Category: News

The bust of Missak Manouchian, National Hero of France, who participated in the Resistance Movement in France, was solemnly opened in Perdiguier Central Park of Avignon, France.

Attending the event were the Mayor of Avignon, Cécile Helle, Armenia’s Honorary Consul in Marseille Samvel Lalayan, President of the Armenian-French Cultural Association of Avignon Véronique Bruna-Mardoyan, Members of French Senate and National Assembly, author of the sculpture Marcella Kratz, representatives of local and regional governments, political and public figures, clergymen and French Armenians.

Mayor Cécile Helle presented the Missak Manouchian’s glorious path, emphasizing the respect and love he earned in France in response to his contribution to the anti-Fascist struggle.

Consul Samvel Lalayan referred to the friendly relations between Armenia and France, the effective cooperation between the Armenian community and the local authorities of Avignon.

The ceremony was followed by the screening of Robert Guédiguian’s film “The Army of Crime” (L’Armée du crime), dedicated to Manouchian and his group.

The event was widely covered in the local press.

On November 6, Heritage Party Chairman Raffi K. Hovannisian attended and addressed a special conference on Migration and Refugees organized by the International Conference of Asian Political Parties (ICAPP).

The meeting, which brought together 40 political parties from more than 25 countries, was co-sponsored by the ruling Justice and Development (AK) Party of Turkey.

Following inflammatory interventions by Azerbaijani and Turkish delegates, Raffi Hovannisian took the floor to present an Armenian perspective on historical and current developments in the region. He referred in particular to the unacceptability of the recent arrest of opposition MPs in Turkey and the crackdown on civil liberties which triggered flashbacks to 1915; the reality and legacy of the Armenian Genocide and Great National Dispossession of the Armenian and other peoples (Assyrians, Greeks, Kurds, Yezidis, and Alevis) as an unprecedented watershed in refugee creation; the Turkish official policy of denial and the untold story of thousands of righteous Turks who saved Armenian lives.

He underscored the tendency of states like Turkey and Azerbaijan to launch military activities in neighboring countries and then be compelled to manage refugee crises, seeking  international support for their solution; Armenia’s experience with Syrian-Armenian refugees; Azerbaijan’s failed war of aggression against the Nagorno Karabakh (Artsakh) Republic and the 500,000 Armenians who were displaced from Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan and other occupied Armenian lands; the imperative  to secure for all refugees and internally displaced persons a guaranteed  and equitable right of return to their places of origin, including the return of Armenians to and the establishment of communal life in Azerbaijan, Nakhichevan, and the western Armenian heartland in current-day eastern Turkey; and the need to be
self-critical in Turkey, Armenia, and all other countries and to take responsibility for developing just, democratic societies which are the only avenue to prevent non-conflict-driven emigration.

Upon completion of Hovannisian’s address, the vice chairman of the AK Party repeated Turkey’s denialist line and asked the reference to the word Genocide be deleted from the record.   Hovannisian condemned this approach as an unacceptable, characteristic attempt at official censorship.

All EEC economies are expected to generate positive growth in 2017, the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development said in a report on the Regional Economic Prospects in EBRD Countries of Operations in November 2016.

The EBRD leaves the growth forecast for Armenia unchanged at 2.0 per cent in 2016 and 2.0 per cent in 2017.

“Armenia’s economy made a good start in 2016 but growth slowed in the second quarter; GDP growth decelerated from 4.5 per cent year-on-year in the first quarter to 1.5 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of the year. In the first half of 2016, growth in exports and government consumption was offset, in part, by contraction in gross fixed capital formation and household consumption. Deflation in the first eight months of 2016 reflected weak domestic demand and low import prices. Armenia’s economy remained exposed to spill-overs from the recession in Russia. In the first half of 2016, net FDI inflow was low and remittances declined, albeit at a lower rate than in 2015. The current account deficit remained contained in the first half of 2016 after sizable adjustment in 2015 which was driven by a reduction in imports. In the first nine months of 2016, the dram was mostly stable vis-à-vis the US dollar,” the report reads.

“International reserves provided approximately five months of import coverage as of September 2016. Tax and customs revenues were affected by deflation and by decreased nominal value of import flows. The fiscal deficit is expected to widen in 2016 on the account of revenue shortfall, followed by fiscal consolidation in 2017. In response to slowing growth, negative inflation and a stabilizing exchange rate, the Central Bank of Armenia gradually lowered refinancing rate from 10.50 per cent in August 2015 to 6.75 per cent in September 2016. In the first seven months of 2016, commercial bank lending remained mostly flat in the context of weak domestic demand and continued consolidation in the banking sector. The conflict in the Nagorno-Karabakh region presents a risk to the growth outlook. Our growth forecast for Armenia is unchanged at 2.0 per cent in 2016 and 2.0 per cent in 2017,” the EBRD said.

A car bomb attack in the largest city in Turkey’s mainly Kurdish southeast region killed eight people Friday, hours after authorities detained at least 12 pro-Kurdish legislators for questioning in terror-related probes, the Associated Press reports.

Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said two police officers, a technician and five civilians died in the attack near a building used by the riot police. Up to 100 people were hurt in the blast but only seven of them remain in hospital, he said.

Yildirim also said one of the assailants was “caught dead” but did not provide details.

The Diyarbakir governor’s office said the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party, or PKK, had claimed the attack, which the state-run Anadolu Agency said was carried out with a minibus laden with a ton of explosives.

Europe has criticized the detentions of the Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP) lawmakers and co-chairs.

The high representative of the EU for foreign affairs and security policy, Federica Mogherini, reacted to the detentions of HDP lawmakers.

Mogherini said on Twitter she was “extremely worried” about the arrest of Selahattin Demirtaş and other HDP MPs and said she was in contact with authorities, while calling for an EU ambassadors meeting in Ankara.

“Very bad news from Turkey. Again. Now HDP members of parliament are being detained.” Kati Piri, the European Parliament’s Turkey rapporteur said on her Twitter account.

Photo: AFP

 

Russian and Syrian government forces have begun a 10-hour ceasefire in the city of Aleppo to allow rebels and civilians to leave besieged areas, the BBC reports.

Russia has said this pause will be the last chance for rebels to leave eastern districts in safety.

The rebels have rejected the offer and have been continuing a counter-offensive aimed at breaking the siege.

About 250,000 people remain trapped and are enduring food and medical shortages as well as intensive bombing.

Rebels can leave unharmed and with their weapons using two specially created corridors between 09:00 and 19:00 (06:00 and 16:00 GMT), the Russian defence ministry said. Six other routes were to be opened for civilians.

Russian and Syrian warplanes are expected to resume attacks on rebel areas when the truce ends.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with his German counterpart Frank-Walter Steinmeier in Berlin.

The interlocutors held a detailed discussion on the steps towards reinforcement of bilateral cooperation in different spheres.

Edward Nalbandian and Frank-Walter Steinmeier exchanged views on a number of urgent international and regional issues, namely the situation in the Middle East, flow of migrants and their integration. Reference was made to issues of Armenia-EU cooperation.

Minister Nalbandian drew Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s attention to Azerbaijan’s refusal to implement the agreements reached at Vienna and St. Petersburg summits aimed at creating conditions for furthering the Karabakh conflict settlement process. Moreover, he said, Azerbaijan keeps aggravating the situation at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces.

Edward Nalbandian hailed the support of the OSCE German chairmanship to the efforts of resolving the issue exceptionally in a peaceful way. The interlocutors agreed that there was no alternative to a peaceful settlement.

Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho admits summer signing Henrikh Mkhitaryan “has to do more” to earn his place in the team ahead of the Reds’ other attacking options, according to MU’s official website.

Mkhitaryan replaced Marcus Rashford for the final half-hour of United’s Europa League clash with Fenerbahce on Thursday, his first appearance since the Manchester derby in September.

But the Armenian and his team-mates couldn’t prevent a 2-1 defeat in Istanbul that leaves the Reds third in the Group A table with two games left to play.

Asked specifically about Mkhitaryan in his post-match press conference at Sukru Saracoglu, the boss replied: “He has to do more. It’s as simple as that.

“We have big expectations at this club, lots of players for these positions and he has to play better than Mata, Lingard, Martial – he has to play better than them. It’s as simple as that.

“Every manager wants to win matches, every manager in the world wants to play the players that he thinks can help the team more, and I’m no different.”

China’s top political advisor Yu Zhengsheng met with Vazgen Manukyan, chairman of Armenia’s Public Council on Thursday, calling for joint efforts on the Belt and Road Initiative, Xinhua agency reports.

Describing Armenia as China’s good friend and important partner in the south Caucasus, Yu said both countries have a healthy and stable relationship based on equality, mutual benefit and respect.

“China and Armenia have understood and coordinated with each other on issues related to their core interests and major concerns,” said Yu, chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People’s Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC).

“China is willing to work with Armenia to consolidate the political and public opinion foundations for bilateral relations, and jointly push forward the Belt and Road Initiative and practical cooperation,” he said.

Yu said the CPPCC National Committee is ready to strengthen exchanges with Armenia’s Public Council in state governance.

Manukyan said Armenia is along the ancient Silk Road and has great interest in China’s Belt and Road Initiative, welcoming more cooperation with China in all fields.

Du Qinglin, vice chairman of the CPPCC National Committee, held talks with Manukyan later Thursday.

The two co-leaders of Turkey’s pro-Kurdish opposition party have been detained along with other MPs.

Selahattin Demirtas and Figen Yuksekdag were detained at their respective homes as part of a counter-terrorism inquiry, security sources quoted by Anadolu news agency said.

At least nine other MPs from the People’s Democracy Party (HDP) were also taken into custody.

Yuksekdag and Demirtas face prosecution under anti-terrorism laws after their parliamentary immunity was lifted earlier this year, along with other lawmakers from Turkey’s main political parties.

Hours later, there were reports of a massive explosion in southeast Turkey.

Ambulances were sent to the scene of the blast in Diyarbakir, the city where Mr Demirtas was arrested.