Category: News

Russia’s relations with Armenia are at a high level, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said in an interview with Armenian Regional Post – Caucasus magazine. The text of the interview is posted on the Russian Foreign Ministry’s website.

“We have a long record of friendship and mutual support and are bonded by cultural and spiritual affinity. Russia and Armenia are reliable allies in international affairs and security. Together, we are forging the forward-looking Eurasian Economic Union. We have a shared perspective on today’s most pressing challenges,” Lavrov said.

“Russia is Armenia’s leading economic partner, whose share in the Republic’s foreign trade amounts to 24.3 per cent. The bilateral trade between the two countries reached USD 1.24 billion in 2015 and USD 745.3 million in the period from January to August 2016.A considerable increase in Armenian exports of agricultural products to the Russian market has been registered lately. Accumulated Russian investments in the Armenian economy amount to USD 4.3 billion, making up 40 per cent of its overall foreign investments. The total number of enterprises with Russian participation is about 1,300. They operate in a wide range of sectors, such as energy, transportation, banking, telecommunications, mining and smelting,” the Russian Foreign Minister said.

“This normalization between Russia and Turkey should not be regarded as a process that may harm other States. Russia has no hidden agenda,” Lavrov assured.

“We build no political and no economic alliances directed against third countries or adversely affecting any interests. In general, we are open for constructive and mutually respectful cooperation with all who express same readiness,” he said.

“We are convinced that getting the Russian-Turkish ties out of months-long crisis will enhance trust and mutual understanding in the region. We expect the gradual restoration of bilateral cooperation with Ankara to benefit peace, security and stability in the South Caucasus,” Lavrov said.

The Russian Foreign Minister said they would “most certainly welcome the opening of the Armenian-Turkish segment of the EAEU’s external border for free movement of people, goods and services.” “This will obviously benefit the entire region,” he added.

The Foreign Minister reminded that Russia played an important role in attempting to restore the relations between Armenia and Turkey during the active phase of this process in 2007 2009. “The collective efforts, first and foremost those of Yerevan and Ankara, led to the signing in Zurich on October 10, 2009 of the Protocol on the Establishment of Diplomatic Relations and the Protocol on the Development of Bilateral Relations between the two countries in the presence of the Foreign Ministers of Russia, France and Switzerland, the U.S. Secretary of State and the EU’s High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy.”

“Sadly, the normalization process subsequently stalled and by now has come to a complete halt. It is of principled importance, though, that the sides have demonstrated the ability to reach agreement and take serious and responsible decisions. I am convinced that Armenia and Turkey are able to resolve the current problems. That said, quite a lot depends on themselves. After all, the quality of the politicians is measured not only by the depth of their realistic analysis of the objective difficulties, but also by their ability to be optimistic in order to fulfill the hopes and aspirations of their citizens. When Yerevan and Ankara sit at the negotiating table, Russia will be ready to provide them with most vigorous assistance,” he added.

The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, follow the developments in Istanbul and keep in touch with Bishops and elected Locum Tenens Karekin Bekdjian, Fr. Vahram Melikyan, Director of Information Services of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin told Public Radio of Armenia.

Both clergymen and secular figures are taking steps to bring the truth about yesterday’s meeting to the Turkish government.

He said the elections fully comply with the church rules, and reminded that an agreement on election of Locum Tenens had been reached during a meeting at the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin last month.

Fr. Vahram Melikyan said the notice of the Istanbul Governor has actually stalled the process of election of the Armenian Patriarch of Istanbul. He said “everything has been carried out in line with church rules.”

He voiced hope that the Armenian community and clergymen would be able to explain in to the Turkish government and overcome the difficulty.

“We hope a proper solution will be found,” Fr. Vahram Melikyan said.

Photo: AFP    

A Federal judge in Hawaii has blocked President Donald Trump’s new travel ban, hours before it was due to begin at midnight on Thursday.

US District Judge Derrick Watson cited “questionable evidence” in the government’s argument that the ban was a matter of national security.

President Trump described the ruling as “unprecedented judicial overreach”.

The order would have placed a 90-day ban on people from six mainly Muslim nations and a 120-day ban on refugees.

Mr Trump insists the move is to stop terrorists from entering the US but critics say it is discriminatory.

An earlier version of the order, issued in late January, sparked confusion and protests, and was blocked by a judge in Seattle.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan heads into tonight’s Europa League Round of 16 second leg against FC Rostov with praise from Manchester United team-mate Chris Smalling ringing in his ears, according to the club’s official website. 

The Armenian has been instrumental in the Reds’ European progress, scoring against Zorya Luhansk, Saint-Etienne and in the first game at Rostov, and is expected to be a key figure as Jose Mourinho’s men look to reach the quarter-finals of a competition the club has never won.

After being withdrawn in the wake of Ander Herrera’s dismissal at Chelsea on Monday, a tactical sacrifice, the clever schemer will hopefully be raring to go against the Russians at Old Trafford.

When asked by tonight’s , the official matchday programme, if everybody is glad Mkhitaryan has returned from injury, Smalling replied: “Yeah, we are – it is great. He had missed a few games but he came back and had an instant impact like he had never been away. It is great to have such great attacking options and Micki has been brilliant for us, because he is a threat that is very hard to defend against.

“I think it could be a coincidence [he’s done so well in Europe] but, as a player, he is very unpredictable. Every player in the world knows who Henrikh Mkhitaryan is. But it is one thing to know him and another to deal with him. I am lucky that he is on our team and I am not playing against him.

“He is often thinking one step ahead [in training], whether it is a pass or a dribble. He is deceptively quick as well and he is probably quicker with the ball than he is without, which is rare for a lot of players. He is a great, great asset for us.”

Lawyer Sebu Aslangil says Istanbul Governor’s interference with the patriarchal elections is “completely unlawful.”

According to him, the administration doesn’t have the authority.”

On March 15, the Clerical Assembly in Istanbul elected Karekin Bekdjian, Primate of the German Diocese of the Armenian Apostolic Church as Locum Tenens (Patriarchal alternate).

Following the election, a notice was handed out by Archbishop Aram Ateshian to the Clerical Assembly that stated that it was illegal to start the election process.

“Only the Armenian society has the authority to start the election process. Clerical Assembly started the process with the decision it made on October 16. It decided to elect Locum Tenens and realized the decision. If the administration wanted to interfere, it should have done so after this decision. It would make more sense if it stated, ‘This decision is not proper.’ However, by saying nothing about it, it legally and virtually accepted the procedure,” Sebu Aslangil said in a statement published by .

“Given that no complaint has been made to the administration, it is impossible to talk about such a disturbance. This reason cannot constitute a ground for thinking that the election won’t be right. They could have interfered after what happened on February 16. The governor’s office hasn’t done that either. This notice is arbitrary. The election conforms to the proceedings and traditions. Starting the election is quite lawful,” the lawyer said.

“On this point, we can talk about the scope of influence of the General Vicar. According to our traditions, the v doesn’t have the authority to start election. There is also no regulation concerning the limits of the Vicar’s authority. Thus, the General Vicar doesn’t have the authority to stop the process of election. The existence of vicar doesn’t have anything to do with the process of election,” he added.

Aslangil also pointed out that there is a pending case concerning the vicarship in the constitutional court and this seat is not legally confirmed yet.

Earlier this week, the Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) sent letters to the Senate and House Select Committees on Intelligence expressing concern regarding the undue influence of Azerbaijan on America’s democratic institutions.

In their letter to the Senate Intelligence Chairman Richard Burr (R-NC), Vice Chairman Mark Warner (D-VA), House Intelligence Chairman David Nunes (R-CA), and Ranking Member Adam Schiff (D-CA), Assembly Co-Chairs Anthony Barsamian and Van Krikorian stated: “We are writing to express our concern regarding the undue influence of yet another foreign government on America’s democratic institutions, namely Azerbaijan. We are deeply troubled by recent reports about Azerbaijan’s ties to Iran’s Islamic Revolutionary Guard Corps (IRGC) and its nexus to both the Mammadov family and the highest levels of the Azeri government. We therefore respectfully request that the congressional investigations of Russian influence be expanded to include Azerbaijan’s influence peddling and any materials it may have potentially compromising U.S. officials.”

The Justice Department has previously brought some cases involving Azerbaijan through the Foreign Corrupt Practices Act (FCPA), but much more is needed. According to the “Azeri Oil Money Got a Pass From This Ethics Committee” article in Bloomberg News, Azerbaijan continues to shell out over $45,000 monthly to the Podesta Group, of which the columnist states “It’s hard to tell whether it’s this creativity and generosity or any real U.S. strategic interest that makes the U.S. overlook the country’s brutal dictatorship. A combination of both is likely: Without the ‘caviar diplomacy,’ Azerbaijan might be considered too small to defy declared U.S. values and principles for its sake.”

“When it comes to the integrity of America’s democracy, the rule of law, and our governance process, we must not turn a blind eye to Azerbaijan’s influence peddling, authoritarian regime and human rights atrocities,” Assembly Co-Chairs Barsamian and Krikorian said. “Further, we must ensure that Azerbaijan’s rampant corrupt practices do not compromise U.S. policies and objectives. Additional evidence on Azerbaijani as well as Turkish wrongdoing is available and growing; we would welcome the opportunity to help advance a thorough investigation and United States response.”

In addition to the U.S., Azerbaijan’s caviar diplomacy is also amply documented in the December 2016 European Stability Initiative (ESI) report, wherein expensive watches, jewelry, computers, and large sums of money, among other gifts, were provided to several politicians from a number of countries in Europe. ESI states that “the ease with which democratic institutions and safeguards can be undermined has emerged as a fundamental threat to European democracy.”

Artur Sargsyan – known as “bread bringer” – died at Armenia Medical center today.

Representatives of the center say he had been hospitalized earlier today.

Artur Sargsyan was detained in August 2016 after he broke the police cordon to deliver food to members of Sasna Tsrer group, who had seized a police station in Yerevan last July.

Sargsyan was released earlier this month.

On March 16, Minister of Foreign Affairs Edward Nalbandian will visit New York to attend events dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Armenia’s membership to the United Nations.

Minister  Nalbandian is expected to meet with UN Secretary General António Guterres.

Photo: Reuters

 

A letter has exploded at the International Monetary Fund (IMF) office in Paris, injuring the employee who opened it, police say, the BBC reports.

The IMF employee was injured in the hands and face, and staff evacuated.

In another development, German finance ministry in Berlin intercepted a parcel bomb sent to Finance Minister Wolfgang Schaeuble on Wednesday.

A Greek far left group, the Conspiracy of Fire Cells, said on a website that it had sent the device.

The IMF is one of three organisations, along with the European Commission and the European Central Bank (ECB), which bailed out the Greek government after it came close to defaulting on its debts.

Photo: Getty Images    

Dutch Prime Minister Mark Rutte says the Netherlands has rejected “the wrong kind of populism” as he celebrated victory in parliamentary elections, the BBC reports.

With nearly all votes counted his governing centre-right VVD party easily beat the anti-immigration, anti-EU Freedom party of Geert Wilders.

The race was seen as a test of support for nationalist parties that have been gaining ground across Europe.

Mr Wilders insisted “the patriotic spring” would still happen.

With more than 90% of votes counted, the VVD had won 33 out of 150 seats, a loss of eight seats from the previous parliament.

Mr Wilders’ Freedom Party (PVV) was in second place on 20 seats, a gain of five, with the Christian Democratic Appeal (CDA) and the liberal Democrats 66 (D66) close behind with 19 seats each.

The Green-Left party also did well winning 14 seats, an increase of 10.

The Labour Party (PvdA), the junior party in the governing coalition, suffered a historic defeat with only nine seats, a loss of 29.

Turnout was more than 80%, the highest for 30 years, which analysts say may have benefited pro-EU and liberal parties.