Category: News

Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov received today Syrian MPs Omar al-Arab and Alan Bakeri.

The Vice-Speaker welcomed the visit of Syrian lawmakers to Armenia and noted that the Armenian-Syrian friendship has centuries-old history, which has been reinforced after Syria’s provision of refuge to Armenian genocide survivors.

Edward Sharmazanov attached importance to the cooperation between the two countries, particularly the reinforcement of inter-parliamentary ties. He expressed gratitude to the Syrian Parliament for holding a debate on the Armenian Genocide.

“The denial of genocide is fraught with threats of reoccurence of the crime. Turkish denialism and impunity bore terrorists like the Islamic State,” Sharmazanov said.

During the meeting reference was made to the Syria crisis. The Armenian Vice-Speaker wished strength to the Syrian people and voiced hope that peace and law would be reestablished in the country. He stressed Armenia’s stance on the fight against terrorism and assured of the willingness of the Armenian lawmakers to raise their voice for the sake of peaceful settlement of the Syrian issue.

The Syrian MPs, in turn, conveyed the words of gratitude of the Syrian authorities and people to the Armenian nation for supporting them at times of hardship. They also attached importance to the deepening of inter-parliamentary and informed that discussions on recognition of the Armenian Genocide are under way in Syrian parliamentary commissions.

French Ambassador to Armenia Jean-Francois Charpentier has welcomed the decision to hold the next summit of the International Organization of the Francopnonie in Armenia.

“The 16^th summit of the Francophonie in Antananarivo unanimously decided to hold the next summit of the heads of the member states of the International Organization of the Francophonie in Armenia in 2018.

I warmly congratulate Armenia for this decision and for the commitment to the values and ideas cherished by the Francophonie,” the Ambassador said in a statement.

“I’m confident it will serve as yet another opportunity to boost the role of the French language in Armenia,” Amb. Charpentier said.

US President-elect Donald Trump has named Obamacare critic Tom Price as his choice for health secretary, the BBC reports.

The Georgia congressman and orthopaedic surgeon, 62, chairs the budget committee in the House of Representatives.

He would play a central role in Republican plans to replace the Affordable Healthcare Act.

In his campaign, Mr Trump vowed to repeal and replace the act, considered President Obama’s flagship measure.

However, he has since said he favours keeping certain provisions.

The Dutch BNN Public TV has aired 2 films about Armenia with the support of the Development Foundation of Armenia and the Armenian Embassy in the Nethelands.

The group representing the “3 op Reis” travel program spent a week in Armenia to shoot the series.

The first film presents the places of interest in capital Yerevan –The Vernissage, the Cascade, the Chess House, the Tsitsernakaberd Memorial, the Republic Square, the Armenian Genocide Museum Institute and others.

In the second part the reporters travel to Lake Sevan, the Noravank and Tatev Monasteries, and other sites of Armenia.

The films are available at  and .

An airplane with 72 people on board, including players from a Brazilian football team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, has crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport, AP reports.

Medellin’s Mayor Federico Gutierrez said that it is possible there are survivors.

“It’s a tragedy of huge proportions,” Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site in a mountainous area outside the city where the chartered aircraft is believed to have crashed shortly before midnight local time.

He said ambulances and rescuers were on their way. It is not clear what caused the crash.

Medellin’s airport confirmed that the aircraft, which departed from Bolivia, was transporting the Chapecoense football team from southern Brazil, which was scheduled to play the Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.

Aleppo-Armenian filmmaker Avo Kaprealian has won the “Best international documentary” award at the 2016 Torino Film Festival.

According to the Festival’s , “Out of an impossible situation, he shows what is impossible to show – from the balcony of his family’s home he looks at the whole world.”

“He makes us feel that Syrian and Armenian people are all humanity and makes us trust in the tools of cinema to help humanity to exist and resist in all times”

PHOTO: AFP/GETTY IMAGES

 

Thousands of civilians have left rebel-held eastern Aleppo districts, as the Syrian army continues its offensive to take full control over the city, the BBC reports.

The Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said as many as 10,000 residents fled to government-controlled western areas and a Kurdish-run northern district.

Syrian state media put the number at more than 1,500, while Russia said that 2,500 civilians had left.

On November 28, 2016, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the eastern direction of Talish settlement of the NKR Martakert region.

From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant to the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova) and staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden).

From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistant Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic).

The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered.

From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.

Photo: AFP    

Francois Fillon is to be the conservative candidate in next year’s French presidential election after his rival Alain Juppe admitted defeat, the BBC reports.

With virtually all the results counted, Mr Fillon won Sunday’s run-off with nearly 67% of the vote.

Mr Fillon promised to build a fairer society, saying France wants “truth and it wants action”.

He is likely to face a Socialist candidate and the far-right’s Marine Le Pen in next April’s election.

Mr Juppe, the more moderate candidate, congratulated Mr Fillon on his “large victory” and pledged to support him in his bid to become president.

“The U.S. Government welcomes the  agreement that was reached in June and September between the Armenian government and parliamentary political factions – with input from civil society representatives – on strengthening the integrity and credibility of the Armenian election process,” the U.S. Embassy in Armenia said in a statement.

The statement reads:

“We consider this agreement a meaningful step towards restoring public trust and accountability in Armenia’s electoral processes.  Based on President Sargsyan’s pledge in December 2015, we take seriously the Armenian government’s commitment that the parliamentary elections of 2017 will be “conducted in the atmosphere of greater trust, so that results of the election are not doubted by either political parties, or citizens.”

To help make this public commitment to credible elections a reality, the United States is pleased to join – along with the European Union, the UK, and Germany – in providing financial support to the new voting processes and equipment provided for in the June 17 and September 9 agreements, so that these processes and equipment are in place for the spring 2017 parliamentary elections.  With our fellow international donors, all of whom are working in partnership with the United Nations Mission to Armenia, the U.S. Embassy will help fund the efforts of the Armenian government, political opposition, and civil society to strengthen trust in the Armenian electoral process via same-day voter authentication and the publication of signed voter lists after the elections, all as agreed in the June and September agreements.

We join in this effort understanding that no single new electoral mechanism will completely do away with electoral fraud, however.  It is a matter of political will.   Fundamentally, the burden is on the government and its constituent institutions – the Central Election Commission, law enforcement bodies, and the judiciary – to foster a markedly different approach to electiofns; to ensure the Armenian people’s free expression of choice at the voting booth; and to safeguard the essential, unfettered work of domestic and international election observers and media both on election day and afterwards.  A free and fair election also requires responsible civic engagement in the election process, along with engaged electoral observation, from the Armenian opposition, civil society, and all citizens regardless of their political views.

The U.S. Embassy agrees with President Sargsyan’s assessment that the “forthcoming elections will shape the future” of the Armenian state.  The United States was the first country to recognize Armenia’s independence in 1991, and our two countries have been friends and partners for 25 years.  We remain strongly committed to being a part of Armenia’s ongoing democratic growth and in helping it become the independent, secure, and prosperous nation its people deserve.  Free, unfettered, and credible elections are an absolutely indispensable component of the path towards achieving this goal.”