Category: News

“Armenia: The Spirit of Ararat” exhibition opened at the Byzantine and Christian Museum of Athens on the eve. The opening ceremony was attended by the Presidents of Armenia and Greece, Serzh Sargsyan and Prokopis Pavlopoulos.

More than 100 items on display present Armenia – from Bronze Age to the 20^th century. The artifacts are unique findings excavated exceptionally from the current territory of the Republic of Armenia, high-value samples of architecture and sculpture, unique items used for worship and ritual, as well as manuscripts and examples of applied art from different historical- ethnographical periods.

The exhibition consists of three parts – “The Fascination and Power of Armenian Civilization,” “Armenia in a changing world,” and “Appeal to posterity” (dedicated to the 100^th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide.”

 

 

 

Eleven of the 13 homeless families in Gymri will have apartment, pledges have been made to buy the remaining two. The fund-raising campaign still continues and will be wrapped up on March 20 with a charity auction at Northern Avenue in Yerevan, acompanied by a gala concert, member of the SOS Gyumri initiative Maxim Sargsyan told reporters today.

Among the interesting items are a jersey signed by Real Mardid players, a Barcelona flag signed by Lionel Messi and 10 other Barca stars, the jerseys of Henrikk Mkhitaryan and Yura Movsisyan, outfits of Arsen and Levon Julfalakyan, a ball signed by players of legendary Ararat-73, and others.

The issue of housing for vulnerable Gymri families united scores of people both in Armenia and abroad. Photographer Hayk Barseghyan created a photo story three years ago to draw attention to the issue. Photos were featured in the National Geographic. The photo story marked the launch of a new initiative, which caught the attention of world media. Al Jazeera prepared a 40-minute film, while the BBC crew is expected to arrive in Armenia in April.

Photo: Sputnik/ Oleg Urusov    

Europe and Russia have launched a joint mission to the Red Planet, the BBC reports.

The satellite, called the ExoMars Trace Gas Orbiter (TGO), lifted off from Baikonur in Kazakhstan at 09:31 GMT.

The probe will investigate whether the methane in the world’s atmosphere is coming from a geological source or is being produced by microbes.

If all goes well, the two space powers expect to follow up this venture with a rover, to be assembled in the UK, which will drill into the surface.

That could launch in 2018, or, as seems increasingly likely, in 2020.

Photo: AP

 

Russian President Vladimir Putin has ordered the military to withdraw the “main part” of their forces in Syria, saying they had largely achieved their goals, the BBC reports.

He told a meeting at the Kremlin that the pullout would start on Tuesday.

The comments come amid fresh peace talks in Geneva aimed at resolving the Syrian conflict.

Russia is a key ally of Syrian President Bashar al-Assad and the Kremlin said he had been informed.

Mr Putin also said that Russia’s Hmeimim airbase and the its port at Tartus would continue to operate as normal.

He said both must be protected “from land, air and sea”.

“Our bases — the naval base in Tartus and the airbase at the Khmeimim airfield — will operate in a routine mode. They are to be safely protected from the land, from the sea and from air,” he told the defense and foreign ministers, according to TASS.

Those Russian servicemen who will stay in Syria will be engaged in monitoring the ceasefire regime, Putin added.

The Russian president said he hopes the start of the withdrawal of Russian troops will become a good motivation for launching negotiations between political forces of that country and instructed the foreign minister to intensify Russia’s participation in organization of peace process in Syria.

“I hope today’s decision will be a good signal for all conflicting parties. I hope it will sizably increase trust of all participants in the process,” the president said.  “I ask the Russian Foreign Ministry to intensify Russia’s participation in organizing the peace process to solve the Syrian problem,” he added.

Photo: AFP

 

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has vowed to bring terrorism “to its knees” after an attack in the capital Ankara that killed at least 36 people, the BBC reports.

Mr Erdogan said the suicide car bomb would serve only to strengthen the resolve of Turkey’s security forces.

The blast in the key transport hub of Guven Park injured more than 100. At least one suspected bomber also died.

Turkish planes bombed targets in Iraq of the Kurdish rebel PKK, which officials suspect is behind the attack.

Eleven warplanes carried out air strikes on 18 targets including ammunition dumps and shelters, the army said.

Meanwhile there are reports of curfews being imposed in areas of south-eastern Turkey as security operations are carried out against Kurdish militants.

No group has admitted carrying out the Ankara attack, but government sources had cast suspicion on the outlawed PKK (Kurdistan Workers Party).

The Presidents of Armenia and Greece Serzh Sargsyan and Prokopios Pavlopoulos discussed a wide range of issues as they met in Athens today.

The leaders of the two countries referred to issues on bilateral and global agenda, cooperation within the framework of international organizations, development of Armenian-Greek cooperation in a number of fields of mutual interest, inter-parliamentary ties, international recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, settlement of the Karabakh confect.

The Presidents discussed the Armenia-EU relations and the role of friendly Greece in their development, the crisis in the Middle East and the humanitarian disaster it has caused, consequences of the migrant crisis, which has become a pan-European issue and a serious challenge to Greece.

Following the face-to face meeting, President Pavlopoulos of Greece hosted an official dinner in honor of the Armenian President.

“Armenians and Greeks are more than friends. They are tied by common history and traditions,” President Sargsyan said at the dinner.

“As two ancient civilizations, the Armenian and Hellenic people have worked and created side by side, leaving their trace on the pages of world history. They have fought side by side to earn their right to living. As adherents of the same values and morality, they stand side by side today to earn their right to survive and flourish. We continue to build on this legacy to reinforce the Armenian-Greek friendship.”

President Sargsyan said the two countries have a rich bilateral agenda – from political dialogue to cooperation in the fields of education and culture. “We’re actively cooperating in the military sphere. Greece is an important partner in Armenia-EU relations. The periodic reciprocal visits provide an opportunity to outline new perspectives of cooperation. A vivid example is my current visit, which aims to raise our economic cooperation to a new level based on  the existing potential,” President Sargsyan concluded.

President Pavlopoulos noted, in turn, that the Armenian President’s visit is yet another testament to the high level and extreme importance of political, economic and cultural relations between the two countries. “The two peoples survived sufferings at the turn of the 20^th century because of the same reason. We’ll not forget the Armenian genocide of 1915. We’re glad to be one of the few countries to have given refuge to deportee Armenians and one of the first countries to have recognized the Armenia Genocide. On the other hand, the Armenian Parliament has recognized the genocide against the Pontian Greeks. We must keep in mind that historic memory is important for the collective consciousness of the humanity, also as for the future of the mankind.  Under the conditions of the current crisis we must remember the past not as a means of seeding hatred, but as a tool of escaping such tragedies in the future,” the Greek President said.

President Sargsyan agreed that “commemoration and condemnation of genocides pursue the aim of preventing future genocides and demonstrating that our enemies have not succeeded in their plans to annihilate a whole nation.”

On March 13 Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian participated in the meeting of the Foreign Ministers of the European People’s Party (EPP) initiated by Austrian FM Sebastian Kurz.

Attending the meeting were Foreign Ministers of twelve countries, EPP President Joseph Dole, Chairman of the European Parliament’s Foreign Affairs Committee Elmar Brok, Commissioner Johannes Hahn, other high-ranking officials.

Issues on the agenda included fight against terrorism and radicalism and migration.  Discussions focused on issues existing in the Western Balkans and the South Caucasus and the ways of their resolution. Reference was made to cooperation within the framework of the Eastern Partnership.

Speaking about the flow of migrants, Minister Nalbandian said: “Armenia has provided refuge to about 20 thousand Syrian refugees, being the third European country with the number of migrants hosted per capita.”

The Armenian Foreign Minister stressed that “when seeking solution to migration issues, it’s first of all necessary to refer to their causes.” Minister Nalbandian attached importance to the joint fight against migration and the political process of settlement of the Syrian crisis.

Edward Nalbandian referred to the relations between Armenia and the European Union, emphasized the talks on a new legal framework, noting that the new agreement would reflect the depth of cooperation and the achievements.

The Armenian Foreign Minister briefed his counterparts on the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group towards the resolution of the Karabakh issue and stressed that there’s no alternative to a peaceful settlement.

On 14 March Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan met head of the General Staff of the Republic of Armenia’s Armed forces, colonel-general Yuri Khachaturov, NKR President’s Press Office reports.

Issues  related to army building and cooperation between the two Armenian states in this sphere were discussed.

Artsakh Republic defense minister Levon Mnacakanyan partook in the meeting.

Governor General of Tehran province Hossein Hashemi said on Saturday that two free economic zones in southern Tehran and industrial zone of hi-tech are ready for joint venture investment with Armenia, IRNA reports. 

He made the remarks in a meeting with the Armenian Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tomanian.
He said that Tehran-Yerevan economic ties have always been effective for economic development of the two countries.

The official noted that Tehran Economic Free Zone has recently launched its activities in the vicinity of Imam Khomeini International Airport.

According to Hashemi, the entrance and exit of capital is free in Tehran Free Economic Zone and the place is the best corridor linking the West and East.

Underlining the need for promoting tourism relations between Iran and Armenia, Hashemi said that developing ties in cultural fields and holding joint exhibits and chambers of commerce can pave the way for further cooperation.

Armenian envoy, for his part, hailed Iran-Armenia current level of ties, saying that his country’s embassy in Tehran will make the Iranian investors familiar with Armenian economy.

‘Tehran province is of high significance for us and we will display our products in Tehran International Exhibition,’ Tomanian said.

Referring to the two great international developments regarding Iran, he said that nuclear deal and lifting the sanctions and the democratic elections held in Iran on Febraury 26 were important issues, displaying Iranian nation’s resolve to the world.

Lifting the sanctions paved the way for Armenia’s trade with Iran in different fields of agriculture, technology and education.

 

 

 

The Minsk Group Co-Chairs held a closed-door meeting on Nagorno Karabakh last week, featuring Western diplomats and experts from Armenia, Azerbaijan and Artsakh.

President of the Helsinki Initiative/92 Nagorno-Karabakh Committee Karen Ohanjanyan was one of the experts attending the Tbilisi meeting. Speaking to , the expert said “Azerbaijanis seemed concerned.”

“We learnt a very important thing, we got to know the position of Azerbaijan. Aware that they do not benefit from the attacks and are unable to win through military means, they lay the emphasis on the continuation of the negotiation process, they want Artsakh to join the talks,” Ohanjanyan said.

Attaching important to the meetings on the level of experts, Spokesman for the NKR President David Babayan said “Artsakh should participate in the development of any document.”

Political scientist Sergey Minasyan, who participated in the closed-door meeting on behalf of Armenia, said the meeting was different from all others as it featured no representatives of the civil society, only experts, including ones from Western countries.

“It became clear from the meeting that there is no real threat of change in the OSCE Minsk Group format, something Baku and Ankara long for,” he said.

Minasyan added that Turkey’s interference is now impossible also because of the Russian-Turkish crisis. “This country has lost the levers of interference not only in Syria, but also the South Caucasus,” he said.