridis and President of the Tavitian Foundation Aso Tavitian.

At the meeting, the parties spoke about the current cooperation between the Tavitian Foundation established by the American benefactor Aso Tavitian and the Fletcher School. Through the scholarships provided by the Tavitian Foundation, gifted young people from the Republic of Armenia are receiving world class education at the Fletcher School. Over 250 alumni of the school have returned to Armenia after receiving education in the framework of this program and utilize their knowledge and abilities in Armenia.

At the same time, the Tavitian Foundation is sponsoring visits of Deans and prominent faculty members to Armenia, to provide them with the opportunity to learn firsthand about the Armenian nation and current geopolitical reality.

Admiral James Stavridis is also a member to the US Council on Foreign Relations. He served for many years in the US navy and occupied high positions including NATO’s Supreme Allied Commander Europe, as well as the first commander of the US Center of strategic and tactical research. He has also served as the executive assistant to the Secretary of the Navy and the senior military assistant to the United States Secretary of Defense. During his tenure, he was decorated with more than 50 US as well as foreign medals and certificates of honor.

At the meeting with the President of Armenia, the parties discussed current international problems and challenges, as well as regional developments.

About 65 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were registered at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night.

The rival used artillery weapons of different caliber as it fired more than 900 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions, the NKR Ministry of Defense said.

The rival was silenced as a result of the actions taken by the front divisions of the NKR Defense Army.

Syria’s President Bashar al-Assad has said a political process to end the country’s bloody civil war cannot begin while it is occupied by “terrorists,” the BBC reports.

Mr Assad told Italian state television the timetable for elections “starts after starting to defeat terrorism”.

It is unclear whether he was referring only to Islamic State (IS) militants or also to Western-backed rebels.

Last week, 19 countries – including Mr Assad’s allies – set a deadline of 1 January for the start of peace talks.

They signed a UN statement that calls for a ceasefire to be agreed by 14 May 2016 and for free elections to be held a year later.

Neither the Syrian government nor opposition were invited to take part in the event in Vienna so that the countries could present a unified message.

In an interview with Rai TV broadcast on Wednesday night, the Syrian president stressed that no deadline for the start of a political transition could be set while parts of the country were not controlled by his government.

“This timetable starts after starting defeating terrorism. You cannot achieve anything politically while you have the terrorists taking over many areas in Syria,” he said.

“If we talk after that, one year and a half to two years is enough for any transition.”

The president also insisted in the interview that Syria was not an “incubator” for IS, which controls large parts of the country’s north and east.

The rise of the group, which “started in Iraq”, was the result of “the support of the Turks and the Saudis and Qataris, and of course the Western policy that supported the terrorists in different ways”, he said.

Passengers were evacuated from a plane flying from Warsaw to Hurghada after a report about a bomb aboard, reports. 

A passenger jet flying from Poland to Egypt has made an emergency landing in Burgas, Bulgaria, after a report by a passenger that a bomb was placed on board the aircraft, Bulgaria’s Nova TV reported Thursday.

“A 64-year-old passenger reported the bomb and is already being questioned by law enforcers,” Nova TV said.

The passengers were evacuated from the plane flying from Warsaw to the Egyptian resort city of Hurghada.

“I think this is one of the best seasons of my career so far and I am obviously very happy with it,” Armenian international Henrikh Mkhitaryan said at a press conference preceding the encounter with Hamburg.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan warned his team-mates not to underestimate Hamburg, before voicing his delight with his sublime form this campaign.

“We have worked hard over the past two weeks and are ready for the game against Hamburg,” Mkhitaryan added.

“We are calm and optimistic ahead of the game. It is an important match for us. We have had some tough games in Hamburg in recent years.

“I think this is one of the best seasons of my career so far and I am obviously very happy with it.”

The suspected ringleader of the Paris attacks, Abdelhamid Abaaoud, has been identified among Saint Denis raid dead, the Paris prosecutor has said, the BBC reports.

His body was found riddled with bullets and shrapnel in the building in northern Paris on Wednesday.

The Belgian national, 27, was identified from his fingerprints.

 

 

 

The US encourages Americans to consider all spheres of investment in Armenia, US Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills told reporters in Yerevan on the sidelines of the US–Armenia Joint Economic Task Force meeting.

The Ambassador said the IT filed is of particular interest for Americans. He said the US also supports agriculture, considering it the locomotive of economic growth.

“Armenia’s tourism sector is also in our spotlight. We’ll be launching a new tourism project tomorrow, aimed at boosting the development of tourism outside capital Yerevan,” Mr. Mills noted.

“The US has provided over $2 billion to Armenia since 1992. We believe this assistance has helped Armenia become a more prosperous country,” said Bridget A. Brink, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State, Bureau of European & Eurasian Affairs.

“The United States is proud to help Armenia in its efforts,” she said.

The Deputy Assistant Secretary of State reminded about the visa facilitation for Armenian citizens and hailed the deal on Vorotan cascade. She said they would work jointly with the Armenian Government to have more investments in Armenia.

Armenia’s Deputy Prime Minister, Minister for Integration and Reforms Vache Gabrielyan said “Armenia appreciates the friendly relations and cooperation with the United States and will do its best to expand mutual trade and investment opportunities.”

Conan O’Brien made history on November 17 as the first American late-night host to broadcast a show from Armenia.

O’Brien announced last month that he’d be traveling to the country with his longtime assistant Sona Movsesian, who is of Armenian descent. The two went to a market in the Armenian capital of Yerevan, where the talk show host explored local delicacies and practiced his Armenian with lines like “I want to eat your liver” and “I die on your body.”

The host herds sheep, learns a new language and lands a role on an Armenian talk show. He also visitsthe Armenian Genocide memorial with his assistant, Sona Movsesian.

President of the Republic of Armenia, Supreme Commander-in-Chief of the Armed Forces Serzh Sargsyan visited the defense positions in the northeast of the country.

Accompanied by Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan and the senior command staff of the Armed Forces, the President toured the frontline military units and visited the defense positions.

The President attended simulation exercises involving divisions of the Second Army Corps, listened to a report by the commander of the Corps on the situation and problems in the military unit under his command.

In one of the military units President Sargsyan participated in the opening of a new canteen for servicemen.

The same day President Serzh Sargsyan left got the Nagorno Karabakh Republic for a working visit.