Category: News

German Chancellor Angela Merkel is on a trip to Istanbul to attend a 50-nation UN summit on refugees.

Speaking to German newspaper Frankfurter Allgemeine Zeitung (FAZ), before the visit Merkel described recent political developments in Turkey, especially regarding the Kurdish community, as worrisome.

Accoridng to a report by , Angela Merkel will hold a meeting with Turkuish President Erdogan. In addition to the migration deal and voting for lifting the parliamentary immunity, it is also expected that press foredoom, the bill for the Armenian Genocide to be voted on June 2 in Bundestag and German humorist Jan Böhmermann will be discussed at the meeting.

President Serzh Sargsyan received today Kristian Vigenin, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus.

President Sargsyan said Armenia appreciates the OSCE role as an important pan-European security organization and as a significant platform for equal dialogue between participating states. According to the President, the OSCE Parliamentary Assembly provides broad perspectives for contacts and cooperation between parliamentarians.

Kristian Vigenin first congratulated the Armenian President for the important step toward the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh issue taken in Vienna.

The OSCE PA Special Representative noted, however, that great efforts are still needed for achieving lasting peace.  He added that “the OSCE PA sees its role in supporting the efforts towards establishment of peace.”

“I reiterate that for the OSCE PA there is no alternative to a peaceful resolution of the Karabakh conflict, and the Parliamentary Assembly fully supports the actions of the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs,” Kristian Vigenin said.

Three Armenians were injured in a suicide attack in a Christian neighborhood of Syria’s northeastern  town of Qamishli, reports, quoting its sources.

Two IS suicide bombers struck the center of Qamishli Sunday. According to reports, three Christians were killed and 15 wounded in the bombings.

The Armenians were identified as Khachik Karapet, Samvel Parsum and David Taltryan.

Prominent Greeks of Armenian and Pontic descent were honored during a special ceremony held at the Temple of Olympian Zeus in Athens on Saturday, which culminated a series of events organized by the ministry of defense to mark the anniversary of the Pontic Greek and Armenian genocide in the early 20th century, according to Greek Reporter. 

“The genocide of Pontic Greeks and Armenians remains in collective memory as one of the most horrific crimes of the last century, but also as a crime for which, after so many years, justice has not been served,” Defense Minister Panos Kammenos in his speech.

He also urged all parties involved to continue fight for international recognition of the event.

Addressing the event, the Vice-President of the Armenian National Assembly, Edward Sharmazanov said:

“The Genocide of Christian minorities in the Ottoman Empire and Kemalist Turkey is considered to be one of the greatest disasters of the previous century, that has taken lives of innocent Greeks. It is a great honour for me to be here and address you as a descendent of both nations who survived the Greek and Armenian Genocide.

A century ago hundreds of thousands of Pontic Greeks were massacred by the Turkish Government, thousands of Christian monuments were destroyed. This was not a mere crime against the Greeks, Armenians and Assyrians: this was a crime against humanity.

Since then only a few have raised the importance of condemning the actions of the Ottoman Empire against its Christian population. Amongst them is the Republic of Armenia and I am deeply grateful for your appreciation of my humble contribution to our mutual mission. I would like to inform you that 2 days ago the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic became the fifth country in the world which recognized and condemned the Genocide of Pontic Greeks in the Ottoman Empire and Kemalist Turkey.

Unfortunately, Turkey continues its policy of denial. Moreover, not only it denies its former crimes but also commits new ones by keeping occupied 38 percent of the Cyprus territory and supporting both the Islamic State in the Middle East and Azerbaijani aggression against the peaceful people of the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic.

We should realise that the atrocities committed in the Ottoman Empire a century ago, the beheadings in the Middle East as well as the inhumane actions of Azerbaijan in the Nagorno-Karabakh Republic today are of the same nature.

Let us not forget that impunity leads to new crimes and the application of double standards is unacceptable. Therefore, I urge you to unite against the threat of terrorism, fascism and panturkism. I believe that only in unity we can withstand and overcome the threat of nowadays Taleats, Kemals and Hitlers. I call on people of all ethnic and religious backgrounds to recognize and condemn the Genocide of the Christian population in the Ottoman Empire, and particularly the Genocide of Greeks, as well as to condemn the Turkish denial policy.”

Chelsea and Arsenal may have to wait until next summer to sign Borussia Dortmund’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan,  reports.

Mkhitaryan has been linked with a move to the Premier League following a sensational season for Dortmund.

The 27-year-old has enjoyed his best-ever campaign, scoring 23 goals and providing 32 assists in all competitions.

Reports claimed last week  the Gunners have already held talks with the player’s representatives and he has begun house hunting in London.

And German newspaper Bild said the Blues were also keen to sign the Armenia international for a fee of £46million.

However, both clubs could be forced to wait, as fresh reports in  claim Dortmund will make a shock decision to keep him for one more season and allow him to leave for free next year.

After losing Mats Hummels to rivals Bayern Munich and with Ilkay Gundogan reportedly moving to Manchester City, the German club are apparently not prepared to lose any more players.

And it is said Thomas Tuchel’s side would rather keep Mkhitaryan for the 2016/17 campaign, even if he fails to extend his contract.

The winger joined Dortmund in 2013 from Ukrainian side Shakhtar Donetsk for £24m, signing a four-year deal.

 

 

 

“The issue of 800 hectares of land lost during the April war will probably be on the agenda of negotiations,” Armenian Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan told reporters on the sidelines of the unveiling of a statue to Marshal Hamazasp Babajanyan.

“We’ll never forget those territories just like we never forget our historic lands, ” the Minister said.

“The territories are within the borders of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic and I think the issue will be raised during the talks,” he added.

Minister Ohanyan said the situation at the Karabakh conflict zone is currently calm. “We keep in touch with the NKR Defense Army. We try to observe the ceasefire, divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep the situation under control,” he noted.

 

 

 

Appointment of a new Prime Minister will not result in changes either in domestic, or in foreign policy of Turkey, historian Gevorg Melkonyan told reporters today.

“Persons change, policies don’t. Expecting any changes in Turkey’s foreign policy, especially with regard to its relations with neighbors, is senseless,” expert of Turkish studies Gevorg Petrosyan said, in turn. He believes the new PM will remain under President Erdogan’s influence, and his first statements come to prove this.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Sunday appointed one of his most trusted allies to form Turkey’s new government, in a move seen to help consolidate his hold on power.

Binali Yildirim, the transportation and communications minister and a founding member of the ruling party, was tapped to replace Ahmet Davutoglu who stepped down amid growing differences with Erdogan, including his wish to overhaul the constitution to give the largely ceremonial presidency executive powers.

Yildirim has said he would work to legalize the “de facto” presidential system by introducing a new constitution to that effect.

The appointment of the 60-year-old politician came hours after the ruling party confirmed him as party chairman, and he immediately expressed allegiance to the Turkish leader, vowing to follow his path. 

Gevorg Petrosyan considers that Turkey will stiffen its foreign policy, especially in the relations with the European Union.

“The main role-player in Turkey remains unchanged, therefore, the general policy line will not change, either, including on Armenia-related issues,” Petrosyan said.

According to Gevorg Melkonyan, “Turkey has chosen the path of solving issues with tougher steps, and an evidence of this is the fact that Turkey increased its military contingent at the Syria border following Davutoglu’s resignation,” he said.

“One can assume that the more Turkey accelerates the military actions with regard to the Syrian and Kurdish issues, the stiffer the policy Azerbaijan will adopt on the Nagorno Karabakh settlement,” the historian said.

The Syrian Arab Army’s 137th Artillery Brigade of the Republican Guard – backed by the 104th Airborne Brigade of the Republican Guard – imposed full control over the Armenian Cemetery of Deir Ezzor after a violent battle with the Islamic State of Iraq and Al-Sham (ISIS) on Sunday,  reports.

The Syrian Armed Forces were able to liberate this strategic site in western Deir Ezzor after repelling the Islamic State’s offensive at the Panorama Checkpoint. As a result of ISIS’ failed offensive at the Panorama Checkpoint, the Syrian Armed Forces took the opportunity to strike back against the terrorist group and recapture the Armenian Cemetery.

According to Yarob Zahreddine of the 104th Airborne Brigade, the Syrian Armed Forces killed several ISIS terrorists during the battle for the Armenian Cemetery, including several foreign terrorists from North Africa.

Photo: Mikhail Metzel/TASS

    The lower house of the Tajik parliament has unanimously approved on Friday the amendments to the country’s current Constitution enshrining Emomali Rahmon’s right to be president for life,  reports.

These amendments will take effect after being reviewed by the Constitutional Court and popular support at the referendum whose date will be determined later.

According to the new wording of Article 66 of the country’s Constitution, “a person at least 30 years old who has a command of the state language and who has lived in the country for at least 10 past years can be nominated for the post of Tajikistan’s president.” Lawmaker Mahmadali Vatanzoda noted that it was planned to supplement this article with the following content: “The restrictions envisaged in this article do not apply to the founder of “peace and national unity – leader of the nation.” This legal status was conferred on incumbent President Emomali Rahmon by parliamentarians on December 9, 2015.

Among other significant amendments to Tajikistan’s Constitution are a ban on religious and nationalist political parties and associations and the abolition of the Council of Justice. The activity of foreign political parties is banned as well. The Constitution enshrines the presidential form of government, which has actually been in force since 1994. All these amendments will take effect after a national referendum.

Emomali Rahmon has been the head of state since 1992.

Photo: AP

 

At least 65 people have been killed in multiple blasts in Syrian government coastal strongholds, reports say, the BBC reports.

Explosions hit the cities of Tartous and Jableh. Several of the blasts were suicide bombings, the UK-based Syrian Observatory for Human Rights said.

State media said packed bus stations and a hospital were among the targets.

Attacks of this scale are rare in these areas. A news agency linked to so-called Islamic State (IS) says the jihadist group was behind the attacks.