Category: News

Dozens of people are reported to have been killed in an air strike on a refugee camp in rebel-held northern Syria, monitors and witnesses say, the BBC reports.

Images on social media showed tents destroyed at the Kamounia camp near Sarmada in Idlib province, close to the Turkish border.

The strike comes a day after the extension of a truce was confirmed.

The Syrian military and non-jihadist rebel forces had agreed to a temporary truce around the the city of Aleppo, following pressure from the US and Russia.

The Local Co-ordination Committees, an opposition activist network, said more than 30 people had been killed and dozens more wounded in the Sarmada attack.

“Recognition of Artsakh depends on the results of negotiations, with consideration of future developments including the external factors,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan told reporters as he commented on the approval of the government opinion on the draft law on Recognition of Artsakh.

“Our position is clear: should Azerbaijan try to avoid respecting the ceasefire regime and unleash new aggression, the issue of recognition will be brought to agenda.,” the Deputy FM said.

Asked whether recognition of NKR would not mean end to the Minsk process, Shavarsh Kocharyan said: “It’s Azeri aggression that will put an end to the Minsk process.”

The government opinion on Artsakh recognition bill was an important step by Armenia in terms of contributing to the maintenance of peace and stability in the South Caucasus, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan told

“Armenia thus makes it clear to the world that it will recognize Artsakh, if Azerbaijan unleashes new war,” he said.

“The fact that Armenia has not recognized Artsakh for 25 years of negotiations is an unprecedented example of constructive policy. But when Azerbaijan unleashes war with an aim of destructing Artsakh, recognition becomes a must. The process has started, and it’s a message to both the international community and Azerbaijan,” Babayan said.

He further clarified that “it’s a process, not the final step,” and adding that “the issue should always remain on the agenda, even if no positive or negative conclusion is given.”

Referring to the misunderstanding in the press connected with the government opinion on the bill, the Spokesman said “it was a message of peace, a message of preventing war.” “It cannot be compared to what Azerbaijan did in April in what became the worst blow to the talks.”

“This is an answer to Azerbaijani offensive, which implies that if aggression repeats, there will be no alternative to recognition.”

“We want Artsakh to be recognized, but Armenia should not be the first country to do that. However, the issue should always be on the agenda as a restraining factor,” Babayan concluded.

Turkey’s Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoglu will stand down at an extraordinary congress of his ruling AK Party later this month, the BBC reports.

Speculation about his resignation has been rife since Mr Davutoglu met President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Wednesday.

He is long thought to have disapproved of Mr Erdogan’s plans to move Turkey to a presidential system of government.

The congress will be held on 22 May, reports say.

The reports emerged after Mr Davutoglu held talks with senior party leaders.

Earlier on Thursday, presidential aide Cemil Ertem appeared to confirm the speculation when he said there would be no snap elections following the appointment of a new leader.

He also told Turkish TV that the country and its economy would stabilise further “when a prime minister more closely aligned with President Erdogan takes office”.

The government opinion on the bill on recognition of Artsakh was a message to the world, a warning that Armenia will recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic if Azerbaijan unleashes new aggression, journalist and expert Tatul Hakobyan told .

He said it’s hard to find any Armenian in the world that would not rejoice for the recognition of Artsakh, but pointed to several challenges the decision could bring about.

Tatul Hakobyan said it will serve a justification for Azerbaijan to start new war. “Azerbaijan has long been trying to foil the Minsk process and transfer the issue to other platforms. In case of recognition, Azerbaijan will accuse Armenia of taking a unilateral step and frustrating the Minsk process,” he added.

He said recognition will “intoxicate” the Armenian-Russian relations, Russia will be one of the first countries to condemn the move. “Anti-Armenian Russia is more dangerous than Azerbaijan and Turkey together,” he noted.

“In case Armenia recognizes the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the UN Security Council will convene a sitting and adopt a resolution that will not be favorable to Armenia,” he said.

“We live in a world where we are not alone, and different interests have to be taken into consideration.”

“It’s not the best time to recognize Artsakh,” Tatul Hakobyan concluded.

The Armenian government approved today the opinion on the draft law on Recognition of Artsakh submitted by MPs Zaruhi Postanjyan and Hrant Bagratyan.

According to the government opinion on the draft law, “the adoption of the bill depends on the results of discussions between Armenia and Artsakh, with consideration of the future developments and external factors.”

Co-author of the bill Zaruhi Postanjyan was present at the sitting. “By recognizing Artsakh we’ll prevent a number of problem and become a political factor in the world. Recognition is a bid for Armenian statehood, which the world has to reckon with,” she said.

“The aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan was not condemned in any way, therefore, we have to recognize Artsakh as there is no alternative.  The recent developments showed that aggression is on Azerbaijan’s agenda,” Postanjyan said.

“They committed crimes against humanity, which went unpunished 100 years ago and 25 years ago, and this lead to the April aggression. We have to rely upon ourselves,” she added.

Asked whether it won’t mean end to talks, Postanjyan said “negotiations can still continue,” and added that “speaking about talks at a time when Azerbaijan is applying aggression, would be a mockery of the mankind.”

Armenia’s entrant at Eurovision 2016 Iveta Mukuchyan and members of the Armenian delegation had a meeting with Armenia’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Sweden Artak Apitonyan.

“I have no doubt we’ll succeed, as the Armenian performance is one of the most discussed ones,” the Ambassador said. He voiced hope Armenia would be on the top.

Eurovision Song Contest 2016 will take place in Stockholm May 10-14. Iveta will perform 7^th in the first semi-final on May 10.

The government opinion on the draft law on recognition of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic does not mean approval of the bill, the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs said in a statement.

“Armenia has clearly declared on many occasions in what case it will recognize the Nagorno Karabakh Republic,” the Ministry said.

“As a predictable and reliable partner, when making such decision Armenia will inform its partners, and first of all the heads of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairing countries,” the statement reads.

“We hope that Azerbaijan will be reasonable enough to refrain from the repetition of its adventure, unleashed in early April. Only through the acknowledgment of the lack of alternative to the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue it is possible to return the process onto the negotiation track and find a just and effective way for the full implementation of the right to self-determination by the people of Nagorno-Karabakh,” the Ministry said.

Mr. Kocharyan, how would you comment on the fact, that the Azerbaijani president awarded and had a photo with the Azerbaijani soldier, who, according to the Azerbaijani news sites, days ago was demonstratively depicted on a photo with the cut off head of Qyaram Sloyan, serviceman of the  NKR Defense Army

“While the international community fights against barbaric actions of terrorist groups, Azerbaijan, a country which is considered a subject of the international law, carries out actions of the same inhumane style,” Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan said.

The comments come after Azerbaijani president awarded and had a photo with the Azerbaijani soldier, who, according to the Azerbaijani news sites, days ago was demonstratively depicted on a photo with the cut off head of Karam Sloyan, serviceman of the NK Defense Army.

“Encouragement of crimes of such kind by the highest state level, is not new for Azerbaijan. Ramil Safarov, who axe-murdered the Armenian soldier in his sleep in Budapest and was sentenced to life imprisonment by the Hungarian Court, was released by the president of Azerbaijan right after being extradited to Baku in 2012, and then awarded and glorified,” Shavarsh Kocharyan said in comments to Armenpress.

“Targeted bombardment of schools, during which schoolchildren were killed and injured, torturing and tormenting to death the elderly people, mutilation of bodies of captured NK servicemen during the military aggression unleashed by Azerbaijan against Nagorno-Karabakh in early April, proves that Azerbaijan has adopted a policy of perpetration of terror acts and crimes against humanity, encouraged and guided on state level,” he said.

“While the international community fights against barbaric actions of terrorist groups, Azerbaijan, a country which is considered a subject of the international law, carries out actions of the same inhumane style,” the Deputy Foreign Minister said.