Category: News

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Public Radio, President Serzh Sargsyan visited today Armenia’s Public Radio Company.

First, the President of Armenia familiarized with the activities of the Mass Media scientific and educational center whose main goal is to train high-level professionals for the TV and Radio. Later, at the Alley of Devotees of the Public Radio he was present at the unveiling of the personal plagues for the RA People’s Artists Nara Shlepchian and Ruben Matevossian as well as at the opening of the memorial dedicated to the 90th anniversary of the Public Radio and 60th anniversary of the Armenian TV.

Accompanied by the leadership of the Council of the TV and Radio Company, the President visited the air studio where the digital production of the Public Radio was launched. According to the responsible officials, Public Radio from now on will be available on the entire territory of Armenia for any modern digital TV.

Serzh Sargsyan familiarized with the policy for the new season of the Public Radio, with the schedule of the programs aired on September 1 and the reviewed schedule which according to the administration of the Radio Company has been augmented with over 20 new political, social, health care related, economic and other programs. It will also provide for a feedback from the audience, offer social programs, and will be mostly society oriented.

The Executive Director of the Public Radio briefly presented to Serzh Sargsyan works carried out at the Radio, existing conditions, including renovation and reconstruction works at the Radio building which started in 2013 and development works at the adjacent territories.

On the occasion of the 90th anniversary of the Public Radio, President Sargsyan awarded a group of employees with medals and letters of commendation as well as honorary titles for their contribution to the area of culture and journalism, for the years-long and diligent work.

The President handed the awards, congratulated on the 90th anniversary of the Public Radio and on receiving high awards. “This is one of those jubilees when congratulations go to us all. Certainly, for long years the State Radio as the second, inner voice was waking us up every morning, charging us, infusing with good spirit and sending out for work or studies, also was informing us on the events happening in the world, was educating us, presenting to us the treasures of the Armenian and world literature and music. Today too, in the widespread din and hubbub the voice of the Public Radio is nicely discernible. And as a radio listener, I was delighted to learn that the Public Radio is back to people’s homes, that the Public Radio will be available to this time in a digital voice, much clearer. You know, there are at least two great forges at the Alec Manukian Street: One of them is the State University – for the science and education, and the second one is the Public Radio – for the journalists. It was very nice to see at the Mass Media center that new and good conditions have been created to train new cadre; it is also very nice and symbolic that every morning our students, walking down the Alley of Devotees, will be inspired by their example and will ensure the continuity of our journalism.

Personally knowing the people, who have dedicated themselves to the development of the Public Radio, I am confident that using modern technologies, new methods, we will undoubtedly be able to preserve and uphold our traditions. I once again congratulate you all and wish every success,” said President Sargsyan at the festive event dedicated to the 90th anniversary of Armenia’s Public Radio.

A German government spokesman denied claims made in a news report that Berlin was going to tone down a resolution calling the murder of Armenians a genocide. Leaders pointed out, however, that it is not legally binding, reports.

The German news magazine “Der Spiegel” had reported on Friday that Berlin planned a gesture to appease Turkish government anger over the Bundestag’s Armenia resolution. That report, however, was denied by German government spokesman Steffen Seibert.

“There can be no talk of the German government distancing itself from the Armenia resolution,” Steffen Seibert told reporters at the regular news conference.

The report in “Der Spiegel” said Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government hoped to resolve a dispute that has seen German parliamentarians barred from visiting Bundeswehr troops stationed at the Incirlik airbase in eastern Turkey.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel told the parliamentary leader of her conservative party that she is not distancing herself from a Bundestag resolution on the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces that has strained ties with Turkey, according to sources briefed on the matter, Reuters reports.

Volker Kauder, the head of the Christian Democrats in parliament, told a meeting of party members that he had spoken with Merkel and she emphasized her position, said the sources, who attended the meeting.

Kauder said Merkel also noted that she had voted to support the resolution during a party meeting before the vote, although she was not present when the vote took place in June. Economy Minister Sigmar Gabriel and Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier were also not present, the sources said.

The German news magazine “Der Spiegel” reported earlier today that recognizing the historic Ottoman slaughter of Armenians as genocide to appease Turkish government anger.

Bastian Schweinsteiger has been named in Manchester United’s Premier League squad for this season, the reports.

The 31-year-old has been deemed surplus to requirements under new manager Jose Mourinho and was free to leave Old Trafford ahead of Wednesday’s transfer deadline.

But a move failed to materialise and the German midfielder has now been included in United’s Premier League squad. Mourinho has previously said it will be ‘difficult’ but not impossible for Schweinsteiger to play for United again.

Also listed in United’s squad is Sadiq El-Fitouri. The 21-year-old was signed from Salford City – owned by former United players Gary Neville, Phil Neville, Ryan Giggs, Nicky Butt and Paul Scholes – in January 2015 and has been a regular in Warren Joyce’s reserve team.

He is yet to make a senior appearance but signed a new one-year deal in the summer.

New signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Eric Bailly, Henrikh Mkhitaryan and Paul Pogba are also in the squad while the Premier League have confirmed Pogba counts as a ‘homegrown’ player.

Anthony Martial, Marcus Rashford and Timothy Fosu-Mensah are included on the list of Under-21 players due to their age along with academy arrivals Tahith Chong, Nishan Burkart and Joshua Bohui.

Germany’s government has plans to distance itself from a resolution recognizing the historic Ottoman slaughter of Armenians as genocide, a magazine report says. Berlin reportedly hopes the move might appease Ankara, reports.

The German news magazine “Der Spiegel” reported on Friday that Berlin planned a gesture to appease Turkish government anger over the Bundestag’s Armenia resolution.

By doing so, the report said, Chancellor Angela Merkel’s government hoped to resolve a dispute that has seen German parliamentarians barred from visiting Bundeswehr troops stationed at the Incirlik airbase in eastern Turkey.

“Der Spiegel” reported that a deal had been agreed between the German Foreign Office and Merkel’s Chancellery that would see the government directly distance itself from the Armenia resolution.

Germany’s lower house backed a resolution in early June that explicitly declared the ethnic slaughter of Armenians by the Ottoman regime during World War I to have been a genocide.

In response, Ankara blocked German parliamentarians from visiting German troops stations at Incirlik, where the Bundeswehr is engaged in operations against “Islamic State” (IS). Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogandenounced the vote, recalled his ambassador to Berlin for consultations and threatened further action.

Germany’s Foreign Ministry has sought to resolve the dispute in recent weeks, with officials reportedly being told that Ankara wanted the German government to distance itself from the legislature’s vote. According to “Der Spiegel,” Merkel’s spokesman Steffen Seibert would reiterate that the resolution had no binding legal effect on the actions of the German government. Even when it passed the Bundestag, it was clear to lawmakers that the resolution was non-binding.

Discussions had taken place about who should make the announcement, the report said, with neither Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier nor Merkel prepared to do so personally. Both politicians are said to privately support the parliament’s position.

Steinmeier is a member of Germany’s Social Democratic Party (SPD), which has said Germany should redeploy its troops to another support base in the Middle East, should German parliamentarians continue to be barred from visiting personnel.

Although Germany is not directly engaged in combat operations against IS, it has deployed a number of surveillance aircraft to assist the US-led coalition. The German parliament is scheduled to decide on a mandate to extend the mission in December.

Photo: Reuters

 

Uzbekistan President Islam Karimov is critically ill, the Uzbek government has said in a statement carried by local media, the BBC reports.

He is reported to have been taken to hospital on Saturday after suffering a stroke. His health has sharply deteriorated over the past 24 hours, the government said on Friday.

Opposition news reports have suggested that Mr Karimov, 78, has died.

He has led the former Soviet republic since independence in 1991.

On Sunday, the Uzbek government said Mr Karimov was receiving treatment but did not give details.

The next day, the president’s daughter said he had suffered a brain haemorrhage.

On 2 September Artsakh Republic President sent a congratulatory address in connection with the Day of the Artsakh Republic.

Dear compatriots,

Today we celebrate the 25th anniversary of the Artsakh Republic. On behalf of the republic’s authorities and myself personally I express my cordial congratulations to all our people in connection with this significant state holiday.

September 2 of 1991 has become a turning point in the life of the Artsakh people and changed the course of its history. Raising its decisive voice in favor of free and independent Artsakh our nation embarked on the state-building process, started to build a democratic state in correspondence with the international norms and principles.

Our chosen path was hard and difficult. Azerbaijan responded to the Artsakh people’s fair and legal claims with violence, massacres and unleashed a bloody war. We were forced to take up arms and by all means defend the freedom and security of our newly independent state, our people’s peace and tranquility, our historical land and our rights.

During the days of ordeal as well as at all times Mother Armenia and the Diaspora were beside Artsakh. Due to the practical support and active participation of the world-spread Armenians we managed to overcome all the trials and difficulties with flying colors, gained victory in the war imposed on us and started to develop and strengthen our precious and cherished Artsakh, our Motherland.
Kind and honest people from various corners of the world, who value humanity and defense of democratic principles above everything else, have been beside us too. The Artsakh people are deeply grateful to all the friends and appreciate their contribution to the formation and development of our independent statehood.

Dear compatriots,

On this festive day we remember with special gratitude all our martyrs, brave sons of the Armenian people, those, who on the cost of their lives paved the path to our Motherland’s bright future. We ought to always keep the memory of our devotees. The best way to do it is the consistent development and strengthening of the free and independent Artsakh.

I once again congratulate all of you on this memorable holiday and wish robust health, successes and all the best to you, peace and welfare to our people.

Photo: AP

 

The Uzbek government has confirmed the death of President Islam Karimov, six days after he was taken to hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage.

One of Asia’s most authoritarian leaders, Mr Karimov, 78, died after 27 years in power.

Mr Karimov has no clear successor. There is no legal political opposition and the media are tightly controlled.

He will be buried on Saturday in his home city of Samarkand, Uzbek state TV announced.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in the OSCE Informal Ministerial Meeting in Potsdam. Minister Nalbandian’s full speech is provided below:

I would like to thank Minister Steinmeier for this important initiative to exchange views in preparation for the OSCE Ministerial Council in coming December, to deploy efforts to make Hamburg meeting joint success.

Indeed, success is not merely measured by the number of adopted decisions, but the quality of our dialogue.

It is evident that any challenge in the OSCE area needs to be dealt through dialogue. We can debate endlessly the essence and scope of the OSCE principles and commitments, which should shape this dialogue. However, if we do not agree on one basic principle then apparently all our efforts will be in vain. The non-use of force or threat of use force constitutes that very principle. Unconditional adherence to non-use of force is essential for any security related endeavor in the OSCE area.

The April preplanned large-scale military offensive of Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh, accompanied by atrocities and gross violations of the international humanitarian law was not merely another escalation of this conflict. It was a challenge to common security and stability of the OSCE area. It seriously threw back the process of Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution.

Such attempts of using force as an instrument of pressure on the negotiating process, if not adequately addressed, may pave the way for serious destabilization with unpredictable consequences for entire region. To restore the trust in the process of the conflict resolution, measures should be taken to prevent use of force and create conditions conducive for the advancement of the peace process.

This was the main aim of the two Summits on Nagorno-Karabakh held in Vienna in May and in St. Petersburg in June. First of all, it is a necessity to implement what was particularly emphasized and agreed upon in the framework of these Summits – the full adherence to the 1994-1995 trilateral ceasefire agreements, which do not have time limitations, the creation of mechanism for investigation of ceasefire violations, the expansion of the capacity of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office.

Conflicts in the OSCE area are not identical when it comes to principles upon which they should be resolved. Each and every conflict has its own features and should be approached based on its specificities. There is one common principle that should be pushed in all conflict situations and that is non-use of force.

«Either our way or the war» approach is a dead-end. This type of language was used in the OSCE by Azerbaijani diplomats who, ignoring the approaches expressed in five statements of the presidents of the Co-Chair countries on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution, are trying to present their own perceptions or interpretations as the only peaceful way of the settlement. When even diplomats talk in such a language then the problem goes far beyond a mere lack of a good will.

The rights of people residing in the conflict areas need to be put in the heart of both crisis management and conflict resolution. The recognition and the realization of the right to self-determination of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh is essential in any substantive progress within this conflict settlement.

Dear Colleagues,

Effective arms control regime and its full implementation are crucial in ensuring practical application of the principle of non-use of force or threat of force.

We read with great interest the August 26 article of the Chairman-in-office containing a proposal to re-launch the arms control. Armenia has always been supporter of improved cooperative security arrangements aimed at enhanced transparency and predictability in the OSCE area based on the principles of restraint and risk reduction. It is in this vein that Armenia is going to engage in the discussions regarding the future of arms control in Europe. The uncontrolled and skyrocketing accumulation of offensive weaponry should be prevented.

We appreciate efforts aimed at updating the Vienna Document. But, we need also to employ more efforts to ensure the implementation of the current Vienna Document and OSCE commitments related to the arms control. We saw repetitive violations of essential provisions of the Document including those related to notification of military exercises and verification.

Dear Colleagues,
We have consistently highlighted protection of rights of people living in the conflict areas, enhancing OSCE capacities first and foremost in the conflict related field missions, strengthening confidence building measures in all three dimensions. Full implementation of commitments related to conflict cycle particularly the Vilnius decision should come first in this regard.

In conclusion I would like to stress that Armenia will continue its support to the German Chairmanship in preparation of the Hamburg Ministerial Council.

Thank you.

 

 

 

Turkey’s military actions in the north of Iraq continue. Armenian experts say the actions will be long-term and the result is hard to predict.

“There is an impression that everyone is playing with everyone, and everyone is playing against everyone,” expert of Turkish studies Levon Hovsepyan told a press conference today.

The power centers have lit a green light before Turkey, but have imposed certain restrictions. Meanwhile, Turkey is violating the restrictions, which may force the green light work against Turkey itself.

Levon Hovsepyan is confident Turkey has certain agreements with the power centers, namely Russia and the United States. He rules out that Turkey could have launched military actions without those agreements.

According to him, the green light may become a headache for those who have lit it.

“Turkey has actually created the security zone in Syria, which the US stands against, and which Russia is not interested in. However, it’s in Russia’s interest that the relations between the US and Turkey will continue to aggravate in that context,” Hovsepyan said.

Expert of Arabic studies Sargis Grigoryan shares the opinion. “Turkey made its presence in Syria more substantial. Now Ankara is represented there with its own forces, which gives it wide opportunities,” he said.

Experts say it’s hard to predict the developments, as there are a number of factors that need to be taken into account. They say, however, that one thing is clear – Turkey has entered a game, which is hard to withdraw from. It won’t be easy for the power centers, either, especially with regard to restraining Turkey, since the latter’s military presence in Syria is already a fact, and Ankara will strive to further expand this.