Category: News

On June 16, the working visit of Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Karen Mirzoyan to the Kingdom of Denmark started.

In the framework of the visit, the Foreign Minister had meetings with representatives of various political circles, at which the current situation in the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict settlement was touched upon, in particular, in the context of the military venture unleashed by Azerbaijan in early April.

The sides exchanged views on a range of issues related to the regional security. The Foreign Minister also briefed the participants about the state building process in Artsakh, as well as the steps taken by the people and authorities of Artsakh towards the establishment of a free and democratic society.

On the same day, Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan participated in the reception organized by the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to the Kingdom of Denmark on the occasion of the 25th anniversary of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

RA Ambassador to Denmark Hrachya Aghajanyan delivered a welcoming speech, attaching great importance to the first ever event dedicated to Artsakh in friendly Denmark. The Ambassador noted that Artsakh’s independence was based on the unshakeable aspiration of Armenians to achieve freedom, manage their own lives without oppression and preserve their centuries-old culture and identity.

In his speech, Minister Karen Mirzoyan briefed on the way passed by the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, noting that Artsakh’s achievements would be impossible without the continuous support by Armenia and the Diaspora. He stressed that not only our compatriots, but also many people around the world, including in Denmark, were standing by Artsakh, sharing with its people the same values and ideas based on the imperatives of democratic freedoms and the realization of peoples’ right to self-determination. Karen Mirzoyan expressed confidence that the achievements of the people of Artsakh on their path to independent state building didn’t go unnoticed, and sooner or later, Artsakh would become a full member of the civilized world.

He urged to work for the vision of peaceful and stable South Caucasus region, which would ensure the security and peaceful coexistence of all the peoples of the region.

Vox Viva male choir, which gave a concert in the NKR in 2015, participated in the reception. The choir performed works by Armenian and Danish composers. After the performance, the choir’s artistic director Mette Rimer shared his impressions of the trip to Artsakh, expressed gratitude for the cordial reception, and noted that he looked forward to the opportunity of hosting Artsakh’s choir in Denmark.

The reception was attended by diplomats, political and public figures, representatives of the expert community, journalists, and members of the Armenian community of Denmark.

On 17 June Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received minister of education and science of the Republic of Armenia Levon Mkrtchyan and delegation headed by him.

The meeting addressed issues related to the development of education and science in Artsakh and correlation between the two Armenian states in this field.

Artsakh Republic minister of education, science and sport Slava Asryan and other officials partook in the meeting.

The international community must not be duped by surface-level efforts to smooth out Azerbaijan’s human rights record, which remains dire, said Amnesty International in a report published today, ahead of this week’s inaugural Formula 1 Grand Prix of Europe race in Baku.

“The arrival of the world’s premier racing series in Baku must not steer attention away from the government onslaught on civil society,” said Denis Krivosheev, Amnesty International’s Deputy Director for Europe and Central Asia.

“Behind the glitz lies an everyday reality in which authorities have shut down NGOs and arrested or harassed their leaders,” Denis Krivosheev said.

Since the beginning of 2016, faced with falling oil revenues and rising international pressure, the Azerbaijani authorities have released several dozen prisoners. Among those released are twelve prisoners of conscience, including award-winning investigative journalist Khadija Ismayilova.

While widely welcomed internationally, these pardons have neither addressed any of the long-standing human rights concerns in Azerbaijan, nor put an end to the practice of arrests of government critics on fabricated charges.

“The recent release of NGO leaders and activists should not fool anyone into thinking that the wind in Baku is blowing in a different direction. Those released are no freer to speak out now than they were while they were in jail. Their vacant cells have been filled with new victims,” said Denis Krivosheev.

Photo: Reuters

 

UN human rights investigators have for the first time accused so-called Islamic State of committing genocide against Yazidis in Iraq and Syria, the BBC reports.

A report says IS has subjected members of the religious group it has captured to the “most horrific of atrocities”, killing or enslaving thousands.

The group’s aim is to completely erase the Yazidi way of life, it warns.

The report says major powers should do more to help the Yazidis, at least 3,200 of whom are being held by IS.

IS, a Sunni jihadist group, regards Yazidis as devil-worshippers who may be killed or enslaved with impunity.

In August 2014, IS militants swept across north-western Iraq and rounded up thousands of Yazidis living in the Sinjar region, where the majority of the world’s Yazidi population was based.

Wreckage of the EgyptAir flight that went missing over the Mediterranean last month has been found, Egyptian investigators say, the BBC reports.

A statement said “several main locations of the wreckage” had been identified.

A deep sea search vessel had also sent back the first images of the wreckage, the statement added.

There were 66 people on board flight MS804 when it crashed on 19 May while flying from Paris to Cairo.

The Airbus A320 plane vanished from Greek and Egyptian radar screens, apparently without having sent a distress call.

 

 

 

The 9th DigiTec Business Forum will be held in Yerevan June 17-18 with an aim of contributing to the search for best technological solutions, providing the technology companies with an opportunity to meet and present themselves to potential customers. About 70 organizations have applied for participation this year.

Yes For Europe forum of European Partners and an Armenian-German business forum will be held within the framework of the event.

Modernization of military industry through application of innovative technologies will be the key topic of the forum, Karen Vardanyan, Executive Director of the Union of Information Technology Enterprises (UITE), told reporters today.

The Armed Forces and UITE have established a joint commission to sum up the framework of issues that will be submitted to IT specialists for solution.

According to Karen Vardanyan, three issues related to the modernization of military production are being considered today. “The short-term goal is to find solutions to counter the rival, which envisages either purchase of new weapons or modernization of old ones.  The medium-term objective is to create new military industry on the basis of existing technologies. The third issue is a strategic one, we have to think what kind of military industry we want to see in 15-20 years,” he said.

Representatives of the Armed Forces are expected to actively participate in the DigiTec forum.

Information security expert Samvel Martirosyan said the April war focused the attention on the need to ensure cyber security.

Photo: Getty Images

 

At least 36 people have been arrested in Lille following clashes between French police and football fans at the Euro 2016 tournament, the BBC reports.

French police said the arrests had been made throughout Wednesday – adding that 16 people had been hospitalised.

On Wednesday night, riot police charged at hundreds of England football fans as flares and bangers were set off.

The BBC’s James Reevell said tear gas had been used by riot police and it was mostly England fans involved.

Earlier, some English and Russian supporters had been detained after scuffles.

According to the , Dortmund have knocked back an opening £19m offer from Manchester United for the Armenia international, who is about to enter the final 12 months of his contract.

Mkhitaryan has rejected a new four-year deal on offer at Dortmund and German paper claim Mourinho is willing to double his pay to £7.9m (€10m) per season.

The 27-year-old favours a move to United, according to his agent Mino Raiola.

“Man United is a unique opportunity,” Raiola told Bild.

“Micki wants to go there immediately.”

According to reports, Arsenal have also submitted a bid.

However, Dortmund are planning to keep the attacking midfielder for the final year of his contract before allowing him to leave on a free transfer.

The Executive Board of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) completed today the third review of Armenia’s performance under a three-year arrangement under the Extended Fund Facility (EFF). The completion enables the release of SDR 15.65 million (about US$22.01 million), bringing total disbursements under the arrangement to SDR 50.87 million (about US$71.53 million). The extended arrangement for SDR 82.21 million (about US$115.60 million) was approved on March 7, 2014.

In completing the review, the Executive Board also approved the authorities’ request for waiver of non-observance of the end of December 2015 fiscal deficit performance criterion (PC), modification of the end-June 2016 fiscal deficit and budgetary domestic lending PCs, as well as shift from a net domestic assets (NDA) PC to monetary policy consultation clause (as of end-June 2016).

Following the Executive Board’s discussion on Armenia, Mr. Mitsuhiro Furusawa, Deputy Managing Director and Acting Chair, said:

“Despite difficult external conditions, program performance has been broadly satisfactory, with most targets met. The weak global and regional conditions have, through lower commodity prices and remittances, contributed to declining domestic demand. Moreover, bank credit growth and inflation have been negative. Nevertheless, real GDP growth has held up moderately, primarily due to export-related supply-side factors in mining and agriculture. Monetary conditions have stabilized and pressures in the FX market have diminished.

“The authorities remain committed to fiscal consolidation and debt sustainability, along with a greater focus on revenue gains to protect and increase capital and social spending. The new tax code (recently submitted to the national assembly) provides a major opportunity to broaden the tax base by reducing exemptions and addressing gaps and thereby supporting both consolidation and increases in growth-enhancing spending.

“The central bank’s actions have helped ensure orderly market conditions and financial stability. Going forward, exchange rate policy will continue to limit intervention and sustain buffers. Further normalization of the monetary conditions will help bring inflation closer to the target and support a resumption of bank lending, while the use of macro- and micro-prudential regulations and further strengthening of the crisis preparedness framework will help maintain orderly financial markets conditions.

“Pursuing further structural reforms to enhance competition, competitiveness, and regional and global integration remains critical to reduce vulnerabilities and support medium-term growth. Ensuring that the state budget does not absorb losses or liabilities or make payments on behalf of utilities or other companies will be needed to safeguard the prudent use of the limited budgetary resources.

“The outlook remains challenging, but the risks to the program are manageable. Steadfast implementation of the agreed set of measures going forward will keep the program on track, rebuild buffers and policy space, and accelerate achieving key reform agenda objectives.”

Montenegro has temporarily annulled visa requirements for citizens of the Republic of Armenia, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign affairs informs in a twitter post.

The visa free regime will be in place until October 31, 2016.