Category: News

The Azerbaijani side undertook provocative actions at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night.

The rival used artillery weapons of different caliber, 60 and 82mm mortars and HAN-17 grenades as it fired more than 600 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The adversary also undertook an infringement attempt in the southern direction of the line of contact on January 26, at about 04:30. The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army were quick to spot the advancement and force them back to their initial positions.

The Defense Army incurred no losses as a result of the exchange of fire.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army confidently continue with their military duty all along the line of contact.

Today the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) held a heated debate on two reports on Nagorno-Karabakh: “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan”, by rapporteur Robert Walter (UK) and “Inhabitants of frontier regions of Azerbaijan are deliberately deprived of water,” by rapporteur Milica Marković (Bosnia and Herzegovina). The Parliamentary Assembly rejected the report by Walter and adopted the report by Markovic.

Since November 2015, the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) had carried out extensive work in 20 Member States of the Council of Europe, elaborating on the essence of the reports and exposing their biased character. The European Armenian Federation was also in Strasbourg and closely followed the vote.

Both draft resolutions evidently lacked thorough, impartial research, selectively left out crucial facts and in general cause harm to the negotiation process of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. The OSCE Minsk Group had previously issued statements, the latest one being a joined press release, urging PACE not to undermine the negotiation process.

The rejected draft report by Robert Walter was evidently a word-for-word reflection of the official Azerbaijani and Turkish stance on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In her report, Milica Markovic, who never visited the reservoir, used this humanitarian issue as a pretext in order to make highly biased statements on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict in general. A brief comparison of the draft resolution and of the technical report, which should be the basis of the draft resolution, makes it clear that Ms. Marković deliberately exaggerated the consequences of potential danger. On the other hand, she left important facts, stated in the technical report, out of the draft resolution, since this information did not fit in with her biased intentions.

EAFJD President Kaspar Karampetian said: “Today the Council of Europe rejected the highly biased and inflammatory report by Robert Walter. Thus, the results of today’s vote can be generally considered positive. The current Azerbaijani Government and Mr. Walter did not succeed in their efforts of using the Council of Europe as an instrument for anti-Armenian war-rhetoric. It was encouraging to see the level of support and mobilization.”

“Unfortunately, the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe adopted the rather partial report by Milica Marković on the Sarsang reservoir. It is clear that since the beginning Ms. Marković intended to use this humanitarian issue in order to draft a report reflecting the Azerbaijani perspective on the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” stressed Karampetian.

“Now the task of the Armenian diplomacy should be raising awareness on the environmental and human rights problems of the Armenian citizens in bordering areas, facing similar problems, caused by Azerbaijan” concluded the President of EAFJD.

Ural Airlines launches international flights from the Kaluga International Airport. From February 2016, the airline will operate on Thursdays a new weekly direct flight to Yerevan, according to .

Flights to Yerevan will be performed on modern and comfortable liners of Airbus A320 family equipped with economy and business classes.

Ural Airlines is among TOP 5 leading Russian airlines by volume of transportations in January-February 2014-2015 For the first 11 months of 2015 the company’s services have benefited 5.1 million passengers, the geography of flights includes more than 200 destinations.

According to the Federal air transport Agency of Russia (Rosaviatsia) in October 2015 flight regularity of airline amounted to 97,01%. The fleet of Ural Airlines is composed of aircrafts from the European Airbus. The company now operates 35 aircrafts (19 A320s, 10 A321s and A319 6).

International airport “Kaluga” started scheduled passenger services at June, 16, 2015. At August, 18, 2015, the airport received international status, and on September, 4, 2015 for the first time received an international flight. Dassault Falcon 7x arrived from Braunschweig (Germany) to Kaluga. On Board were members of the Board of Directors of the Volkswagen group who arrived with official visit on the opening in the Kaluga region engine factory Currently running regular flights to St. Petersburg and Sochi («Komiaviatrans» airline).

Markar Eseyan, a Turkish MP of Armenian descent, in favor of a biased anti-Armenian report on “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan” debated today at the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe. Eseyan, who was elected to the Turkish Parliament in November 2015, represents the ruling Justice and Development Party.

With a vote of 66 to 70 and 45 abstentions, the Parliamentary Assembly rejected the report on “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan” presented by British MP Robert Walter.

The Armenian delegation to the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE) has expressed gratitude to delegates, who demonstrated a principled stance and rejected a report dangerous for the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict presented by Robert Walter.

The Armenian delegation said in a statement that the two reports debated at PACE today “grossly distort the history and essence of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict and impermissibly interfere with the peaceful settlement process.” “This is supported by an earlier statement released by the OSCE Minsk Group and the speeches of a number of delegates during the plenary sitting of the Parliamentary Assembly,” the statement reads.

“Aware of the responsibility of the moment, members of the Parliamentary Assembly rejected the report on “Escalation of violence in Nagorno-Karabakh and the other occupied territories of Azerbaijan.”

As for the second report on Sarsang water reservoir “a number of MPs voted in favor of it, ignoring the opinion of the international community and demonstrating a unilateral stance, thus attributing a political meaning to a humanitarian-technical report.”

Syria’s Higher Education Minister Mohammad Amer al-Mardini discussed on Sunday with Armenian Ambassador in Damascus Arshak Poladian means to enhance scientific and research cooperation between Syria and Armenia, reports.

Both sides touched on the prospects of renewing the executive program on cultural cooperation between the two countries.

The minister said it is important, given the deep historical ties binding the two countries, that cooperation be activated and mutual visits of scientific delegations to universities in Syria and Armenia be further encouraged.

He also called for increasing the number of scholarships and boosting student exchange program to enhance the scientific capabilities in the fields of applied sciences and Armenian language and literature.

The need to renew the executive program on cultural cooperation was echoed by the Armenian Ambassador, who also stressed the necessity to promote cooperation with Syria, appreciating the cultural and humanitarian role of the Syrian people in supporting the Armenian people throughout history.

Qatar Airways commences four-times weekly non-stop flights between Doha and Yerevan, the capital of Armenia from May 15, reports.

Akbar Al Baker, chief executive, Qatar Airways Group, commented that passengers on the new direct service to and from Yerevan will benefit from easier access to the rest of the world via Qatar Airways global network.

The airline’s expanding global reach, including its newest USA destinations in 2016 of Los Angeles, Boston and Atlanta, and significant growth of its modern fleet has enabled the airline to offer this new service to Armenia.

Akbar Al Baker, chief executive, Qatar Airways Group, “Qatar Airways has seen unprecedented growth in recent years, launching new destinations around the globe, while also establishing our new home and hub, Hamad International Airport. With the new service to Yerevan, the capital of Armenia, Qatar Airways is again enhancing its worldwide footprint and expanding travel opportunities for business and leisure passengers alike.”

Passengers flying from Yerevan and onwards to any of Qatar Airways more than 150 destinations will enjoy a quick and convenient transfer at Hamad International Airport, the newest airport hub in the world.

The airline will fly the A320 aircraft direct to and from Yerevan on the four-weekly schedule, featuring a two-class cabin configuration comprising of 12 seats in Business Class and 132 Economy Class seats.

Services will depart the Qatari capital every Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday at 2025 and arrives in Yerevan at 0040. The return flights will then leave the Armenian capital every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday at 0325 and arrive back in Doha at 0530.

 

The Australian newspaper’s Weekend edition has reported on Azerbaijan’s efforts to gain a “diplomatic edge” over Armenia and the Armenian National Committee of Australia by treating “Federal politicians and their wives … to expenses-paid, business-class trips to Azerbaijan.”

Furthermore, in the article titled ‘War of words over shuttle diplomacy in Azerbaijan’, Azerbaijan’s Ambassador to Australia, Rovshan Jamshidov has admitted that gaining Australia’s firm backing in the Nagorno-Karabakh dispute was “one of the main reasons” for opening a Canberra Embassy in 2013.

The article also quotes recent visitors to Azerbaijan as part of its government’s ‘shuttle diplomacy’, Federal MPs Luke Simpkins and Alan Griffin – the Chair and Vice-Chair of the recently-formed Australia Azerbaijan Parliamentary Friendship Group.

Simpkins came under fire by the Armenian National Committee of Australia (ANC Australia) recently, when he rose in Australia’s Parliament to condemn the self-determined Republic of Nagorno-Karabakh as “illegally seized” territory belonging to the Aliyev dictatorship of Azerbaijan. This statement was delivered as a Constituency Statement, when The Australian confirms there are only four Azeri-born constituents in Simpkins’s electorate of Cowan.

The Australian quotes ANC Australia Executive Administrator, Arin Markarian on this point: “Simpkins … is wined and dined in Baku, and all of a sudden develops an intimate knowledge of Caucasus geopolitics — intimate enough to take a hardline anti-Armenian view … without once visiting Nagorno-Karabakh or Armenia to talk to the other side.”

Markarian added: “You can forgive Armenian-Australians for thinking something smells fishy about Simpkins.”

In MP fiduciary reports obtained by ANC Australia, it is confirmed all entertainment and accommodation expenses on these trips are covered by “the government of Azerbaijan”.

Markarian commended The Australian on shining a light on this “questionable” form of diplomacy exercised by Azerbaijan.

“We have tried to ask these questions to Mr. Simpkins, but he has avoided us. He couldn’t avoid The Australian, but yet, he still wasn’t able to answer the questions raised by its reporters and the Australian public,” said Markarian.

Markarian added: “A Parliamentarian from Western Australia, which hardly has any Azeri population, is invited to Azerbaijan. His fiduciary report of the trip reveals his on-ground expenses, including accommodation and meals, were all paid for by the ‘Parliament of Azerbaijan’, which in itself is a funny concept in a dictatorship ruled by the same family since Soviet time.”

“Then Simpkins returns to Australia and speaks in Parliament about the ‘illegal occupation’ by ‘aggressor Armenians’ of Nagorno-Karabakh.”

“The Armenian National Committee of Australia and the Armenian community of Australia finds it preposterous that the native people of a land, who have exercised their rights to self-determination after years of abuse faced by a foreign dictatorship, are now called ‘illegal occupants’ of their native land… by an Australian politician who is only interested in meeting representatives of the Azerbaijani side of this conflict after a sojourn to Baku.”

Iran is ready to mediate the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia, Iranian Deputy Foreign Minister Hossein Jaberi Ansari said Monday.

“If you look into the past, you see that Iran in the most difficult times tried to resolve the crisis between Azerbaijan and Armenia. Now, if Azerbaijan and Armenia want, Iran will be ready to mediate in the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” the diplomat said at a briefing in Tehran, according to the Azerbaijan Press Agency.

President Serzh Sargsyan had a telephone conversation with the President of the Islamic Republic of Iran Hassan Rouhani on Sunday.

Serzh Sargsyan and Hassan Rouhani discussed issues pertinent to the Armenian-Iranian friendly relations and cooperation, as well as a number of pressing issues of the international and regional agenda. The Presidents exchanged views on the possibilities of further developing the bilateral relations in the light of the implementation of the recent agreements reached on Iran’s nuclear program. They also mentioned the positive effect of all these developments which will strengthen regional security and stability. In this context, the parties concurred that any issue can be resolved through the negotiations as long as there is political will to do so.

The President of Iran underscored his country’s readiness to work actively towards the strengthening the good-neighborly, close partnership, expand and deep cooperation with Armenia. Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Hassan Rouhani stressed the importance of going on with the efficient and incessant cooperation aimed at the implementation of the agreements reached at the high level and realization of new, perspective initiatives which will allow to fully use the existing potential.

During the phone conversation, agreed was also the timetable of the forthcoming visits.