Category: News

Statement by Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia at the 126th Session of the Committee of the Ministers of the Council of Europe

Excellences,
Secretary General,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

I would like to congratulate Bulgaria on its productive chairmanship at the Committee of Ministers and to thank Minister Mitov for the excellent ogranisation of this meeting.

I would also like to express our appreciation to the Secretary General for presenting his third annual report on the “State of Democracy, Human Rights and the Rule of Law in Europe”. We share Mr. Jagland’s view on the concept of “Democratic Security”, according to which the democracies are less likely to go to war. Obviously, authoritarian regimes do not face such a dilemma.

Such case was most recently witnessed in early April when Azerbaijan launched large-scale military offensive against Nagorno-Karabakh, resulting in many killed and wounded, along with gross violations of international humanitarian law and international human rights law.

The tense situation of early April and possibilities of addressing its consequances were discussed two days ago in Vienna in a meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan attended by the Secretary of State of the United States, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Russia and State Secretary for European Affairs of France representing the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chair countries.

In their joint statement the Co-Chair countries insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements. The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The Presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman in Office. This could pave a way for resumption of the negotiations for the resolution of the conflict.

Up until now Azerbaijan has been continously hindering the implementation of such proposals of the Co-chair countries and even reached agrrements. We hope that this time Azerbaijan would not deceive the hopes of the Co-Chair countries and the expectations of the international community.

Dear colleagues,

It is the primary goal of Council of Europe to safeguard common values and individual rights at pan-European level. We share the belief of many in this room that rights of individuals guaranteed by the European Convention on Human Rights must not be dependent on the status of the territory where peoples live. In this regard, we appreciate recent initiatives to discuss the subject of ensuring human rights in conflict zones.

Today violent extremism and radicalisation leading to terrorism are direct threats to our values. To succeed in the fight against these appalling phenomena we should start with the root causes. Fight against racism, xenophobia and intolerance are essential in this regard. Armenia has been vocal in condemning hate speech and xenophobia, especially the kind, used in a political discourse. Combating these phenomena has been a priority for Armenia during our Chairmanship at this Committee and it continues to remain as such.

2016 marks the 15th Anniversary of Armenia’s accession to the Council of Europe. These have been years of fruitful cooperation in various areas of mutual interest. In a few days we will officially launch the Council of Europe 2015-2018 Action Plan for Armenia, which will further promote reform process in our country.

In conclusion, I would also like to join the previous speakers in wishing every success to the incoming Chairmanship of Estonia.

Photo: Reuters

 

Three bomb blasts in Baghdad have killed at least 53 people, medics say, the latest in a series of attacks in the Iraqi capital in the past week, the BBC reports.

A female suicide bomber is believed to have targeted a market in the northern, mainly Shia Muslim area of Shaab.

The other bombs went off at a market in the neighbouring predominantly Shia district of Sadr City and among shoppers in Rashid, to the south.

The jihadist group Islamic State (IS) said it carried out the Shaab attack.

OSCE Chairperson-in-Office and Germany’s Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier today issued the following statement on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict:

“The situation along the line of contact continues to be tense. I deeply regret the reported recent loss of life, and I urge the sides to respect the ceasefire in full.

In this context, I welcome the initiative by my colleagues from the Russian Federation, the United States of America, and France, the co-chairing countries of the OSCE Minsk Group, who held a meeting with the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan on 16 May. I am encouraged by the renewed commitment that both Presidents have expressed to the ceasefire and to the peaceful settlement of the conflict, as well as their readiness to have a new round of talks in June.

Germany’s 2016 OSCE Chairmanship remains fully committed to supporting the work of the Co-Chairs. We will actively support efforts to establish an investigative mechanism. We will also work on expanding the team of my Personal Representative, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.

The escalation of hostilities in April was a reminder to us all that re-doubled, sustained efforts are now needed to break the deadlock. The consolidation of the ceasefire is a matter of high priority, not least with a view to creating favourable conditions for resuming negotiations on a comprehensive settlement.”

The European Broadcasting Union will consider the petition calling for a review of the results of 2016 Eurovision Song Contest, RIA Novosti reports.

“We know about the petition, and the issue will be discussed today,” EBU Press Secretary Paul Jordan told the agency. The EBU is expected to publish the answer later today.

Over 200,000 people signed the online petition launched on Change.org in just two days.

“We understand that jury voting and televoting process is a hard and emotional one, but the number of people who’ve signed this shows that how many people are sure that this year’s ‘winner’ is not the one who should really win the contest. We have no doubt in justice and privacy of contest that’s why we think that there’s need to revise the results,” Arthur Hovhannisyan from Armenia, author of the petition on the Change.org website, wrote.

The settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be a “package solution with stepwise implementation,” Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian said in an interview with Interfax.

“Over the past years we have been working on compromise formulations and have been very close to a settlement on several occasions, but every time Azerbaijan has made a step backward,” Minister Nalbandian said.

“The implementation of the agreements reached between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Vienna will create necessary conditions for the settlement of conflict and the search for compromise solutions,” the Foreign Minister said.

During the meeting the parties reiterated that there can be no military solution to the conflict. The Co-Chairs insisted on the importance of respecting the 1994 and 1995 ceasefire agreements.

The Presidents reiterated their commitment to the ceasefire and the peaceful settlement of the conflict. To reduce the risk of further violence, they agreed to finalize in the shortest possible time an OSCE investigative mechanism. The Presidents also agreed to the expansion of the existing Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson in Office. Finally, they agreed to continue the exchange of data on missing persons under the auspices of the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to which the Presidents committed during the Paris summit of October 2014.

Minister Nalbandian noted that “the first-ever participation of the Foreign Ministers of the co-chairing countries in the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan is a testament to the extreme importance the mediating countries attach to the implementation of the agreements.”

Minister Nalabandian voiced hope that Azerbaijan would not disappoint the hopes of the co-chairing countries and would come up to the expectations of the international community.

The results of the meeting of the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan provide for a basis for cautious optimism on the situation in Nagorno Karabakh, Kremlin Spokesman Dmitryt Peskov has said.

The Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan Serzh Sargsyan and Ilham Aliyev had a meeting in Vienna Monday mediated by the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries.

“Our Foreign Ministers gave necessary assessments to the situation. We hope there are grounds for cautious optimism that this will allow us to enter a more stable stage,” he said.

The European Broadcasting Union has issued a statement in response to the petition on  calling for the results of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest to be revised:

The 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was a spectacular show and a testament to a year of hard work by so many people from so many countries. The live shows were world-class television productions with a thriller climax on Saturday night.

We understand the passions and emotions that are engendered through the Eurovision Song Contest. In light of this, we have taken notice of your petition and appreciate this opportunity to respond.

The winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest was decided by music industry professionals and you, viewers at home, each with a 50 percent stake in the result. Ukraine’s Jamala won, thanks to broad support from both the juries as well as televoters. She did so with an outstanding performance of an emotional song, telling a personal story.

Australia’s Dami Im won the jury vote and Russia’s Sergey Lazarev won the televoting. They both deserve credit for their world-class performances, their great songs and for taking their loss as true professionals. They may not have won the contest, but responded to the outcome as winners. We respect and appreciate them for that.

The Eurovision Song Contest is a competition. There can only be one winner. We understand that not everyone agrees with the outcome of this year’s Eurovision Song Contest however in a competition where the results are decided based on a subjective and often very personal opinions, there will always be people who do not agree. Regardless of this, the result remains valid by all means, in accordance with the rules as they were known to each participating broadcaster, each artist and each dedicated fan.

Ukraine is, and will remain, the winner of the 2016 Eurovision Song Contest. Whether you agree or disagree, we call upon those who signed this petition to embrace the result, valid in accordance with the rules, and to continue a constructive dialogue about how to further strengthen and improve the Eurovision Song Contest.

“If people rose up tomorrow in Turkey and were free of fear – it would be a free country….a country -where, regardless of their ethnic group, people, would be able to see a better future,” German-Turkish-Armenian musician Marc Sinan said in an interview with Deutsche Welle.

German-born Turkish Armenian guitarist Marc Sinan organized concerts in cooperation with the director of the Dresdner Sinfoniker Markus Rindt on April 30 and May 1 to commemorate the Armenian Genocide, and Turkish government was upset about that.

Musicians from Turkey, Armenia and Germany came together for the concert project “Aghet” in remembrance of the persecution and massacre of Armenians 101 years ago during the final days of the Ottoman Empire. The musical project in Dresden, however, came under fire for branding the Armenian massacre a “genocide.”

Marc Sinan’s Armenian grandmother survived the genocide 100 years ago. Her accounts of those events were included in the concert. The concert also included original quotes from Turkish officials and President Erdogan.

Marc Sinan said the concert had no political dimension. “We are people, so we express ourselves and take a stand on issues. This is an artistic project and a musical project that had an astonishing political effect. ”

The project was supported by an EU cultural fund, which restored its initial support shortly after it retreated as a result of Turkish government’s intervention.

Speaking about the failure of the Bundestag to recognize the Armenian Genocide, Sinan said: “Just imagine what it would be like if we in Germany denied that the Holocaust took place. That would be a de-facto continuation of the Holocaust. As long as this cycle of genocide continues, genocide will continue in a way. And the political forces behind it are now targeting the Kurdish population. Turkey is a country controlled by fear. People are afraid that the future will be even worse. They’re afraid of being killed like Hrant Dink for criticizing the government over the genocide,” Marc Sinan said.

 

Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly Edward Sharmazanov received today Member of Bundestag Ulla Jelpke and members of the Hamburg Parliament Martin Dolzer and Hasan Burgucuoglu.

Edward Sharmazanov hailed the relations established between Armenia and Germany and praised Germany’s support to our country.

The Vice-President of the National Assembly welcomed the German lawmakers’ planned visit to Artsakh, saying it’s a good opportunity to see everything on the ground, especially considering that Germany is currently presiding over the OSCE.

Sharmazanov briefed the guests on the Azeri aggression against Nagorno Karabakh in April this year. “You know that the aggression claimed the lives of not only servicemen, but also civilians. We must stop this. The people of Artsakh have self-determined and the international community will recognize their right to self-determination sooner or later. We aim to reach the international recognition of Artsakh in a peaceful way.”

Referring to the consideration of the Armenian Genocide recognition bill in the German Bundestag scheduled for June 2nd, Sharmazanov noted that “only through recognition and prevention will it be possible to close the path for perpetration of new genocides.”

Member of Bundestag Ulla Jelpke said their party is striving to reach not only recognition of the Armenian Genocide, but also the acknowledgement of the German responsibility. The German lawmaker voiced support for the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Excavation work for a new metro line in Rome has unearthed a huge Roman barracks from the 2nd Century AD when Emperor Hadrian was in power, the BBC reports.

The find is so impressive that Italy plans to create Rome’s first “archaeological station” at Amba Aradam, on the city’s third metro line.

The new station is being built while archaeologists brush dirt away from artefacts and mosaics 9m (30ft) below street level. The ruins cover 900sq m.

The site, thought to have housed Hadrian’s Praetorian Guard, includes a 100m hallway with 39 rooms.

An Italian Culture Ministry official called the unearthing of the Roman Praetorian Guard barracks “exceptional”.

The Praetorian Guard was created by Rome’s first emperor, Augustus, and served as the emperors’ bodyguards and private military force.