Category: News

Germany has said it will recall troops at its Incirlik airbase in Turkey if Ankara continues to block German MPs visiting the camp. It is perhaps the clearest sign yet of escalating tensions between the two NATO member states, reports.

Ankara, angered by a resolution passed by Germany’s parliament in June that terms the 1915 massacre of Armenians by Ottoman forces genocide, has denied German MPs access to the base.

“The German army answers to parliament,” Vice Chancellor Sigmar Gabriel told the regional newspaper “Mitteldeutsche Zeitung.”

“And if parliament cannot visit its army, then the army cannot stay there. This is absolutely clear,” Gabriel said, adding that all 250 soldiers at the base – part of NATO operations against “Islamic State” militants in Iraq – could be pulled out.

Crucial partners in efforts to stem mass migration to Europe, Germany and Turkey have fallen out in recent months, with Erdogan angry over a broadcast of a satirical song about him on German television. The Armenian resolution, prompting Ankara to recall its ambassador to Germany, has deepened the rift.

German forces are currently on missions in around 13 countries, including Afghanistan and Kosovo, as well as monitoring in the Mediterranean.

Chancellor Angela Merkel said on Tuesday that German MPs must be allowed to visit soldiers at the base, adding that she would try to resolve the issue with the Turkish government.

Chairman of the Armed Forces Association Andre Wüstner also on Wednesday warned against withdrawing German troops from Incirlik. “It is completely clear that MPs need to be allowed to travel,” Wüstner said on Wednesday as published in the ARD “Morning Magazine.”

A withdrawal of German soldiers fighting against so-called “Islamic State” (IS) would be “extremely detrimental,” Wüstner added.

Renowned film director Roman Balayan has been named the winner of this year’s “Let There Be Light” Award of the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival.

The solemn award-giving ceremony was held at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin today.

“It’s a great honor for me to receive this award at this place,” the director said. “Before arriving here I never felt what I feel now,” he said.

George W Bush has been criticised for his behaviour at the Dallas memorial after he was caught on camera dancing along to a sombre hymn.

The ceremony was held yesterday in honour of the five police officers killed in the shootings on July 7.

Holding Michelle Obama’s hand on one side – and his wife Laura’s hand on the other – the former US President was captured by cameras as he swayed during a choir’s performance of ‘The Battle Hymn of the Republic’.

He continuously smiles at the pair while waving their arms around, as Michelle attempts to stand still.

 

 

 

“The Last Inhabitant,” a film directed by Jivan Avetisyan premiered within the framework of the 13th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival today.

The film tracks the events of 1988-1989 and shows how the Sumgait massacre affected the human destinies.

“The Last Inhabitant” is about an Armenian village that was forcibly emptied of its residents. Abgar, the film’s main character, stays behind all alone in a gradually shrinking enemy ring. He is waiting for his daughter, who became a witness to her husband’s murder by an angry mob and was hospitalized with a mental disorder.

An Azerbaijani named Ibrahim promises to find and return Abgar’s daughters, but demands that the latter work on the construction of a mosque.

A few days later, Ibrahim finds the girl, named Yurga, in one of the psychiatric hospitals of Baku and brings her to Abgar.

The film stars world-renowned Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi, Sandra Daukšaitė, Armenian actors Sos Janibekyan, Aleksander Khachatryan, Naira Muradyan, Anne Bedian, Babken Chobanyan.

The music scored by System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian is performed by the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hover State Chamber Choir.

Armenia is better prepared to monitor, track, investigate, and stop dangerous viruses, bioweapons, and disease thanks to a series of labs renovated and modernized by the United States. The latest, a new centralized national joint facility in Yerevan, was opened on Wednesday, July 13, 2016, by the Minister of Health Dr. Armen Muradyan, the Minister of Agriculture Mr. Sergo Karapetyan, and U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr.

The Ministry of Health’s National Center for Disease Control and Prevention and the Ministry of Agriculture’s State Service for Food Safety Central Facilities are housed in the two buildings that were built and renovated thanks to funding from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency. The construction comes as part of the Agency’s Cooperative Biological Engagement Program, designed to track and secure especially dangerous pathogens in Armenia and around the globe. The efforts will strengthen Armenia’s ability to detect and monitor disease patterns in order to reduce the risk of outbreaks of dangerous diseases, whether human or animal.

“The opening of this new national central facility and our cooperation with the Ministries of Health and Agriculture benefit not just Armenia, keeping this nation safe, but the larger world by helping fight the spread of disease,” Ambassador Mills said. “We know that in today’s globalized and interconnected world, diseases have no boundaries. That is why we must all work together to prevent the proliferation of bioweapons.”

Along with the two updated national facilities in Yerevan, the U.S. has also recently completed the renovation of the Tavush and Shirak regional laboratories and will complete the construction of three more facilities in Lori, Gegharqunik and Syunik in 2017. All of these regional laboratories will be linked to the national central facility in Yerevan.

In addition to building new labs, renovating existing labs and providing upgrades, the U.S. is providing training and equipment to support the Armenian staff working in these labs.

“These new central facilities – which contain the latest equipment and meet the highest standards – along with the on-going training provided to the staff, will dramatically increase the capability of Armenia to detect, diagnose, and report disease outbreaks throughout the country,” said Ambassador Mills, who was joined at the new facility opening by Dr. Elizabeth George from the U.S. Department of Defense’s Defense Threat Reduction Agency.

Bulgaria’s energy minister Temenuzhka Petkova discussed opportunities for deepening bilateral cooperation in the energy sector, particularly in the field of natural gas with her Iranian counterpart Bijan Namdar Zangeneh in Tehran, the ministry said in a statement, according to .

The meeting between energy ministers was part of an official visit by Bulgaria’s Prime Minister, Boyko Borisov, to Iran. Separately, Borisov announced that Bulgaria and Iran would explore a transport corridor project that would link Bulgaria and Iran through Armenia and Georgia that could carry gas.

A new transport corridor between the Gulf and the Black Sea, linking Iran, Armenia, Georgia and Bulgaria will be discussed during forthcoming expert meeting in Sofia, according to a prime minister office statement.

The Azerbaijani side has been operating training flights 30km away from the line of contact with NKR Armed Forces starting from 08:26 today.

The NKR Defense Ministry reports that 12 planes and 41 helicopters are involved in the training.

The NKR Air Defense forces are controlling the training flights of the Azerbaijani forces and closely following their actions through the radiolocation, shooting and monitoring systems.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan has been pictured for the first time in training with Manchester United.

The Red Devils have been in training for around a week but no official images had been released by the club until now.

United face Wigan on Saturday in their first match of pre-season.

 

Today, the U.S. House Appropriations Committee approved the Fiscal Year (FY) 2017 State, Foreign Operations, and Related Programs (SFOPS) Appropriations Bill, which covers assistance to Armenia and the region, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) reported. The bill maintains Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act and includes language for aid to nations hosting Syrian refugees.

Specifically, the SFOPS Report highlighted the need for additional assistance to “vulnerable populations in Syria and in neighboring countries,” comprised of Syrian refugees, Christians, and other minorities afflicted by the Syrian civil war and persecuted by the Islamic State (ISIS). According to the bill, funds “shall be made available for programs in countries affected by significant populations of internally displaced persons or refugees.”

The Committee also recommends the expansion of humanitarian programs to ensure services reach these vulnerable populations. In addition, the House has incorporated a section on Genocide Victim Memorial Sites, where funds are appropriated “to establish and maintain memorial sites of genocide.”

Similar to Fiscal Year 2016, this year’s Committee report did not delineate funding levels for the South Caucasus generally, however, the Senate approved version provided $24.1 million in non-military assistance to Armenia as well as called for continued aid to Nagorno Karabakh.

“As Congress finalizes the House and Senate Appropriations Bills, the Armenian Assembly will continue to push for additional assistance to help Armenia cope with the influx of refugees fleeing from violence in Syria, as well as for much needed humanitarian assistance to help Nagorno Karabakh rebuild after the April war launched by Azerbaijan,” Assembly Executive Director Bryan Ardouny stated.

Earlier this year, 33 Members sent a letter to the House Appropriations Committee outlining funding and policy issues for the region. Ardouny, in testimony submitted to the Committee, outlined nine key policy priorities for the Armenian American community, including assistance to Christian Armenians in the Middle East, the majority of whom are descendants of survivors of the Armenian Genocide. According to Ardouny’s testimony: “The Assembly also urge[d] enhanced assistance to Christian and other minority communities at risk in the Middle East, with a particular focus of concern regarding the continued unrest in Syria, particularly the battleground city of Aleppo where Armenian churches and other institutions have come under attack.”

The House Appropriations Bill, similar to the Senate’s, maintains Section 907 of the FREEDOM Support Act as well, restating the six customary exemptions for humanitarian and other assistance to Azerbaijan. Section 907 of the 1992 FREEDOM Support Act was enacted to address Azerbaijan’s hostile actions against Armenia.

The has enlisted Armenia’s Vayots Dzor among the 15 wine trails worth getting sidetracked on.

Today, the choice of wine routes and tours from the essential (Bordeaux) and the scenic (Cape Town) to the historic (Armenia) or the unexpected (Brazil) is greater than ever, the CNN writes.

The article reads:

“According to the Bible, Armenia was the first wine-producing region in the world, since it was on the slopes of Mount Ararat that Noah planted the first vine after the flood.

Archaeologists agree – at least on the long tradition: a 6,100-year-old winery was discovered not long ago.

The local Areni variety has been unchanged for centuries, being highly resistant against disease with a thick skin that helps shield it from cold extremes.

The easiest wine-growing region to get to from the capital, Yerevan, is Vayots Dzor, where a microclimate ensures 300 sunny days a year.

Most organized tours zoom in on the Areni Noir, an incomparable red that put Armenia on the map when it was launched internationally in 2012.”

The 15 best routes include also Hunter Valley (Australia), Napa and Sonoma (California), Alentejo (Portugal), Cape Winelands (South Africa), Route des Vins (Alsace, France), Santorini (Greece), Maipo (Chile), Okanagan (Canada), Tuscany (Italy), Bento Goncalves (Brazil), Mendoza (Argentina), Rioja (Spain), Moselle Valley (Germany), Bordeaux (France).