Category: News

Armenian Defense Minister  Vigen Sargsyan received today OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, James Warlick and Pierre Andrieu and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

At the request of the Co-Chairs, the Defense Minister referred to the military-political aspects of the negotiation process and the situation along the line of contact between Karabakh and Azerbaijan.

Minster Sargsyan informed that Azerbaijan keeps destabilizing the situation at the line of contact even after the military actions in April. He said the number of ceasefire violations tends to grow with the calibers of the weapons used also changing.

Vigen Sargsyan noted that Armenia  attaches importance to the unconditional maintenance of the ceasefire regime and implementation of confidence building measures for registering progress in the talks.

The parties exchanged views on the continuation of the negotiation process on  the basis of the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg and the ways of expanding Ambassador Kasprzyk’s mission.

 

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

 

At least 58 cadets and guards have been killed after militants attacked a police college in the Pakistani city of Quetta, officials say, the BBC reports.

Three militants wearing suicide bomb vests entered the college late on Monday, reportedly taking hostages.

A major security operation lasted for hours and all attackers were killed.

No group has said it carried out the assault, but Quetta has seen similar attacks by separatists and Islamist militants in recent years.

Hundreds of trainees were evacuated from Balochistan Police College as troops arrived to repel the militants. Local media reported at least three explosions at the scene.

The police academy is home to hundreds of students and many of the cadets who died were killed in the blasts, said Major General Sher Afgan of the Frontier Corps.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, James Warlick and Pierre Andrieu, and the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kaspryk.

The Armenian President and the Co-Chairs discussed the process of peaceful settlement of the Karabakh  conflict and the existing problems.

The Co-Chairs briefed the Armenian President on the results of the meetings in Stepanakert and Baku.

The interlocutors stressed the importance of the parties’ committment to the peaceful settlement of the conflict and the implementation of the agreements reached on the highest level in Vienna and St. Petersburg.

Armenian Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received today Alexey Miller, Chairman of the Gazprom Management Committee.

The perspectives of Armenian-Russian energy cooperation and issues related to Gazprom’s activity in Armenia were discussed.

Karen Karapetyan hailed the gas and energy programs being implemented in the country by Gazprom Armenia and stressed that Gazprom has the largest investment package in Armenia.

The Prime Minister underlined that the programs aimed at energy security, reliable and uninterrupted gas  supply and the large investment projects have been called to life thanks to the willingness and direct efforts on the pat of Gazprom leadership.

Alexey Miller congratulated Karen Karapetyan on appointment and wished him productive activity. Pointing to the positive results of long-term joint work, Alexey Miller emphasized that Armenia has high level of gasification (96 percent), a reliable system of gas supply and reiterated Gazprom’s willingness to keep fulfilling its tasks in Armenia.

He also stressed the importance of effectiveness of further  exploitation of  Hrazdan HPP’s 5th energy unit and the underground gas storage in  Abovyan.

Miller informed of the plans to establish an educational and training complex  in Armenia, which, he said, will be Gazprom’s investment in the future of the Armenian youth.”

Karen Karapetyan awarded Alexey Miller with RA Prime Minister’s Memorial Medal for his contribution to the development and reinforcement of Armenian-Russian economic ties.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs Igor Popov, James Warklick and Pierre Andrieu and the Personal representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office Andrzej Kasprzyk.

During the meeting reference was made to a number of issues related to the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict. Minister Nalbandian underlined that “Azerbaijan has been refusing to implement the agreements reached at the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits for months, thus preventing the creation of conditions necessary for furthering the negotiation process.”

Minister Nalbandian stressed that despite the calls of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to refrain from maximalist and provocative rhetoric, Baku maintains the policy of distorting the essence and spirit of the negotiation process. “The recent statements of the Azerbaijani leadership are definitely not conducive to the negotiation process,” he said.

Users of the Internet Movie Database (IMDb) are voting politically on The Promise without having seen it, writes.

The Terry George-directed film stars Christian Bale and Oscar Isaac and is set during the final days of the Ottoman Empire, leading up to the Armenian Genocide that killed 1.5 million.

Despite having been screened to the public three times only, The Promise now has 86,704 ratings on , 55,126 of which are one-star and 30,639 of which are 10-star, with very few ratings falling anywhere in between. The majority of votes come from males outside the US.

It is IMDb’s policy not to interfere with user ratings, but many have called for the database to step in following the tide of negative ratings.

According to the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA), pro-Turkey Armenian Genocide deniers have begun efforts to undermine the film, urging negative reviews and ratings on popular movie sites including IMDB, where over 80,000 ratings have been logged, most from outside Canada – the only venue where the film has been shown.

Armenian American billionaire Kirk Kerkorian’s Armenian Genocide-era epic The Promise premiered at the Toronto International Film Festival (TIFF) on September 11th to wide acclaim.

The City Council of the Spanish City of Malaga has unanimously adopted a statement, officially recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.

The statement describes the events at the turn of the century as a crime against humanity, which resulted in the creation of the Armenian Diaspora.

The Malaga City Council has expressed its support for world-spread Armenians. It has also noted that a cross stone dedicated to the memory of the Armenian Genocide victims will be erected in Malaga’s Central Park in the near future.

Turkish police have tortured and otherwise ill-treated individuals in their custody after emergency decrees removed crucial safeguards in the wake of a failed coup attempt in July, 2016, said in a report released today.

The 43-page report, “,” documents how the weakening of safeguards through decrees adopted under the state of emergency has negatively affected police detention conditions and the rights of detainees. It details 13 cases of alleged abuse, including stress positions, sleep deprivation, severe beatings, sexual abuse, and rape threats, since the coup attempt.

“By removing safeguards against torture, the Turkish government effectively wrote a blank check to law enforcement agencies to torture and mistreat detainees as they like,” said Hugh Williamson, Europe and Central Asia director at Human Rights Watch. “The cases we have documented seem to indicate that some have done just that. Turkey’s government should reinstate these crucial safeguards now.”

A provision in the emergency decrees absolves government officials of any responsibility for actions taken in the context of the decrees. And the authorities’ decision to postpone a visit to Turkey by the United Nations special rapporteur on torture casts serious doubt on the authorities’ commitment to prevent torture and ill-treatment.

Human Rights Watch interviewed more than 40 lawyers, human rights activists, former detainees, medical personnel, and forensic specialists.

At least 241 police officers and citizens died and up to 2,000 were injured when elements of the military attempted a coup d’état against the elected government on July 15-16. Human Rights Watch interviewed several people injured while resisting the coup.

PHOTO: ABC/AP

 

Two men and two women have been killed on a ride at a theme park on Australia’s east coast, the BBC reports.

Two victims were thrown from a raft on the Thunder River Rapids ride at Dreamworld on Queensland’s Gold Coast, while two others were trapped inside, officials said.

The park in Coomera has been closed and an investigation is under way.

Dreamworld bills itself as Australia’s biggest theme park with more than 50 rides and attractions.

The Thunder River Rapids ride whisks visitors in circular rafts along a fast-moving artificial river. Dreamworld describes it as a “moderate thrill” attraction.

Queensland Ambulance spokesman Gavin Fuller blamed a “malfunction” for the accident.

The victims have not been named but are reported to be two women aged 32 and 42 and two men aged 38 and 35.

US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick hopes the Presidents of Armenia will meet to continue discussions on the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. Speaking to reporters in Yerevan, Ambassador Warlick outlined the objectives of the mediators’ visit to the region.

“First, we’re glad that the ceasefire has been generally observed since the outbreak of large-scale military actions in April, but there have been casualties. Even one casualty is too much, and we want to talk to the parties about the casualties and the tension along the line of contact and the Armenian-Azerbaijani border,” Warlick said.

Second, he said, the mediators aim to follow up on the implementation of the decisions made during the summit meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg. “Third, our mission as mediators is to work towards lasting peace that the people of the region deserve. I hope the dialogue will continue on the highest level. We do hope the Presidents will meet to continue the discussions,” the US diplomat said.

Amb. Warlick said the Helsinki Final Act is acceptable to all parties and the future peace deal will be based on three principles – the right of peoples to self-determination, territorial integrity and non-use of force or the threat of force.

Spekaing about the outcomes of the summits in Vienna and St. Petersburg, Warlick said an important decision was to expand the OSCE observer mission under the direction of Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office.

Speaking about Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev’s statement on provision of autonomy to Nagorno Karabakh, James Warlick said the “the issue of status should be a subject of full and frank discussion not only privately between the Presidents, but also the peoples.” “Positions of the parties may differ, but the issue should be put on discussion. We welcome President Aliyev’s statement not because it is the last word, but because he put the issue up for a discussion,” Warlick said.

Asked whether it was possible for the people of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan to live peacefully side-by-side, the Co-Chair said: “It’s my dream and the dream of the people of Armenia and Azerbaijan that both parties live side-by side in peace and security as they once did. We want to redouble our efforts to bring a comprehensive settlement acceptable to both parties. Supporting people-to-people contacts is an important element of our work.”

Referring to US Secretary of State John Kerry’s recent statement that there are no conditions for the settlement of the Karabakh conflict at this point, Amb. Warlick said “Secretary Kerry is committed to bringing a negotiated settlement.”

“The US together with the other co-chairs is committed to move forward on the path of negotiations. We believe there is an opportunity. There are proposals on the table we can work on, and we want to see political will from the Presidents to commit themselves to moving forward.”

“All elements of a comprehensive settlement must be on the table and under discussion. No side should chose the elements more convenient to it. There must be a frank discussion on all elements, including the status of Karabakh, the return of refugees and IDPs, the format of an international peacekeeping mission, etc,” James Warlick said. “Nothing is settled, until everything is settled,” he added.

The US Co-Chair attached importance to the expansion of Amb. Kasprzyk’s mission. “Ideally, the agreement reached at the meetings in Vienna and St. Petersburg would have been in place by now. One of the purposes of our visit is to talk about the issue. I’m confident we’ll reach the expansion of Kasprzyk’s mission after 20 years, and it will be an important step in the right direction.”

Amb. Warlick said “the most effective way to move forward is for the Presidents to commit themselves to negotiations that will bring a comprehensive settlement. We want to the Presidents to talk to each other, we want political will from the sides to move forward. We’ll help the Presidents to find an early opportunity to meet.”

“Our mission is to facilitate discussions between the Presidents that can lead to a settlement. We cannot do it ourselves. We need goodwill from the Presidents,” James Warlick added.

“I’m absolutely convinced that both Presidents are fully committed to a peaceful settlement, neither side wants war, because they know the high price that will be paid by renewed conflict. We saw it in April and we do not want to see it again. There is no date set for the next meeting, but we are willing to facilitate a meeting whenever needed,” he stated.

“We are there to facilitate and mediate, to put good ideas on the table, but it’s up to the Presidents to decide. There can be no peace imposed on the parties,” the US Co-Chair said.

He said there are no new ideas on the table. “Many of the ideas have been under discussion for years,” James Warlick concluded.