Category: News

The NKR Defense Army has dismissed the claims that an Azeri serviceman had been killed in a shooting from the Armenian side.

The NKR Defense Ministry reports that that the Azerbaijani side kept violating the ceasefire regime all along the line of contact, using firearms of different calibers, also as 60 and 82 mm mortars.

More intensive firing was reported in the eastern and northeastern sections of the frontline.

The NKR forces resorted to response actions to pressure the activeness of the rival at some sections. “Azerbaijan will be responsible for the consequences of further aggravation of tension. Karabakh pledges stricter actions should the rival maintain the behavior.

The National Assembly of the Nagorno Karabakah Repubvlic will convene a special session on January 17.

A corresponding decision was signed by Speaker Ashot Ghulyan today.

The lawmakers are set to resume discussions on the draft Constitution.

Asbarez – Garo Paylan, an Armenian member of the Turkish parliament representing the People’s Democratic Party (HDP) on Saturday was suspended from parliament on for three days after speaking about the Armenian Genocide during the legislature debate of a new Turkish constitution.

In his speech, which angered the ruling Justice and Development Party (AKP) members, Paylan said the from 1913 to 1923 the Armenians, Assyrians, Greeks and Jews registered in the country, were “exiled from these lands or subjected to tortures as a result of large massacres and genocide”.

“At one time we comprised 40% of the population,” Paylan said despite an uproar by AKP members.  “Today we are one among 1000. Something happened to us, and I call it genocide whatever you call it. The Armenian people know very well what happened to them. I know very well what happened to my father, grandfather. Let’s face [history] together,” he added.

According to Anadolu news agency, AKP member Metin Külünk demanded that Paylan  “correct  the word genocide.” The legislative session ended, with parliament members condemning Paylan’s statements.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has offered some insight into what it takes to win huge games like Manchester United’s North-West derby against Liverpool on Sunday.

The Reds’ Goal of the Month winner believes there are a number of components to coming out on top in such fixtures and is relishing the chance to post an entry into the history books by helping Jose Mourinho’s side achieve a memorable result against the second-placed Merseysiders.

“Everyone is waiting for Sunday’s game,” Mkhitaryan told . “I missed the first game against Liverpool at Anfield but I know the price of this game. I know the importance of this game. I know very well the history.

“It’s not the first time I’m going to play in such a derby and you have to be ready that day. It doesn’t matter, you have to play for the team and have to play for the crowd to do your best to win that game because it’s going to be [recorded] in the history. Of course, besides that, we need the three points which is very important for the next few months.

“There are a lot of components,” he replied, when asked if the game will be emotionally, as well as physically, draining. “Not only the pressure, not only the way people are working for that game. It’s the teamwork, the last decisive pass, the last shot, the runs. It is everything.

“You cannot say you have to improve [just] this component so we can win. No, you have to improve other components. You have to win every battle, every small metre counts and you have to win your duels. Then you will see you will win the game.”

Jurgen Klopp coached Mkhitaryan at his former club Borussia Dortmund so he is well aware of the strengths of the Liverpool manager.

“They’ve improved a lot from last year with Jurgen Klopp,” he said. “I know him very well. He’s one of the greatest coaches and he can bring the team to a new level. His team are playing very interesting football and I think it’s going to be a nice game.

“I think he’s doing very well, he gives confidence to the players and takes the best out of the players. That’s what he does very well.”

The Armenian airports report 10.4 percent growth in passenger flow in 2016.

The passenger flow reached 2,105,540 people in January-December 2016, which means a 12% growth as compared to 2015.

According to the data of the General Department of Civil Aviation, 1,057,387 passengers left Armenia in due period, while 1,057,387 arrived in the country.

Zvartnots International Airport reported 90.4 percent growths in the cargo shipments last year. Besides, 2.8 percent growth was registered in the number of flights and landings.

“Shirak” Airport in Armenia’s second city of Gyumri was reopened after a break of eight months. The passenger flow here reached 12,421, the cargo shipment exceeded 4.2 tones.

Turkey is preparing to turn a new page in its history by fulfilling Erdogan’s long-time dream of establishing a presidential system in the country. Expert of Turkish studies Mushegh Khudaverdyan says “Turkey is thus making a step backward.”

“Turkey is returning to the model of governance of the Ottoman Sultans,” Khudaverdyan told a press conference today.

Speaking about the possible influence of the constitutional changes on the Armenian community, editor-in-chief of the Marmara daily Rober Hatechian “the changes fall in the orbit of the conflict between the authorities and the opposition.” “They are not related torelated to national minorities,” Hatechian told Public Radio of Armenia.

Commenting on the rumors on Turkey’s plans to build a wall at the Armenian border, Khudaverdyan said “the information is being checked.”

“Turkey is situated at the crossroads of Europe and Asia and suffers from threats of contraband and terrorist attacks. The intention to build a wall may well fit into this logic. The intention could also be a continuation of the plans to build a wall at the border with Iran rather than a step targeted against the Republic of Armenia,” the expert said.

Mushegh Khudaverdyan added, however, that he does not see perspectives of normalization of Armenian-Turkish relations in the foreseeable future.

Gazprom Export and Georgia have reached an agreement on the terms of Russian gas transit to Armenia through Georgia. In particular the parties agreed on shifting to currency transactions when paying for gas transit services, Gazprom said in a statement today.

In accordance with the reached agreement, the Russian side guarantees paying for services of transiting Russian gas through the Georgian territory to Armenia in 2017-2018 in the volume of 2.0 — 2.2 billion cubic meters per year as well as supplying Georgia with natural gas on flexible terms at the price which is by $30 per 1000 cubic meters lower than in 2016.

“As a result of series of meetings and longstanding negotiations, together with our Georgian partners we have managed to find commercial conditions which are optimal for both sides, and to reach an agreement on the terms of gas transit,”Director General of Gazprom Export LLC Elena Burmistrova said.

Gas transit from Russia to Armenia is carried out via the territory of Georgia. Earlier the services of transiting gas via the territory of Georgia were paid in kind, by physical supplies equivalent to 10% of natural gas transported through Georgia to Georgian consumers
In the global gas trade the practice of paying for transit with commodity has not been used for many years already. The Russian side offered its Georgian partners to shift to cash transactions based on rates which are used in the EU countries.

– Poet and teacher Arto Vaun studied literature and creative writing at the University of Massachusetts Boston, and for the past three years the Watertown native has been living in Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, where he’s been launching the Center for Creative Writing at the American University of Armenia.

Vaun says his primary goal is to help reinvigorate the cultural potency of the struggling former Soviet republic. “We need to champion public intellectuals,” he said. “We need to be reinvesting in and re-emphasizing the high level of literary discourse, intellectual discourse, and public discourse” in a country that, because of its size, economic woes, and isolation, has been stagnating.

In the process of developing the new program, Vaun discovered there wasn’t a high-quality English literary journal in that part of the world, so he started one. The first issue of the recently launched Locomotive (which will be available at Harvard Book Store) showcases work by writers from Denmark, Sweden, Hungary, the UK, as well as by a few local poets including Stephen Burt and Gail Mazur.

The journal’s mission is clear: “to showcase innovative writing from established and emerging global voices and eventually connect those voices with the vibrant but isolated literary community of Armenia.” It dovetails nicely with Vaun’s views “that art can change the world. Literature can change the world. Because it does that all the time.”

RAPSI – Armenia’s Criminal Court of Appeals ruling upholding sentence for the Russian soldier Valery Permyakov, who had killed seven members of a family in the city of Gyumri, was appealed in the Cassation Court, reported on Friday.

On December 19, the Criminal Court of Appeals refused to change the sentence issued by a lower court in this case. Lawyer for relatives of Permaykov’s victims, Aramazd Kiviryan, asked the court to send the case for retrial to review a lawsuit against Russia on compensation for non-pecuniary damages.

On August 23, a court in Armenia sentenced Permyakov to life in prison. He was found guilty on all accounts including murder, assault related to robbery and attempt to cross the border illegally.

The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015. Valery Permyakov, a soldier at a Russian base in the Armenian town of Gyumri, was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code.

On August 12, 2015, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities.

On October 13, 2015, Permyakov was found sane despite certain deviations. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime and could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, he was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.