Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit New York February 24-25 to participate in the Ministerial meeting dedicated to the 50th anniversary of the UN Development Programme (UNDP).
Minister Nalbandian is expected to have meetings with his counterparts from a number of countries, Press Service of the Ministry of Foreign affairs reports.
At a meeting with Head of Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization (ICRO) Abuzar Ebrahimi Torkaman in Yerevan on Sunday, His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, lauded Iran’s influential role in helping to restore peace in the region.
“The religious dialogue pursued by Iran’s Islamic Culture and Relations Organization will result in the promotion of peace in the region,” His Holiness Karekin II said.
“We thank the Iranian government for preserving the Armenian artifacts in Iran and registration of Armenians’ churches in the UNESCO’s list of world heritage as well as freedom of Armenians in performing their religious ceremonies in Iran,” he added.
The Armenian Catholicos reiterated the need for the expansion of mutual cooperation between Iran and Armenia, and said, “The two countries’ cultural relations are satisfactory.”
His Holiness Karekin II said that boosting Armenia-Iran relations in the religious sector can be of paramount importance because religious ties can be a model for the entire world.
The German Bundestag is set to hold a debate on the Armenian Genocide on February 25. The Alliance 90/The Greens faction will make mention of the Armenian Genocide 100 years ago. Forty-five minutes are allocated for the report.
“There will be a statement followed by a debate,” Cem Özdemir, President of the Greens Party said in an exclusive interview with .
According to him, the Greens will present a statement, which has the same emphasis as the draft bill debated with the ruling coalition back in November 2015. Although the parties had reached some common ground, the bill was later prevented by the coalition.
“Obviously, the political motives are more important for the coalition than joint recognition,” Mr. Ozdemir said.
“We want the debate to be followed by voting. However, this is still uncertain, as we don’t know what the disposition of the ruling coalition is. If no voting follows, the bill will again be sent back to the Commission, where it is doomed to share the fate of an earlier motion submitted on April 24, 2015. It will remain pending, as the ruling coalition is not interested in raising the issue again,” President of the Greens Party said.
He added that the debate scheduled for February 25 is of great significance, considering that no other events commemorating the genocide of Armenians or other ethnic minorities is envisaged in the Bundestag this year.
The German Bundestag held heated debated on the Armenian Genocide on April 24, 2015, a day after German President Joachim Gauck used the word “genocide” to describe the events of 1915.
While the Greens and the Left Party supported the term ‘genocide,’ the federal government and the coalition parties had certain reservations. A single joint resolution is still being worked out. It’s unclear whether the final text will include the word “genocide” or not. It’s also hard to predict when the Bundestag will hold a final voting on the bill.
Cem Ozdemir hopes the ruling coalition and the opposition will manage to give a common assessment to the Armenian Genocide. “This would be an important message on the 100th anniversary of the Genocide. First, it’s necessary to call it “genocide,” second, it’s necessary to accept the German share of guilt. Third, we should do our utmost to reach the opening of the Armenian-Turkish border,” he said.
Samsung’s latest flagship phones restore a couple of popular features dropped from the previous generation, the BBC reports.
The Galaxy S7 and Galaxy S7 Edge both accept MicroSD cards, allowing their storage to be expanded, and can also be submerged underwater.
In addition, they feature new gaming tech and a rear camera that should cope better in low-light conditions.
Their overall design, however, is similar to the Galaxy S6 line-up.
The new devices were unveiled in Barcelona on the eve of the Mobile World Congress tech show.
While the Galaxy S7 retains the same sized screen as the S6, the S7 Edge’s display has grown slightly from 5.1in (13cm) to 5.5in (14cm).
The Edge version is also slightly curvier than before and its camera protrudes less far out.
In addition, the “edged” parts of the screen now provide shortcuts to email, different photo modes and third-party apps.
On 22 February NKR President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree, awarding writer and Armenian studies expert Kim Bakshi with the “Gratitude” medal for substantial contribution to the popularization of the Artsakh’s cultural heritage and in connection with the 85th birthday, Central Information Department of the Office of the Artsakh Republic President reports.
The Azerbaijani side used weapons of different caliber as it fired more 1,200 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions over the weekend, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.
Front divisions of the NKR Defense Army have mostly refrained from retaliatory actions and have confidently carried out their military duty.
The Bursa Governor’s Office has ordered that the only church in the city be vacated by Feb. 26, reports, quoting Radikal daily.
According to the report, four Christian communities restored the church between 2002 and 2004, and it was opened for worship after a protocol with the municipality was signed.
The pastor of the Protestant community, Ismail Kulacoglu, told Radikal that the protocol expired in 2015 and that the municipality had asked the communities to re-apply. Kulacoglu said they received an order to vacate the premises on Feb. 18 after they had re-applied.
The General Directorate for Foundations did not warn the communities beforehand and gave them eight days to leave the church, according to Kulacoglu.
The church serves as the only Christian house of worship in the city.
AA Photo
A military ground operation in Syria by Turkey and Saudi Arabia is not on the agenda and any such move would need to involve all countries in the U.S.-led coalition against Islamic State, Turkish Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavusoglu said on Monday, Reuters reports.
“Russian air strikes were the biggest obstacle to achieving a ceasefire in Syria,” Cavusoglu told a news conference in Ankara. He said the Syrian opposition, which said on Saturday it had agreed to the “possibility” of a temporary truce, would meet in Riyadh on Tuesday.
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What’s the secret to still dancing at 106? Watch 106-year-old Virginia McLaurin fulfill her dream of visiting the White House and meeting President Obama. #BlackHistoryMonth
Posted by on Sunday, February 21, 2016
Virginia McLaurin waited all her life to see an African-American in the White House. So, when she finally got a chance to meet President Obama, the 106-year-old woman couldn’t contain her excitement, according to .
She squealed with delight. She waved her cane in the air. And she danced — busting moves that have made her the newest Internet darling.
In a video posted by the White House Sunday night, McLaurin opens her arms wide, greets Obama with an excited “Hi!” and begins swaying.
“It’s an honor, it’s an honor,” she tells the President. McLaurin was at the White House to celebrate Black History Month.
Obama asks if McLaurin wants to meet the first lady and the answer is an obvious one. As she rushes over, Obama, who appears amused, says, “Slow down now. Don’t go too quick.”
Michelle Obama is in disbelief when her husband mentions McLaurin is 106.
“I wanna be like you when I grow up,” Michelle Obama tells her.
“You can,” McLaurin replies.
In 2014, McLaurin began a social media campaign to meet the Obamas.
She filmed a YouTube video in which she explained, “I didn’t think I’d ever live to see a colored president. I am so happy. I pray for you every day of my life.”
At the White House, the Obamas and McLaurin held hands and playfully danced before posing for a photo.
“I thought I would never live to get in the White House,” McLaurin tells the Obamas. “And I tell you, I am so happy.”
McLaurin was born in South Carolina in 1909. In 1941, she moved to Washington, D.C. where she has resided ever since. She has lived through 18 presidents.
The printing house of the Turkish Parliament has printed the business cards of ethnic Armenian MP Garo Paylan in two languages –Armenian and Turkish.
Garo Paylan, representing the pro-Kurdish Peoples’ Democratic Party (HDP), shared the photo of the cards on his Facebook page.
“This step on Mother Language Day is very symbolic. I wish the same to other languages,” Paylan wrote.