Category: News

Today, on the occasion of Europe’s Day President Serzh Sargsyan visited the Office of the Delegation of the European Union in Armenia, President’s Press Office reports.

The President of Armenia congratulated the Head of the EU Delegation Ambassador Piotr Switalski and the entire staff of the Office and in their persons the large EU family on the occasion of Europe’s Day, and wished peace and prosperity.

“It’s been six decades since one of the founders of the EU Robert Schuman stated his declaration which gave a start to the process of creating the European Union. In this short period of time the idea of the united Europe has undergone transformation, proved its viability and demonstrated the advantages of coexistence of the nations. In fact, today the authority of the European Union is reaching far beyond its borders. I am glad that in recent years our relations and political contacts have become more active and high-level visits have become more frequent. Last year, we hosted in Armenia the President of the European Council Mr. Tusk, Commissioner Johannes Hahn, and last March a high-level representative of the EU Mrs. Mogherini also visited Yerevan. These visits were full of substance and implied practical steps. Our negotiations on a new Armenia-EU legal document are proceeding successfully, and we hope that the document will be signed within a reasonable period of time which will further enhance our cooperation,” said President Serzh Sargsyan.

On behalf of the EU Delegation in Armenia and his own behalf, Ambassador Switalski thanked the President of Armenia for visiting the Office and for his warm words and underscored that the EU Delegation considers Europe’s Day a common holiday, which they would like to celebrate with Armenia and the extended European family.

“We are profoundly grateful to the Armenian authorities for the assistance in the organization of the celebrations dedicated to Europe’s Day on the entire territory of Armenia. From Gyumri to Kapan, to the border with Iran we call it the European Gates and make our best to develop relations with Armenia. We assess our relations as excellent, dynamically developing but believe at the same time that there is even a greater potential for their enrichment and development,” said the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia Piotr Switalski.

President Serzh Sargsyan and Ambassador Switalski discussed also issues pertinent to the Armenia-EU agenda, ongoing programs and priorities, spoke about reforms conducted in Armenia. The President of Armenia thanked the EU for the continuous assistance to these reforms. The parties expresses hope that joint efforts aimed at the deepening of the EU-Armenia relations will enrich the bilateral agenda and will elevate the Armenia-EU relations to a new level.

Iran’s Telecommunication Infrastructure Company has provided bandwidth transit from Iraq to Armenia (Pilote) with the capacity of 200Gbps under a project called ‘Ouj,’ reports. 

Photo: REX FEATURES

 

The four members of Abba have appeared together in Sweden, and surprised fans with an impromptu singalong, the BBC reports.

The stars gathered on Sunday at a private party to celebrate the 50-year partnership between songwriters Bjorn Ulvaeus and Benny Andersson.

During the gala, Agnetha Faltskog and Anni-Frid Lyngstad performed the Abba song The Way Old Friends Do.

Ulvaeus and Andersson joined in at the end of the song, marking the band’s first public performance in 30 years.

Footage of the performance has yet to surface, but images of the quartet have appeared on social media.

Since winning the Eurovision Song Contest in 1974, Abba have sold almost 400 million albums around the world. Mamma Mia!, the musical based on their hits and produced by Ulvaeus and Andersson, has been seen by more than 50 million people.

During their most successful period, the band survived marriage break-ups between Ulvaeus and Faltskog, and Lyngstad and Andersson, but they finally called it a day in 1983.

Their last public performance came three years later, on the Swedish version of TV show This Is Your Life, which was honouring their manager Stig Anderson.

President of teh Czech Republic Milos Zeman will ask the Government and Parliament to officially recognize the massacre of Armenians by Turks as genocide.

“I expressed my stance on the Armenian Genocide, when the President of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan, was visiting Prague in 2014,” President Zeman said in an interview with .

The President said he will reiterate the position during his state visit to Armenia. “But more steps are needed, and after my talks in Armenia I’ll call on the Czech Government and Parliament to follow the example of the German Bundestag,” he stated.

The President recalled that the Armenian Genocide has been recognized not only by Germany, but also a number of other countries, including France, Russia, Poland, Slovakia, Italy and others.

President of eth Czech Republic Milos Zeman has arrived in Armenia for a two-day state visit today at the invitation of Armenia’s President Serzh Sargsyan.

Armenian Archbishop’s letter to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has angered the Armenian community of Turkey.

Archbishop Aram Atesyan, the General Vicar of the Armenian Patriarch in Turkey, sent a letter toErdogan slamming the German Parliament’s  2 adoption of an Armenian Genocide resolution, saying that the Bundestag’s decision “about the events happened during the tragic times of World War I caused regret in our nation,” reports.

“It is unacceptable that a parliament, which was formed by the votes of German citizens and has the duty of establishing laws for the peace, prosperity, and security of their nation, expressed its opinion, though it has no right to do so. It is unacceptable that this parliament legalized its decision on behalf of the entire German nation and considers itself a judge,” Atesyan wrote in his letter, which made no reference to the Armenian Genocide as such.

In his letter, shared on the Armenian Patriarchate’s Facebook page, Atesyan criticizes the use of the “tragedy that traumatized the Armenian nation” in international politics and claimed that such resolutions cause “sorrow and pain.” “Unfortunately, this historical pain of the Armenian nation is considered as a tool for accusing and punishing Turkish state and nation. And because of this ugly mentality, sub- and supra-identities of Turkish Armenians are harmed. The ones who are willing to see the truth can realize how Armenian nation has been abused by imperialist powers,” reads a part of the letter, which concludes with prayers to God to bestow “health, success, and happiness” on Erdogan.

In response to Atesyan’s letter, the Turkish-Armenian Weekly , condemning his praise of Erdogan, despite the President’s gross violation of human rights, anti-Armenian and racist policies, and denial of the Armenian Genocide. The letter reads:

Dear Mr. Archbishop,

Former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi has been taken to hospital with a heart problem, according to a spokeswoman for his party, the BBC reports.

The 79-year-old’s condition was “nothing to worry about”, she added.

A statement by the San Raffaele hospital in Milan said the hospitalisation was necessary after what it called a “cardiac deficiency”.

Mr Berlusconi was Italy’s prime minister four times, but has since been convicted for tax fraud and bribery.

The leader of Forza Italia, who had a pacemaker implanted in a hospital in the US when he was 70, would undergo tests “in the next few days”, the hospital statement said.

Turkey has no levers to exert pressure on Germany, and the threats to take measures over Bundestag’s vote on Armenian Genocide are not serious, Director of the Oriental Studies Institute of the Armenian National Academy of Sciences Ruben Safrastyan said in an interview with .

He said Turkey itself depends on Germany economically and militarily, and the only thing Ankara can do is to use the migrants deal as a tool for “blackmail.”  He said, however, it cannot be a serious threat, either, considering that Turkey also depends on the EU, as it’s expected to get billions for the deal.

Speaking about the Bundestag resolution on Armenian Genocide, Safrastyan said “it’s of great importance for Armenia,” but added that the Armenian side should be able to make correct use of it.”

“The Bundestag vote has resulted in an establishment of a new atmosphere in Europe as regards the recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide. “It’s no coincidence that the Czech President has pledged to do his best reach Armenian Genocide recognition in his country,” the political scientist said. He’s confident many European countries will follow Bundestag’s example. Besides, he said, the Armenian Genocide will be included in school programs across Europe.

Ruben Safrastayn excluded any link between the Bundestag vote on Armenian Genocide and Turkey’s actions in Syria.

“Turkey pursues concrete goals in Syria – to get rid of Assad’s administration, strengthen its influence in the country by supporting certain terrorist groups and strike a blow to Kurds and create an atmosphere of fear among the Armenian population. The recent escalatioin in Aleppo is connected with the fact that the Al-Nusra Front, which is said to have close ties with the special services in Turkey, has recently received a huge amount of weapons from that country. There are even reports on representatives of Turkish special forces fighting in the ranks of the terrorist group,” Safrastyan added.

The political scientist called attention to the fact that Al-Nusra is targeting not only Syrian Army positions, but also Armenian-populated neighborhoods in Aleppo.

Referring to today’s blast that killed at least 11 in Istanbul, Safrastyan said “Turkey is getting what it deserves.”

– Armenian American designer has joined the .

Carolyn Rafaelian founded fashion jewelry company Alex and Ani in 2004, taking over what had been her father’s Rhode Island jewelry factory to manufacture the new age, celestial-chic bangles that have become the brand’s staple.

To say growth has been explosive would be an understatement. In 2010, Alex and Ani — named after two of Rafaelian’s daughters — did an estimated $4.5 million in revenues. By 2015, sales had hit $500 million, catapulting the 49-year-old onto Forbes’ second annual list of America’s Richest Self-Made Women thanks to her majority ownership.

Rafaelian joins the ranks at #22, with an estimated net worth of $700 million, making her the second richest newcomer to the list, after Gail Miller, billionaire owner of basketball’s Utah Jazz.

She’s the richest self-made woman in the nation to derive her wealth from jewelry, and joins an impressive group of fashion and retail moguls on Forbes’ ranking that includes Spanx founder Sara Blakely, preppie-chic designer Tory Burch, and bridal tycoon Vera Wang.

Armenian Foreign Ministre Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday.

The President hailed the strong and stable relations between Armenia and Iran and attached importance to their further reinforcement and deepening. He added that the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program has opened broad perspectives for the development of bilateral trade and economic ties and stressed the need for practical steps towards that end.

The Iranian President and the Armenian Foreign Minister referred to the process of implementation of the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries and the joint economic projects.

The parties agreed that the lifting of the visa regime between the two countries would serve an additional impetus for the intensification of ties between the business circles and boost tourism.

Ministry Nalbandian briefed Hassan Rouhani on the steps targeted at the elimination of consequences of the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, the efforts towards implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna.

President Rouhani stressed Iran’s willingness to contribute to stability and peace in the region, and reiterated his country’s support for the exceptionally peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict on the basis of the principles of international law.

Minister Nalbandian hailed Iran’s balanced position on the Karabakh issue.

Iran’s President asked to convey his warm greetings to the President of Armenia and revealed his plans to visit Armenia in the near future.

Expectations in Armenia are high preceding the visit of Pope Francis to the country. “The Holy Father is coming to strengthen us Armenians in our faith. We Armenians, no matter whether Catholic or Orthodox, love him. After all, he recognised the genocide of our people. We will always remember him for that,” Armenian Catholic Archbishop Raphael Minassian, who is responsible for Eastern Europe, told the Catholic charity Aid to the Church in Need (ACN) in an interview.

Pope Francis will visit Armenia from 24th to 26th June. “In the past year, the pope showed strong moral leadership when he called the genocide committed against our people one hundred years ago by its name and recognised it as the first genocide of the 20th century. This is extremely important to us Armenians.” The archbishop then emphasised that in this respect, one needs to understand the psychology of the Armenian people. “For one hundred years we have worked to have our suffering recognised, but to all intents and purposes without success. We only received empty promises from nations and politicians and were at the mercy of interests. The pope, however, is not a politician. He is the representative of Christ on earth, and he is concerned with truth and human rights,” the archbishop said. He further declared that, despite being on the periphery geographically, Armenia is of great significance to Christianity worldwide.

“Armenia was the first country on earth to adopt Christianity. This was more than 1700 years ago. Our people continue to be influenced by the faith today. Over the centuries we have also given Christianity millions of martyrs. I always say: the Jewish people prepared the first coming of Christ. Through our martyrs, we Armenians are preparing the way for the second coming of Christ. We are bearing witness to Christ for the entire world.”

The vast majority of the Armenian population belongs to the Armenian Apostolic church. The Armenian Catholic church, which is united with Rome and has about 160,000 members, emerged from this church. Archbishop Minassian said that the ecumenical relations between Catholics and the Orthodox majority are now excellent.

“I have been bishop in Armenia for six years. At no point during this time have I felt a divide between us Catholics and the Armenian Apostolic church. On the contrary, I have always been met with cooperation and sympathy. When it now became definite that the pope was coming, the head of the Armenian Orthodox church said to me that he would give his best for the visit. The relationship between our churches would become even stronger. I am also convinced of this.”

He then said that the differences between the Armenian Orthodox and Armenian Catholic churches were minimal anyway. “We have the same faith, celebrate the same sacraments and have the same liturgy. The only difference is in the recognition of the pope in Rome. But other than that, there are no differences. And in any case, the Armenians, no matter whether Orthodox or Catholic, feel they are one people and one church.”

The anticipation within the Armenian Catholic church for the papal visit is great, the archbishop said. “We already have a lot more applications from people who want to attend the public Mass that will be celebrated by the pope than can fit into the square. We will therefore broadcast the service on a screen set up in a second square, which the Holy Father will visit after holding the Mass. In all, we are expecting more than 50 000 people to attend the large divine service.” More than 300 volunteers will ensure that the service will proceed in an orderly fashion. “They are already preparing for it with Masses and meetings. Our entire church with its forty parishes is filled with great anticipation. We hope that this will lead to a real deepening of our faith.”

According to Archbishop Minassian, the situation of the church in Armenia is completely different from that in other parts of Western Europe. “There is no secularism here. The Armenians are a religious people. The people have faith. This is a fixed part of life. And our church is alive, even though there are not many of us. But for that we have many charitable projects for the poor, old and disabled. However, we as a church only have limited funds. This makes us even more grateful to Aid to the Church in Need and its benefactors for their generous support. I would like to thank them expressly for this. But now I would like to ask them specifically to pray that the papal visit will be a success.”