Category: News

Armenia is building a multi-vector security system, taking into consideration the existing challenges, Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan said at NATO’s Rose Roth seminar in Yerevan.

Besides the traditional threats, the Minister pointed to the rapidly aggravating challenges, such as trans-national terrorism and radicalism, which is “knocking the door of the South Caucasus.”

“In a short period of time the so-called Islamic State managed to expand the area under its control and continues to stretch in different directions,  automatically challenging the South Caucasus, as two of the latter’s neighbors – Turkey and Iran – are in some way involved in the developments around ISIS,” the Defense Minister said.

“Being a member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Armenia actively cooperates with NATO and its member states and views the relations with NATO as an indispensible part of its security system,” Minister Ohanyan said.

The Defense Minister noted that “Armenia is the only CSTO member state and the only strategic ally of Russia, which has been actively involved in NATO-led peacekeeping missions.

Speaking about NATO’s role in ensuring security in the region, Minister Ohanyan said “being the guarantor of security in the Euro-Atlantic area, NATO should play a distinct role in defending the South Caucasus from outer challenges and support the negotiations on conflict settlement in different formats.”

“NATO’s involvement in the region should be targeted against challenges  common for all countries of the region, irrespective of the collective security systems they have chosen to join,” he added.

Belgian Prime Minister said that the tragic events committed between 1915-1917 in the Ottoman Empire should be “considered a genocide,” reports, quoting Belgian .

Prime Minister Charles Michel acknowledged Thursday on behalf of his government, the Armenian genocide a century ago committed by the Young Turk government.

“The relationship between history and the future are occasionally complicated. My position is well known, I am of the view that the tragic events should be labeled as genocide, and that is the position of the Belgian government,” Charles Michel declared in the Parliament today.

Welcoming this statement, MP Peter De Roover (N-VA) announced the filing of a resolution allowing to move forward on this issue.

“Armenia is a full member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and has the right to get assistance from allies in case of negative developments on its territory. Armenia will get support from partners if necessary,” CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha said at the Yerevan-Moscow-Astana space bridge.

Asked by an Armenian journalist whether he ever sent an invitation to Azerbaijan to join the CSTO, Bordyuzha said: “I don’t remember having sent an invitation to Azerbaijan, although I think all countries should participate in the works of a security system.”

“The CSTO is ready to discuss the membership of any country – be it Iran, Georgia or Azerbaijan. Should Azerbaijan file an application to join the CSTO, we’ll discuss it, but will discuss with all member states, including Armenia,” Bordyuzha stated.

Asked by a Moscow-based Azerbaijani journalist what the CSTO is doing regarding the Karabakh conflict, the CSTO Secretary General said: “International mechanisms, including the Minsk Group, have been created to seek ways for the settlement of the conflict and find solutions acceptable to both parties. I’m more than assured that no other institutions should interfere.”

“We are well aware of the situation at the line of contact, we are aware of the ceasefire violations and the number of victims, but we have no right to interfere with the settlement process,” he added.

At the same time, the Secretary General added that “Armenia is a full member of the Collective Security Treaty Organization and has the right to get assistance from allies in case of negative developments on its territory. Armenia will get support from partners if necessary.”

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian has offered condolences on the demise of Kirk Kerkorian:

“It is with deepest grief that I learned about the passing away of a great Armenian, Kirk Kerkorian.

The irretrievable loss befell Armenians all over the world as we  lost a remarkable person, an outstanding patriot, a man of a great virtue who has given so much to his people, to his ancestral homeland.

Kirk Kerkorian’s generous and continuous support was immensely important for the development of Armenia. His Lincy charitable foundation established right after the devastating earthquake in 1988 made enormous investments throughout the years in various projects in Armenia and Artsakh.

He gave his unconditional love to its people which repaid him with great admiration. He was bestowed as a National Hero of Armenia, and a true Hero he was indeed!

I would like to express my profound condolences to the Kerkorian family, relatives, friends and Armenians all over the world.

Kirk Kerkorian’s memory and legacy will always remain alive in our hearts and minds.”

Gita Elibekyan
Public Radio of Armenia
Tbilisi

Tigran Hamasyan will provide the proceeds from his Tbilisi concert to the fund for assistance to the flood victims. The charity concert will take place at the Tbilisi State Conservatoire at 8 p.m. tonight. The pianist had another concert at St. Etchmiadzin Church in Tbilisi last night.

Within the framework of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide Tigran Hamasyan plans concerts in over 100 churches around the world. The program is titled Luys i Luso (Light of Light), which has a religious meaning.

“I wanted the program to have a bright name, because we are performing religious music, a living music, which survives and develops,” Hamasyan said in an interview with Public Radio of Armenia.

With new improvisations Tigran Hamasyan gives a fresh breath to the Armenian religious music – the works by Mesrop Mashtots, Grigor Narekatsi, Nerses Shnorhali, Mkhitar Ayrivanetsi and Makar Yekmalyan.

“Our religious traditions are combined with improvisation here,” the pianist said.

The tour that kicked off in Yerevan will continue in different countries of the world and will conclude in Turkey.

India has confirmed it will sign a free trade agreement with the Eurasian Economic Union on June 18 at the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum (SPIEF-2015). “We are definitely signing this agreement,” Amit Telang, First Secretary of India’s embassy in Russia told TASS on Thursday.

The Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) is an international organization for regional economic integration. The member states of the union, which started operation on January 1, 2015, are the Russian Federation, the Republic of Belarus, the Republic of Kazakhstan and the Republic of Armenia.

The EAEU is aimed at economic development of the member states by coordinating their economic policy and guaranteeing free movement of goods, services, capital and workforce.

Apart from India, currently Vietnam, Iran, Egypt and Israel are negotiating the possibility of forming free trade zone agreements with the EAEU.

“The negotiations on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement are not conducted within the framework, under the umbrella, or through the mediation of the European Court of Human Rights. The Co-Chairmanship of the OSCE Minsk Group is the only internationally mandated format dealing with the resolution of the issue,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said as he commented on the European Court ruling on Chiragov v. Armenia case.

“Decision on Chiragov’s application is an individual court case, which cannot have any impact on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement process,” the Minister said in comments to Radio Liberty.

“The manipulation of this case by Azerbaijan can only harm the efforts aimed at the peaceful settlement,” he added.

“Issues related to the right of the refugees and displaced persons to return are integral part of the negotiation process, they can be resolved as a result of the comprehensive resolution of the issue. The well-known statements of the heads of Co-Chair countries on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement also have reference to it,” Minister Nalbandian concluded.

Mustafa Isciler, a history student at Boğaziçi University of Istanbul, will bike from Van to Yerevan, Ermenihaber.am reports, quoting the Turkish Birgun website.  According to the source, the student wants to write down the memories and stories of the people living in those regions.

Mustafa Isciler intends to conduct field research on Islamized Armenians, Genocide and Yezidis for his Master’s thesis.

The trip will kick off on August 12 and will continue for three weeks. The route includes the Akhtamar Island, the ancient Armenian villages, Mount Ararat, Bayazet, Igdir, Kars, Ani, etc., as well as Georgia and Armenia.

Isciler told Birgun that he will not be alone on the journey. A six-member group will start the trip from Istanbul; they will be joined by a six-member group of Armenians in Diyarbekir.

The researchers will write down people’s memories and stories in every village and will prepare a documentary.

President Serzh Sargsyan today sent a condolence letter on Kirk Kerkorian’s demise which reads as follows: “It was with great sorrow that I learned of the passing away of the great Armenian benefactor Kirk Kerkorian, the National Hero of Armenia.

I am sure everybody in Armenia, Artsakh and the diaspora share this sorrow. As an entrepreneur and businessman, he became a legend already in his lifetime and enjoyed international acclaim, setting an example of a revived Armenian and of a hard-working, wise, kind and modest man.

It was his Lincy Foundation that backed the Armenian people during hard times, helping them to overcome difficulties and embark on their path to development. The projects implemented by the foundation gave a breath of powerful fresh air to Armenia’s economy, seriously changing the nature of our country.

I strongly belief that the bright memory of the great Armenian and the National Hero of Armenia will live forever, and our people will remember him with a sense of pride and gratitude.

I condole with all of us in this great loss.”