Turkey’s prime minister offered condolences on Friday over the death of Uzbek President Islam Karimov, Reuters reports.
“Uzbek President Islam Karimov has passed away. May God’s mercy be upon him, as the Turkish Republic we are sharing the pain and sorrow of Uzbek people,” Turkish Prime Minister Binali Yildirim said, speaking in a televised meeting with his cabinet.
On 1 September a festive reception devoted to the 25th anniversary of the Artsakh Republic proclamation was held in the name of President Bako Sahakyan.
In his speech Bako Sahakyan mentioned that the proclamation of the Artsakh Republic was a significant and crucial event that opened a new and glorious page in the history of our people.
“The formation of the Artsakh Republic is the joint achievement of the whole Armenian nation, one of its greatest victories. Its independence and security are exclusive values that are not subject to any speculation. There is no return to the past for us. Any such attempt is pregnant with unpredictable consequences and is doomed to failure. We are looking towards the future that will undoubtedly be bright for our people and state”, underlined Artsakh Republic President in his speech.
President of the Republic of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan, NKR second President Arkady Ghoukasyan, primate of the Artsakh Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church Archbishop Pargev Martirosyan, NKR National Assembly chairman Ashot Ghoulyan, prime-minister Arayik Haroutyunyan, high-ranking officials from Artsakh and Armenia, Diaspora representatives and guests from abroad partook at the reception.
President Serzh Sargsyan participated today in the events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of proclamation of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.
Presidents of Armenia and Nagorno Karabakh Serzh Sargsyan and Bako Sahakyan, other officials and guests marched from the Renaissance Square to the Stepanakert Memorial, laid flowers and paid tribute to the memory of those who sacrificed their lives for the independence of Artsakh.
The festive events in Artsakh continue.
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.
Photo: AP
Swiss prosecutors are investigating German football legend Franz Beckenbauer as part of a corruption inquiry, the BBC reports.
In March, football’s world governing body Fifa began looking into six men for their part in Germany winning the rights to host the 2006 World Cup.
Swiss prosecutors now say they have launched their own investigations, linked to that of Fifa.
Mr Beckenbauer, who headed Germany’s bid, has denied corruption.
Last October, he said he had made a “mistake” in the bidding process to host the competition but denied votes had been bought.
Germany beat South Africa 12-11 in the vote, which took place in July 2000.
Germany’s Spiegel magazine reported on Thursday that the investigation centred on payments made from 2002-2005 that added up to more than 10m Swiss francs (£7.7m; $10.2m).
Further details are expected to be released by Switzerland’s attorney-general later on Thursday.
It is not yet known how many football officials are being investigated in Switzerland.
Asbarez – Denver-based Emmy Award winning composer Denise Gentilini and writing partner, internationally celebrated singer/songwriter Lisa Nemzo, bring their original production, I AM ALIVE to Los Angeles for an exclusive showing for one weekend only this September.
Gentilini, who is of Armenian descent, has assembled a largely non-Armenian cast to tell the story of the Armenian Genocide with a completely new focus; celebrating those who survived. Gentilini was inspired by the story of her own grandparents who survived the systematic killing of 1.5 million Armenians by the Ottoman Empire in 1915.
Using her childhood memories of her grandparents as well as transcripts from interviews with them, Gentilini/Nemzo used direct excerpts from their firsthand accounts for some lyrics and dialogue in the musical. This personal connection has allowed them to craft a complex experience that explores the human side of a politically contentious topic alongside the love story that unfolds between two people in an unimaginable set of circumstances.
With the 100 year anniversary behind us, this production is meant to provide closure around the tragedy and provide a renewed focus on the human spirit.
I AM ALIVE is produced by Well Orchestrated Madness and directed by Christy Montour-Larson and will be shown only one weekend on the West Coast. Partner organizations include; Jewish World Watch, Mashdots College, United Armenian Council, ANCA-WR and AFFMA. Armenians of Colorado serve as the fiscal sponsor.