Category: News

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today the delegation of the German Bundestag headed by Vice-President Johannes Singhammer.

Minister Nalbandian noted that the frequent visits of German lawmakers to Armenia are a testament to the importance of parliamentary diplomacy.

Edward Nalbandian availed himself of the opportunity to express gratitude for the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide by the German Bundestag, and for the principled stance of German MPs on the issue.

Johannes Singhammer presented the goals of German MPs’ visit to Armenia and the results of the meetings.

Minister Nalbandian briefed the guests on Armenia-EU relations, the ongoing negotiations on a new legal framework.

Edward Nalbandian referred to Armenia’s approaches towards the situation in the Middle East, the issues of minorities in the region, the struggle against terrorism and other regional processes.

Minister Nalbandian presented the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards elimination of consequences of Azerbaijan’s April aggression and settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

has included young Armenian footballer Vahan Bichakhchyan in the list of 60 of the best young talents in world football.

“Considered by some to be as talented as his countryman Henrikh Mkhitaryan, Bichakhchyan was handed his senior debut at the age of 16 for Shirak. He came on as a substitute in the Europa League first qualifying round second leg against Georgia’s Dila Gori and scored a screamer to help the team progress to the next stage. The goal made him the youngest Armenian to score in Europe,” The Guardian writes.

“Used mainly as right winger, his style is similar to Kevin De Bruyne’s: he has a good eye for goal and is always ready to take on opponents one-on-one, also reminding observers of a young Wayne Rooney. Bichakhchyan had, by mid-September, scored two goals and provided one assist in eight matches in this debut season for Shirak and had precisely the same stats for Armenia Under-19s after being considered too good for the Under-17s,” the paper writes.

The second plane with Armenian humanitarian aid to Syria landed at Hmeimim airbase, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs informs.

Tigran Gevorgyan, the Consul General of Armenia to Aleppo, was at the site to receive it.

The delegation headed by Armenia’s Deputy Foreign Minister Ashot Hovakimyan participated in the 67th session of the Executive Committee of the Programme of the UN High Commissioner for Refugees held in Geneva October 3-7.

Opening remarks by UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon were followed by UNHCR Filippo Grandi’s speech.

Referring to the global challenges related to refugees, Ashot Hovakimyan pledged Armenia’s willingness to continue the effective cooperation with the UNHCR Office to address the needs of displaced people and support the refugees and asylum seekers.

The Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister referred to the issue of Armenian refugees, who have been forced to leave their homes in Azerbaijan because of the latter’s policy of ethnic cleansing. He presented the Azerbaijani military aggression against Nagorno Karabakh unleashed in April this year, which was accompanied by harsh violations of international humanitarian law.

Ashot Hovakimyan noted that Armenia has provided refuge to more than 20 thousand Syrian refugees, being the third country in Europe with the number of Syrian refugees hosted.

In response to Armenia’s delegate’s speech, High Commissioner Filippo Grandi noted that the UNHCR Office will maintain support for the solution of problems displaced people face. He attached importance to the soonest resolution of the Karabakh conflict and expressed his support to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs’ efforts.

On October 5, 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 to the south of Gulistan settlement of the Shahumyan region.

From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Field Assistant of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ghenadie Petrica (Moldova), Personal Assistant to the Personal Representative of the CiO Simon Tiller (Great Britain) and representative of the OSCE Chairmanship, staff member of the German Foreign Ministry Klaus Keller.

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, his Field Assistant Khristo Khristov (Bulgaria) and staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden).

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.

The 2016 Nobel Prize for Chemistry has been awarded for developing the world’s smallest machines, the BBC reports.

Jean-Pierre Sauvage, Sir J Fraser Stoddart and Bernard L Feringa will share the 8m kronor (£727,000) prize for the design and synthesis of machines on a molecular scale.

They were named at a press conference in Sweden.

The winners join a prestigious list of 200 other Physics laureates recognised since 1901.

The 2nd plane cartrying humanitarian aid for  people in war-torn Syria took off from Armenia today, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports.

Vardan Makarian, Deputy Head of the Presidential Administration and Ivan Volynkin, Russian Ambassador to Armenia,  were at the airport to see off the plane.

The Russian Defense Ministry helps deliver the humanitarian aid to Syria. The first military transport aircraft Il-76 of the Russian Defense Ministry delivered to the Hmeymim airbase about 40 tons of canned foods, vegetables, baked goods, flour, sugar.

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs hope the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsayn and Ilham Aliyev will agree to hold the next meeting on Karabakh conflict settlement, US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group James Warlick said in an interview with RIA Novosti.

“We hope the Presidents will agree on a next meeting. The date and place have not yet been set for a meeting,” Warlick said.

According to him, the Co-Chairs are working with the sides to solve the conflict.

“During the UN General Assembly session in New York the Co-Chairs held separate meetings with the Foreign Ministers of Armenia and Azerbaijan to discuss the agreements reached in Vienna and Saint Petersburg and to outline the future steps,” the diplomat said.

“We plan to hold meetings and discuss issues with the parties during our visit to the region by the end of the month,” Warlick stated.

Photo: AFP

 

At least 30 people have been killed in a suicide bomb attack at a Kurdish wedding in north-eastern Syria, the BBC reports.

The bomber blew himself up on Monday night at a hall in Tal Tawil, outside Hassakeh city, reportedly while the bride and groom were exchanging vows.

There were conflicting reports about whether the groom was among the dead.

So-called Islamic State said one of its militants had attacked a “large gathering” of Kurdish fighters with a machine-gun and and explosive vest.

Kurdish-led forces have driven the jihadist group out of most of Hassakeh province, but they have been unable to prevent deadly bomb attacks.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan received Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Russian Federation to the Republic of Armenia Ivan Volinkin.

Noting that the Armenian-Russian friendly relations of allied partnership have a solid foundation, the Prime Minister stressed that interaction is developing steadily in all directions. Emphasizing that Russia is Armenia’s main economic partner, Karen Karapetyan stressed the importance of further development and expansion of trade and economic cooperation between the two countries.

The Premier assured of his government’s readiness to take all necessary steps in this direction, adding that there is great potential to implement new investment projects and increase trade turnover.

Ivan Volinkin congratulated Karen Karapetyan on his appointment as Prime Minister and wished him new achievements. Convinced in the success of the new government, the Ambassador assured of his willingness to support the implementation of joint initiatives.

During the meeting, Karen Karapetyan and Ivan Volinkin discussed a wide range of issues related to bilateral relations and economic cooperation.