Category: News

AP Photo/Hassan Ammar

Russia, Iran, Turkey agree to set up ceasefire monitoring mechanism in Syria, says a joint statement made by the three countries following talks on the Syrian settlement in Astana. The document was read out by Kazakhstan’s Foreign Minister, Kairat Abdrakhmanov. Russia, Iran and Turkey see Astana as efficient platform for the Syrian talks, TASS reports.

Russia, Iran and Turkey are committed to the principles of Syria’s sovereignty and territorial integrity and believe that there is no military solution to the conflict in that country, the statement said.

“Russia, Turkey and Iran reaffirm their commitment to the sovereignty, independence and unity and territorial integrity of the Syrian Arab Republic,” he said. “They express their conviction that there is no military solution to the Syrian conflict and that it can only be solved through a political process based on the implementation of the UN Security Council Resolution 2254.”

Photo: Reuters    

The Foreign Relations Senate Committee has narrowly approved Rex Tillerson as US secretary of state, despite concerns about his business ties to Russia, the BBC reports.

It split along party lines, with all 11 Republicans voting in favour and all 10 Democrats against. A full vote will now be held in the Republican-run Senate.

The Foreign Relations Senate Committee approved Mr Tillerson after leading Republican Senator Marco Rubio dropped his opposition.

Mr Rubio sparred with Mr Tillerson, a 64-year-old Texan oilmen, during confirmation hearings earlier this month, accusing him of being soft on Russia.

A new photo exhibit highlighting work created by Armenian and Turkish photographers during a five-month-long collaborative project opened on January 24, 2017, at the NPAK/ACCEA (the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art) in Yerevan.

The exhibit features work from 24 young Armenian and Turkish photojournalists, who spent five months taking a remarkable set of photographs that tell the story of their lives and underscore the similarities that exist between them.

“What makes this exhibit so compelling is the emphasis on shared stories, based on the fundamental premise that what connects us is greater than what divides us,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr. at the opening of the exhibit. “It is powerful and inspiring to see how this project is building bridges between our talented participants from Armenia and Turkey, and among their audiences, whether they visit the exhibit in person or follow the project online at the #BridgingStories Instagram page.”

With the sponsorship of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, the #BridgingStories project was implemented by the Storyteller’s Café NGO and led by co-teachers Anush Babajanyan and Serra Akcan under the tutelage of the acclaimed National Geographic photographer John Stanmeyer. #BridgingStories has garnered attention from around the world as participants have posted many of their images to Instagram, highlighting the similarities and parallel interests and experiences shared by the young people from both countries. Currently on display at NPAK/ACCEA are 72 photos that best capture the #BridgingStories theme.

The 24 participants, 12 each from Turkey and Armenia, were selected through a rigorous application process last summer and came together for an intensive photojournalism workshop in Dilijan, Armenia, in August 2016. Once back in their hometowns, they continued working with each other and with Mr. Stanmeyer, Ms. Babajanyan, and Ms. Akcan to hone their story telling skills and perfect their images. By photographing life in the towns and cities where they live, and sharing these images via the Instagram account “#BridgingStories,” they continue to connect with each other and with their global audience.

The free exhibition in Yerevan will run from January 24 to February 7.

“Territorial integrity of a country can’t be opposed to the people’s right to self-determination,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan has said.

The comments come after the statement of Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev at the opening of a military camp in Baku.

“We will never allow the creation of the second fictitious Armenian state on the territory of Azerbaijan. Nagorno-Karabakh will never be granted independence”, Aliyev said.

“The fact that the state of Azerbaijan appeared on the world’s map less than a century ago, cannot serve as a justification for Azerbaijani leadership’s lack of knowledge of fundamental norms of international law,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said in comments to Panorama.am.

“It is worth reminding that according to the UN Charter the status of self-determined subject is decided by its people, and the territorial integrity of a country can’t be opposed to the people’s right to self-determination,” he added.

“The leadership of Azerbaijan should have read the UN Charter long ago not to become an object of mockery with its rattling illiteracy, and should come to terms with the inevitability of the prospective to recognize the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic,” the Deputy Foreign Minister stated.

Ethnic Armenian Zhano Gorachyan, 20, has been killed in clashed in the outskirts of Aleppo, reports, quoting its sources.

Zhano was serving in the Syrian Army along with his brother Remo, the source says.

Gladys Berejiklian has outlined her priorities and praised her Armenian migrant parents, saying she “will be governing for everyone”, during her first speech after being voted in as the new leader in New South Wales, reports.

The 46-year-old was sworn in as 45th Premier of NSW this afternoon after being elected unopposed as Liberal leader in an early morning partyroom meeting this morning, replacing Mike Baird.

The meeting lasted 10 minutes and also saw Finance Minister Dominic Perrottet voted in as deputy party leader.

In her first press conference as leader, Ms Berejiklian praised her parliamentary colleagues for putting their trust in her.

“I thank them for determining, based on my performance, that I am best for the job and I am so excited that the party has come together united in support of my Premiership,” she said.

The Premier spoke movingly of her upbringing.

“I haven’t talked about this much previously but my father was a boilermaker, a welder, and one of the first jobs he did in Sydney was working on the Sydney Opera House, which is a great sense of pride for my family,” she said.

“My mum left school at 15 to support her family and became a nurse.

Ms Berejiklian said she would be governing “for everyone” in NSW.

She said her policy priorities as Premier would be:

• local infrastructure;
• housing affordability;
• and building a strong economy, with an emphasis on more jobs.

When a reporter asked whether she would be able to answer private questions, such as former prime minister Julia Gillard, about her single status, she laughed.

“I have been in public life for a long time. I have been a senior minister for six years. I am ready for anything,” Ms Berejiklian said.

Ms Berejiklian has been the member for the Sydney north shore electorate of Willoughby since 2003.

Mr Baird resigned as Premier on Thursday, citing the ongoing illnesses of close members of his family as the cause for his early exit from the leadership role.

The Premier spoke about her upbringing on 2GB just after her successful partyroom meeting.

“I want everyone in NSW to feel that they can do what I’ve done, that there’s no challenge too big and that our state has those opportunities,” she told the Sydney radio station.

“I remember my mother saying to me: ‘Glad, even if you’re not quite sure what the teacher’s asking you, put your hand up and have a go’… I just remember that like nothing else and that’s kind of kept me going for all my life.”

Vache Kahramanian from the Sydney-based Armenian National committee of Australia said it is a wonderful day for all the community.

“Gladys Berejiklian, [who] is the daughter of migrants who came to Australia with limited English and survivors of the Armenian genocide, today has reached the highest office in our state of NSW and this is a monumental and proud achievement for our community and also a proud day for NSW as well.”

Armenia is placed 65th in the Global Talent Competitiveness Index 2017.

Launched for the first time in 2013, the Global Talent Competitiveness Index (GTCI) is an annual benchmarking report that measures the ability of countries to compete for talent. The report ranks 118 countries according to their ability to grow, attract and retain talent.

Other countries in the region are placed as follows: Georgia 70th, Turkey – 61st, Azerbaijan 66th, Iran – 103rd.

Armenia’s partners in the Eurasian Economic Union Russia and Kazakhstan are ranked 56th and 53rd respectively, Kyrgyzstan is 87th, no data is available for Belarus.

Switzerland tops the ranking followed by Singapore and the united Kingdom.

The 2017 GTCI study focuses on how technology is affecting talent competitiveness and the nature of work, exploring both significant challenges and opportunities, and important shifts away from traditional working approaches.

The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) on Saturday confirmed the release of Armenian Arsen Voskanyan, who was held captive by the Cimarron Resistance Front of the ELN, Colombia’s second-largest rebel group,  reports.

“This morning a person of foreign nationality who was detained by the ELN was handed over to a humanitarian mission of the ICRC at the rural area of ​​the department of Chocó,” the organization said in a statement.

According to the authorities, the Armenian citizen was kidnapped in Pizarro, Chocó when he was looking for golden frogs to export them – apparently illegally – from the country.

In a communication intercepted by the authorities, the rebels said that they had a Russian citizen in their possession.

The golden frog produces a deadly toxin used in laboratories in Europe to manufacture pain drugs. These animals are sold up to 1,500 euros on the illegal market.

Armenian Human Rights Defender Arman Tatoyan had a meeting with Philippe Boillat, Director General of Human Rights and Rule of Law, Council of Europe.

The parties agreed to deepen the joint cooperation and implement new programs in the field of protection of the rights of people in detention and servicemen and others. They attached importance to the work with the civil society and journalists.

Arman Tatoyan and Philippe Boillat discussed the issue of extradition of Russian-Israeli blogger Alexander Lapshin.

The Armenian Ombudsman noted that “decision on his extradition is of political nature, poses a direct threat to the freedom of speech and creates an impermissible precedent.” “It’s a harsh violation of the European human rights protection system,” Tatoyan said, adding that “journalists’ visits to Artsakh cannot be subject to any persecution.”

According to the Ombudsman, the case comes to prove the need to make visits to Artsakh more frequent and intensify the involvement of the Artsakh Ombudsman and the civil society in international processes.

The Ombudsman handed over the report on the consequences of the Azeri attack on Armenia’s Chinari village to Philippe Boillat.

 AP Photo/Sergei Grits

 

Talks on the Syrian crisis have begun in Kazakhstan’s capital of Astana, TASS reports.

The issues topping the meeting’s agenda include strengthening the ceasefire and advancing the negotiation process in order to hold consultations in Geneva on February 8.

On the whole, seven delegations are participating in the meeting including those of the Syrian government and the armed opposition, as well as Russia, Turkey and Iran, who act as guarantors of the ceasefire agreements adopted on December 29. Besides, UN Special Envoy for Syria Staffan de Mistura’s team is also taking part in the talks while US Ambassador to Kazakhstan George Krol acts as an observer.

Russia’s delegation is headed by Special Presidential Envoy for the Syrian Settlement Alexander Lavrentyev, Iran’s delegation is led by Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari and Turkey’s delegation is headed by Deputy Undersecretary for the Middle East and Africa at the Foreign Ministry Sedat Onal. Syria’s Permanent Representative to the United Nations Bashar Jaafari leads the Damascus delegation.

The Syrian opposition delegation comprises representatives of the groups active, first and foremost, in the northern and central parts of the country, as well as some of the groups from southern Syria. Jaish al-Islam member Mohammed Alloush is one of the negotiators.

The talks are scheduled to be completed on January 24 at 13:00 local time (7:00 GMT) while at 14:00 local time (8:00 GMT) the final press conference is expected to start. However, the organizers and the participants do not rule out that, if necessary, the talks may be prolonged.