Category: News

President Francois Hollande says 50 people injured in the Bastille day attack in Nice are now “between life and death” – in addition to the 84 known to have died.

French President Francois Hollande has described the attack as “despicable”.

He said Nice was one of the most beautiful cities in the world and that the attack had taken place on the day of celebration of liberty.

He said 84 people had died and another 50 injured, who he described as being “between life and death”.

He said the victims were French as well as foreigners and that there were a number of children among the dead.

Local reports have named the attacker as 31-year-old Mohamed Lahouaiej-Bouhlel.

Mohamed Bouhlal belongs to a family who resides in Msakin near the city of Sousse, a Tunisian security source told BBC Arabic, on condition of anonymity.

Bouhlal’s parents are divorced and they live in France.

Mohamed used to frequently visit Tunisia, the source added, saying the last time was eight months ago, before he went back to France.

The 31-year-old, said to have been married with three children, was not known by the Tunisian authorities to have been involved in any terrorism activities on Tunisian soil.

However, he was known by to the authorities in connection with drugs and alcohol-related offences.

Earlier, the Tunisian government issued a statement condemning the attack “in the strongest possible terms”.

“Tunisia stands by France in its fight against terrorism and supports any measure taken by the French government to protect its territory and the security of its citizens and visitors,” the statement said.

 

 

 

The action plan for beginning the visa liberalization with Armenia will be on the agenda of the next Eastern Partnership summit in 2017, Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Switalski said at the “Civil Society Perspectives on EU-Armenia Relations” conference in Yerevan.

“There is an increasing interest in Armenia concerning the future of relations with the European Union, and we are now going into a very busy period in our relations. The negotiations on a framework agreement are under way. We will soon start discussing the partnership priorities between Armenia and EU within the framework of the Neighborhood Policy,” the Ambassador said, addressing the conference.

Outlining the EU priorities in Armenia, the Ambassador said they want to contribute to the economic stability of the country and enhance good governance. The third priority is connectivity, he said.

“We want Armenia to be better connected to Europe in terms of infrastructure, roads, electricity connections, but also in terms of people-to-people contact, cultural exchanges, intellectual connectivity,” he added.

“Another priority is the security cooperation. The EU wants to help its neighbors to deal with security challenges. Of course in Armenia, the security component has a very concrete connotation, because the country faces very material military threats. But from the European perspective, we speak about a very broad range of security issues –ranging from cyber security to terrorism,” Amb. Switalski noted. Another priority is the outreach to civil society and issues relating to human rights.

Speaking about the reasons why the European Union has been trying to develop a political agenda and build bridges with Armenia, Ambassador Switalski said: “We want to show that it is possible to be a loyal member of another integration project and live with European standards and have good relations with the European Union, that there is no contradiction between membership in another integration project and European values.”

The Ambassador said they now have a common understanding with Armenia on issues such as fight against corruption, economic governance, etc. and the conclusion of the framework agreement will open a new chapter in the relations.

“It is the Armenian party determining the ambition in our relations. On countries like Armenia we are not trying to pursue anything, to impose egoistic agenda on the part of the European Union,” Piotr Switalski stressed.

The Ambassador said in the Eastern Partnership there are two groups of countries – association countries and non-association countries. The first group includes Georgia, Moldova and Ukraine, while Armenia is put together with Azerbaijan and Belarus. He added however, that the offer presented by the European Union is still non-discrimination. “Even without the association agreement the countries can enjoy a lot from the European Union,” he said.

Armenian Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan has offered condolences to French Prime Minister Manuel Valls over the deadly attack in Nice.

Photo: AP

 

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs refutes the reports on the death of a second Armenian citizen in Nice.

At least 84 people have been killed after a lorry ploughed into a crowd attending Bastille Day celebrations in the French city of Nice on Thursday night, in what is being investigated as a terror attack.

The driver ploughed on for 2km on the Promenade des Anglais after fireworks, before being shot dead by police.

One Armenian woman has been confirmed dead.

President Serzh Sargsyan has offered condolences to his French counterpart Francois Hollande over the deadly attack in Nice.

“I’m deeply shocked by the reports of the terrible crime in Nice that claimed the lives of dozens of innocent people.

France has been a target of terrorist attacks trice in the course of the past 1.5 years. The attacks are a blow not only to France, but also all humanity. This is also a message of being more decisive in uniting our efforts in the fight against international terrorism.

I express deep condolences to you, the French government and the relatives of the victims on this tragedy that befell your country. I assure that Armenia and the Armenian people stand by friendly France at this moment of grief,” President Sargsyan wrote.

The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group will hold a meeting on July 18 in Ankara to discuss the resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Friday, TASS reports.

“The co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk group will meet in Ankara to discuss issues of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict settlement. As a member of the Minsk Group Turkey is ready to contribute to the negotiation process,” the minister told a news conference in Baku.

President Serzh Sargsyan met tonight with the honorary guests and movie professionals who have arrived to Armenia from different countries to participate at the Golden Apricot 13th International Film Festival.

Participants of the Festival conversed with the President of Armenia about the contest programs of the Golden Apricot 2016, about the history of the Festival, its achievements, and future programs.

Serzh Sargsyan wished all the best to the Golden Apricot 13th International Film Festival.

Photo: AFP/Getty Images

 

The Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs confirms the death of a second citizen of the Republic of Armenia in Nice attack.

The Ministry had about one Armenian killed in the attack.

At least 84 people have been killed after a lorry ploughed into a crowd attending Bastille Day celebrations in the French city of Nice on Thursday night, in what is being investigated as a terror attack.

The driver ploughed on for 2km on the Promenade des Anglais after fireworks, before being shot dead by police.

The Archaeological Site of Ani has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List.

This site is located on a secluded plateau of northeast Turkey overlooking a ravine that forms a natural border with Armenia. This medieval city combines residential, religious and military structures, characteristic of a medieval urbanism built up over the centuries by Christian and then Muslim dynasties.

The city flourished in the 10^th and 11^th centuries CE when it became the capital of the medieval Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides and profited from control of one branch of the Silk Road. Later, under Byzantine, Seljuk, and Georgian sovereignty, it maintained its status as an important crossroads for merchant caravans.

The Mongol invasion and a devastating earthquake in 1319 marked the beginning of the city’s decline. The site presents a comprehensive overview of the evolution of medieval architecture through examples of almost all the different architectural innovations of the region between the 7^th and 13^thcenturies CE.

On 15 July Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received the delegation of the Yerevan city administration at the head of its mayor Taron Margaryan.

Issues related to the cooperation between Yerevan and the NKR capital and regions were discussed during the meeting.

The Head of the State rated high firm ties with the Armenian capital underlining that various programs have been successfully implemented in Artsakh within the frameworks of this cooperation.

Vice-premier Arthur Aghabekyan, mayor of Stepanakert Souren Grigoryan and other officials partook at the meeting.