Category: News

The Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) should broaden cooperation in defense and security, Russia’s Chief of General Staff Valery Gerasimov said on Thursday, TASS reports.

“Taking into consideration that the situation on the external borders of the Commonwealth is far from being stable, we have a common task not to allow the spread of terrorism to the CIS space,” Gerasimov told a meeting of the Committee of Chiefs of Staff of CIS member states.

“In this uneasy situation it is necessary to broaden cooperation in the sphere of defense and security,” the general said, adding that the military cooperation in the CIS format “allows successful cooperation in a broad range of areas.”

The International Army Games, the International military-technical forum “ARMY-2016” and other joint events held earlier this year show great possibilities and prospects of the military cooperation of the CIS countries, he said.

The legal basis for this is a concept of military cooperation of the CIS member-states up to 2020 approved by the CIS Council of Heads of State, he reminded. “The concept envisages strengthening our armed forces, maintaining national security and developing good neighborly relations.”

The CIS, a regional organization formed during the collapse of the Soviet Union, now consists of nine countries – Azerbaijan, Armenia, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Moldova, Russia, Tajikistan and Uzbekistan. Turkmenistan and Ukraine are associate members.

Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Karen Nazaryan received the delegation headed by French MP Francois Rochebloine.

During the meeting reference was made to the dynamically developing relations between Armenia and France, the high-level political dialogue and the effective cooperation in most different spheres.

Deputy FM Nazaryan attached importance to the visit of the French lawmakers to Armenia and Artsakh. He expressed gratitude to Mr. Rochebloine for his pro-Armenian activity and especially for is consistent attitude towards Artsakh-related issues.

The parties emphasized the mutually beneficial cooperation of the Armenian and French delegations within international organizations. Special reference was made to the exceptionally peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict and the continuous efforts towards the international recognition of the Armenian Genocide.

On September 28, in the framework of the working visit to Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan met with Director of the European Friends of Armenia NGO Diogo Pinto. During the meeting, the sides discussed a range of issues related to joint projects and their realization.

Later in the day the NKR Foreign Minister had a working lunch with member of the Belgian Parliament and PACE Piete De Bruyn. The sides touched upon the existing situation of the peaceful settlement of Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, the large-scale military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against the NKR on April 2-5 as well as its consequences.

On the same day, Karen Mirzoyan participated in an event dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Armenia organized by the Embassy of Armenia in Brussels.

The working visit of Minister Karen Mirzoyan to Belgium has ended.

Newly appointed Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan has pledged to work “transparently and openly.”

Speaking to reporters on the sidelines of the Government sitting, Minister Amiryan urged them to participate in all consultations of the Ministry of Culture or follow the website, where the videos of all consultations will be posted.

The George C. Marshall Center (GCMC) of Security Studies hosted an alumni outreach event in Yerevan, Armenia on September 29^,  2016.  Thirty alumni and guests from multiple Armenian institutions attended the event which was led by GCMC staff.  The event featured two distinguished GCMC alumni – Ms. Hayarpi Mkhitaryan from the Armenian National Security Council and Ms. Yelizaveta Margaryan from the Ministry of Finance – who presented their views on the topic of “Corruption as a National Security Threat.”  Their presentation was followed by a question and answer session.

U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard M. Mills, Jr. welcomed the Marshall Center alumni and congratulated them on the important role they have played in “collectively contributing to a better and more robust understanding in Washington and many European capitals of the unique security and defense challenges facing Armenia and the Caucasus region.”  Ambassador Mills added that “the intersection of corruption and national security is an issue of critical importance in Armenia and around the world, and I am pleased to see these two professionals, and the distinguished alumni and guests who have gathered here today, address this subject with such seriousness.”

The U.S. and German-sponsored George C. Marshall Center of Security Studies offers a unique opportunity to examine global and regional trends, contemporary security issues, national security strategies, defense planning, approaches to crisis management, countering corruption, and other related areas.  Armenia has participated in this program since 1995, sending 15 students per year on average to the GCMC.  Currently there are approximately 240 GCMC alumni in Armenia who hold a broad range of positions within the Armenian government, as well as other agencies and institutions.  GCMC carries George C. Marshall’s vision into the 21st century, following the motto “Democracy through trust and friendship.”

Photo: Reuters

 

International prosecutors investigating the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 say the missile that hit the plane was fired from territory controlled by Russian-backed rebels, the BBC reports.

They said the missile launcher was brought into Ukraine from Russia.

All 298 people on board the Boeing 777 died when it broke apart in midair flying from Amsterdam to Kuala Lumpur.

The Dutch-led Joint Investigation Team (JIT) consists of prosecutors from the Netherlands, Australia, Belgium, Malaysia and Ukraine.

An inquiry by the Dutch Safety Board last year found that a Russian-made Buk missile hit the plane but did not say where it was fired from.

Pope Francis has once again appealed for peace in Syria. At his General Audience on Wednesday, the Pope said, “dramatic news concerning the fate of the people of Aleppo, with whom, through prayer and spiritual closeness, I feel united in suffering,” Radio Vatican reports.

The Holy Father continued, “In expressing my deep sorrow and lively concern for what is happening in that already battered city – where children, the elderly, the sick, young and old, all are dying – I renew my appeal to everyone to commit themselves with all their strength to the protection of civilians as an imperative and urgent obligation.”

Departing from his prepared text, Pope Francis appealed directly to those responsible for the bombing, warning them that they will be “accountable to God” for their actions.

Since a ceasefire collapsed last week, rebel-held areas of Aleppo have been heavily bombarded, raising international concern over the plight of their 250,000 residents. On Wednesday morning, the Syrian military announced it was launching “concentrated air strikes” in Aleppo and nearby areas, targeting insurgent-held areas in the surrounding countryside.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Wayne Rooney are reportedly facing a straight fight at Manchester United for their Premier League place, reports.

The attacking pair are currently struggling to nail down a regular place in Jose Mourinho’s first XI.

But both are set to start in tomorrow’s Europa League clash at Old Trafford against Zorya Luhansk.

It will be a chance to show their worthiness to the manager, especially after Mourinho dropped his captain from the side which beat Leicester 4-1 on Saturday.

According to the though, Mkhitaryan and Rooney are going head-to-head ahead of Sunday’s clash with Stoke.

United host the Potters in the Premier League with a spot potentially up for grabs, and Mourinho is said to be undecided yet between the duo.

The boss must be convinced he should change the team who comfortably saw off the reigning champions.

And the No.10 role could be the one altered against Stoke with it being both players’ main position.

The Russian Foreign Ministry considers the MH17 probe biased and politically motivated, the ministry’s spokeswoman Maria Zakharova said on Wednesday, TASS reports.

“Russia is disappointed to see the situation involving the air crash is not changing. The Dutch prosecutors’ conclusions confirm that the investigation is biased and politically motivated,” she said.

“Until now, the investigation keeps ignoring conclusive proof from Russia, in spite of the fact that Russia actually was the only side that channels trustworthy information and discloses new data,” Zakharova said.

International prosecutors investigating the downing of flight MH17 over eastern Ukraine in 2014 say the missile that hit the plane was fired from territory controlled by Russian-backed rebels.

On September 27, in the framework of the working visit to Belgium Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan met with the leadership of the EU-Armenia Friendship Group headed by the President of the group Eleni Theocharous.

During the meeting, a range of issues related to Artsakh-Europe relations, settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and regional processes were discussed.

On the same day Karen Mirzoyan met with the President of the Friendship group with Artsakh in the European Parliament Frank Engel and other members of the group. During the meeting, a number of issues related to the activity of the friendship group were discussed. The sides highlighted the importance of deepening ties with various European structures, including the European Parliament.

Later in the day, Karen Mirzoyan, as a keynote speaker, delivered a speech at a round-table organized by Frank Engel entitled “Nagorno Karabakh Republic: 25 years of state-building in a volatile region” at the premises of the European Parliament.

In his speech, the NKR Foreign Minister stated, in particular, that 25 years ago the people of Nagorno Karabakh voted for independence on a nation-wide referendum which became the logical continuation of Artsakh liberation struggle in response to decades of discrimination and oppression by Azerbaijan.

“In spite of the peaceful and legitimate nature of the Karabakh movement, from the very beginning Azerbaijan rejected any dialogue and resorted to the language of threats and intimidation which led to a large-scale war against Nagorno Karabakh and its peaceful population”, Karen Mirzoyan said.

The NKR Foreign Minister stressed that even today the people of Artsakh literally have to defend the young democracy in the conditions of constant attempts of Azerbaijan to return Nagorno Karabakh to the past. Karen Mirzoyan noted that the NKR had repeatedly spoken out publicly about Azerbaijan openly preparing for the resumption of war by, however, the international community did not react to these warnings. The impunity enjoyed by Azerbaijan led to the resumption of hostilities against Nagorno Karabakh on April 2, 2016.

Karen Mirzoyan stressed that the people of Artsakh cannot remain hostage to the destructive policy of Azerbaijan and will continue to develop even in the conditions of the unresolved Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict. In this regard the Foreign Minister mentioned that the NKR authorities attach great importance to the expansion and deepening of foreign relations of the NKR at all levels, its integration into the international processes.

Karen Mirzoyan expressed confidence that expansion of the international cooperation will be an important contribution to strengthening peace and security in the region.

“We believe that the time has come for the international community to support our struggle. It’s time to recognize and support the reality – existence and consistent development of the free and democratic Nagorno Karabakh Republic”, Karen Mirzoyan concluded.

The NKR Foreign Minister answered questions of participants.

Members of the NKR National Assembly delegation, members of the European Parliament and experts attended the discussion.