Category: News

On behalf of the European Friends of Armenia (EuFoA), I express my deepest concern regarding the current tensions along the Line of Contact between Azerbaijan and Nagorno-Karabakh, and condemn the grave violations of the cease-fire agreements perpetrated by the Azerbaijani forces since the early hours of Friday, November 11.

The shelling of the military posts near Talish and Yarmja with 60mm and 82mm mortars is the most severe escalation of the fragile situation since the April Four-Day War and the agreements reached at the summits held in Vienna and in St Petersburg earlier this year.

Running in parallel with Azerbaijan’s largest-scale military exercises ever, with 60,000 soldiers, heavy weaponry and all sorts of military material near the border with Nagorno-Karabakh, these grave violations of the cease-fire indicate  the real intentions of Azerbaijan, already revealed by its recurrent war rhetoric: to impede, at any costs, the implementation of the agreed measures for more effective monitoring of the cease-fire, the investigation of incidents in the Line of Contact and, ultimately, the resumption of the peace negotiations.

Unfortunately, the otherwise positive news of the adoption by the Council of a mandate for the European Commission and the High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy to negotiate, on behalf of the EU and its member states, a comprehensive agreement with the Republic of Azerbaijan, could not have come at a less opportune time. What is being announced by the EU as an opportunity for political dialogue and mutually beneficial cooperation will be portrayed by the regime in Baku as an endorsement of its domestic repression of political opponents, civil society and free media, as well as of its dangerous warmongering.

We urge the European Union and its member states not to look the other way, and use all means available to prevent Azerbaijan from launching yet another offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, which would further jeopardise the peace efforts and could carry a heavy cost in human lives and infrastructure on both sides.

Photo: EPA

 

Syria’s leader has said he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will be an ally in fighting terrorism but remains “cautious in judging him,” the BBC reports.

Bashar al-Assad said Mr Trump would be a “natural ally” if he fulfilled a campaign pledge to fight terrorism.

But he said it was “dubious” whether Mr Trump could “live up to his promises”.

Mr Trump had previously said it was “madness” to oppose both Syrian forces and IS militants, and that fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia.

Speaking to Portugal’s RTP state television, Mr Assad said: “We cannot tell anything about what he’s going to do, but if… he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be [an] ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russians, with the Iranians, with many other countries.”

Mr Assad said that Mr Trump’s pledge to focus the fight on Islamic State (IS) militants was “promising”, but added: “Can he deliver?”

“What about the countervailing forces within the administration, the mainstream media that were against him? How can he deal with it? That’s why for us it’s still dubious… That’s why we are very cautious in judging him.”

Current US policy is to strike against IS and other jihadists while supporting moderate rebels opposed to President Assad.

Mr Assad regards those groups as terrorists.

An Armenian immigrant Newport Beach physician who faked his own death to dodge a Medi-Cal fraud case 14 years ago pleaded guilty Tuesday to fleeing to evade justice after he was arrested in Egypt,  reports.

Tigran Svadjian, 58, entered his plea to a single federal count of unlawful flight to avoid prosecution, a felony that carries a five-year maximum sentence. He is scheduled to be sentenced Feb. 9 in Los Angeles.

Svadjian was arrested in Egypt in July and escorted back to the U.S. by federal agents 14 years after he fled to Russia and later to Egypt, court papers show.

In 2002, he was facing federal health care fraud charges in Sacramento for allegedly bilking the state Medi-Cal program out of more than $2.4 million in fraudulent insurance billings.

After agreeing to cooperate with the government’s investigation, Svadjian was allowed to travel to Moscow to visit his ailing mother. But in October 2002, federal officials were notified that Svadjian died of pneumonia while in Russia and his remains had been cremated. The fraud charges were eventually dismissed.

Svadjian had been hiding in Egypt for much of the past 14 years, most recently working as a part-time scuba instructor. He was en route to Russia with a fake passport when he was apprehended.

Federal authorities indicated that the fraud charges would not be reinstated.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Moldova’s Deputy Prime Minister, Foreign Minister Andrei Galbur.

Minister Nalbandian noted that Armenia attaches importance to the deepening of friendly relations with Moldova.

The parties held detailed discussions on issues on bilateral and multilateral agenda, urgent international and regional issues.

The interlocutors exchanged views on steps towards further development of cooperation between the two countries, discussed the trade-economic ties, intensification of scientific-technical and cultural exchange.

Edward Nalbandian and Andrei Galbur referred to the intensification of inter-parliamentary ties, conduct of consultations between the Foreign Ministries and deepening of cooperation within the framework of international organizations.

The Armenian Foreign Minister briefed his Moldovan counterpart on the talks on a new Armenia-EU framework agreement.  Andrei Galbur, in turn, presented the latest developments in the process of Moldova’s European integration.

The issue of peaceful settlement of regional conflicts was also on the agenda of the meeting. The interlocutors agreed that all conflicts should be solved exceptionally in a peaceful way. In this context Edward Nalbandian presented the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries aimed at furthering the negotiation process on the peacefull settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

At the end of the meeting the Ministers signed four documents on elimination of visa regime for citizens of the two countries, as well as agreements on cooperation in the fields of tourism, science and education. The parties also signed the 2017-2018 plan of consultations between the Foreign Ministries of the two countries.

Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan met with mass media representatives to present the program of increased social security benefits to be paid to families of military servicemen killed or handicapped in action or during combat duty.

Attaching importance to meetings with media representatives, Vigen Sargsyan noted that “they provide an opportunity to confer complete information both on the initiative under discussion and army-related issues of public interest.”

Minister Sargsyan briefed the participants on the ideology of “nation-army” and the main directions of the strategy of achieving maximal results.

The Defense Minister referred to the ongoing works in the armed forces and the future plans, the achievements and omissions.

Noting that the “nation-army” ideology does not lead to the militarization of the public or the state, Vigen Sargsyan noted that “only by utilizing the potential of the army, ensuring full interaction between the economic, social, public, educational, scientific and other fields will it be possible to guarantee the combat readiness of the army and the security of the state.”

Lionel Messi has revealed that Argentina’s players will boycott media duties following accusations made against attacker Ezequiel Lavezzi, reports.

Lavezzi is taking legal action after a journalist suggested he was left out of the squad because he had been smoking cannabis.

Messi inspired Argentina to their 3-0 World Cup qualifying win over Colombia on Tuesday with a stunning free kick and two assists.

Afterwards, the captain announced the players would no longer be speaking to the press.

“We have made the decision to not speak to the media anymore – obviously you know why,” Messi said.

“We’ve had a lot of accusations, a lack of respect and we haven’t said anything but I believe that this overtakes everything.

“The accusation against Pocho [Lavezzi] is very serious because if it is made and we don’t say anything, the people believe it.

“So, because a lot of the people believe everything that is said, we prefer to cut it off. We are very sorry that it has to be this way but there is no other option.”

The victory, which ended a four-match winless run, saw Argentina jump into fifth in Conmebol qualifying.

Israel on Tuesday named a new ambassador to Turkey, the foreign ministry said, the latest step towards normalizing diplomatic ties between the once strong Mediterranean allies following a breakdown in 2010, Reuters reports.

Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Emanuel Nahshon said Eitan Na’eh, currently deputy ambassador in London, had been appointed ambassador in Ankara. It was not immediately announced when he would take up his post.

Turkey was also expected to name its envoy to Israel shortly.

Israel and Turkey said in June they would normalize relations – a rapprochement driven by the prospect of lucrative Mediterranean gas deals as well as mutual fears over security risks in the Middle East.

Both countries have recently increased cooperation in the energy sector.

Israeli-Turkish relations broke down in 2010 when 10 Turkish pro-Palestinian activists were killed by Israeli commandos enforcing a naval blockade of the Gaza Strip. The soldiers had raided a ship, the Mavi Marmara, leading a flotilla to the Hamas Islamist-run Palestinian territory.

Israel has agreed to pay compensation to the families of those killed on the vessel, a crucial element in the restoration of ties.

The Council of the European Union discussed current multilateral and bilateral relations with the six Eastern Partnership countries – Armenia, Azerbaijan, Belarus, Georgia, the Republic of Moldova and Ukraine.

Ministers had an exchange of views on the implementation of the Partnership and possible deliverables to be achieved in 2017, notably with a view to the next Eastern Partnership Summit in November 2017 in Brussels.

The Council reaffirmed the high importance it attaches to the Eastern Partnership, as a specific dimension of the European Neighbourhood Policy (ENP), offering close political association and economic integration with the EU and tangible results to citizens

The Council welcomed progress in negotiations of a new framework agreement with Armenia.

The Council said it looks forward to consideration in due course of the possible opening of a visa dialogue with Armenia.

Gary Neville says he would leave out both Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Wayne Rooney from Manchester United’s starting XI, reports.

In a talk at the Oxford Union, the former United defender said he would play Marcus Rashford up front, with Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Anthony Martial both starting in wide positions.

Neville went for David De Gea in goal, a back four of Antonio Valencia, Eric Bailly, Chris Smalling and Daley Blind, and a midfield trio of Paul Pogba, Ander Herrera and Michael Carrick.

Neville made his United debut in 1992 and went on to play 602 games for the club under Ferguson before retiring in 2011.

The Armenian language will be taught as a separate profession at the Beijing Language and Culture University. China’s Education Minister Chen Baosheng confirmed the plans at a meeting with Armenian Minister of Education and Science Levon Mkrtchyan.

He welcomed the agreement reached between the Beijing Pedagogical University and the Yerevan State Pedagogical University to implement joint programs and issue double diplomas.

The perspectives of functioning of the Chinese school being constructed in Yerevan were also discussed at the meeting.

The parties emphasized the importance of giving a regional status to the school and creating a training system.