Category: News

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.

Photo: Getty Images

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani has arrived in Rome on the first European visit by an Iranian president in almost two decades, following implementation of a landmark deal on curbing Iran’s nuclear activities, the Associated Press reports.

Rouhani, eager for foreign investment after the lifting of international sanctions, started the four-day trip to France and Italy on Monday. The trip was originally planned for November but postponed by the attacks in Paris.

He met first with Italian President Sergio Matterella, and is scheduled to meet later with the Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi and Pope Francis at the Vatican. In France, he is to be welcomed by French President Francois Hollande.

In Rome, Mr Rouhani is expected to sign agreements with Italian firms worth some $18bn, according to the BBC.

On his second stop in France, he will sign a major plane deal with Airbus.

The Iranian president is leading a 120-member delegation that includes government ministers and businessmen for the five days of meetings in Rome and Paris.

“This is a very important visit,” a senior Iranian official was quoted as saying by Reuters news agency.

“It’s time to turn the page and open the door to co-operation between our countries in different areas,” the official added.

Pedro Agramunt, a Spanish lawmaker and the chairman of the European People’s Party at the Council of Europe (EPP-CD) Group, will replace Luxembourgian lawmaker Anne Brasseur as the president of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe.

The President of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe is elected for one year by majority of votes and can be reelected once.

Last year he was the rapporteur on the functioning of democratic institutions in Azerbaijan. Azerbaijan’s human rights organizations accuse him of bias.

He is also listed among those involved in “caviar diplomacy.”

Reported from Strasbourg by Aghavni Harutyunyan

Valery Permyakov, a soldier at a Russian base in the Armenian town of Gyumri, pleaded guilty to killing seven members of a family, RIA Novosti reported on Friday.

The family, including a six-month-old baby, was killed as a result of an armed assault on January 12, 2015.

Permyakov was arrested and later charged with the murder of two or more persons under the Armenian Criminal Code.

On August 12, Permyakov was found guilty of desertion, theft of weapons and sentenced to 10 years in prison.

The murder case was singled out for considering it in a separate procedure and passed to the Armenian authorities.

On October 13, Permyakov was found sane. According to experts, he was not in the heat of passion while committing the crime. He also could recognize the consequences of his actions.

On October 16, Permyakov was additionally charged with armed assault, home-invasion robbery and attempted border crossing.

The Delegation of the European Union issues the following statement in agreement with the EU Members States Heads of Mission in Armenia.

The EU is committed to supporting reforms in Armenia, in particular in the area of democracy, human rights and fundamental freedoms and rule of law. Good governance and human rights protection are essential for the future of Armenia and increased public trust in the political and judiciary system.

The institution of Ombudsman is crucial for promoting and monitoring the effective implementation of international human rights standards at the national level and in advancing all aspects of the rule of law, including with respect to the judiciary, law enforcement agencies and the correctional system.

The high importance attached by the EU to the institution of the Ombudsman is confirmed also by the recently signed human rights budget support programme (2016–2018) for Armenia with value €12 million.  This is designed to support Armenia in tackling key issues related to anti-discrimination, child rights, prevention of torture, fight against domestic violence and enhancing electoral legislation. The programme was designed to contribute also to the strengthening of the Ombudsman´s office capacity in monitoring human rights education and providing recommendations, addressing concerns of minorities, persons with disabilities and other vulnerable groups as well as cooperation with state institutions. The programme aims at enhancing coordination and cooperation among relevant stakeholders and its implementation will be monitored by a steering committee co-chaired by the Ministry of Justice, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ombudsman, Head of EU Delegation, and with the inclusion of civil society representatives to ensure a structured dialogue.

We learned with regret that Ombudsman Karen Andreasyan has resigned and we commend him for his excellent work. It is of the utmost importance to ensure a proper selection of and to safeguard the full and unconditional independence of his successor. Therefore, the EU trusts that the next Armenian Ombudsman will be appointed by the National Assembly in a consensual manner and will be able to preserve the independence of this important institution. A more efficient follow-up by state bodies of the Ombudsman´s recommendations will certainly contribute to better human rights protection in Armenia.

Photo: Getty Images

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is in a much better place at Borussia Dortmund than he was a year ago. He reflects on his season and his relationship with Thomas Tuchel with .

DW: You were, at that time, the most expensive new player for Dortmund, and still are, but things on the pitch just didn’t go as you wanted, did they?

Henrikh Mkhitaryan: As well as being me, it was also the team’s game which wasn’t working very well. Everyone was trying but in the end we couldn’t win or score enough goals to win. After the first half of the season, we were in the bottom places, which was horrible for us. Then in the second half of the season we started to play better, we had a little bit of luck and in the end we qualified for the Europe League. This year I can say that the first half of the season is good enough because we’re still in the German Cup, we’re the second in Bundesliga and in the Europe League we have to fight with Porto. We’re going to try and do everything for this to continue at the highest level, to also be ready for next season.

And this is because the performance of the whole team is better. But this is also because you play much better…

Yeah, of course I am really excited that I can score a lot, I can assist a lot and play good, but I’m also very excited because of the team game. This year we’re playing amazing football, everybody has started to like our football style. And I think they will continue to like this. So in the near future it will be really very good for us.

In the first couple of games you scored and assisted more goals than in the whole last season. So there is also a dramatic change – a positive change – in your play. How did you yourself experience this development?

At first, if we compare: Last year, I didn’t do too much. It was five or six goals in the whole season and seven assists. This season, the first few games were really very important for me because I got confidence in scoring and assisting. So now we have to continue like that. I have to continue like that because I’m optimistic and I’m going to do everything to do the best that I can.

At the end of last season you had even thought about leaving the club. But then Thomas Tuchel came and there was also this so-called “famous phone-call” from him. Is it right that he called you even before the training session started and asked you to stay?

I met him for the first time in March and he convinced me to stay. I wanted to stay also, because I had some things to prove to the people, to show that I deserve to be here. That’s why I am trying to stay this year also, to show all my qualities in helping the team to win a lot of games.

And Mr. Tuchel obviously knew that you could do better. We also talked to him and whenever he mentioned your name, he became very enthusiastic, saying the nicest things about you. There must also be something special between the two of you, right?

Yeah, of course we have a good connection and I’m very happy that I have the chance to work with him. Because really, from the first talk we had he told me that “Miki, I can bring you to a level of high-class.” And yeah, at one point I doubted it because I was not really confident that after a bad season he could make me a high-class player. But he did it and I’m thankful to him.

So what does he do?

He just gives you the confidence you need and he lets you to do what you can do. And that’s the whole reason that all the team’s players are all shining this year.

Because he gets to you, he talks to you…

Not only to me! He talks to all the players and he gets into the right conversation with them. He gives a lot of advice. He can tell you where you’re right, where you’re wrong and then you start to think about it all and at the end you realize that he was really right.

Will he be able to convince you to stay longer?

I hope so. If he did the first step, why not the second?

Because there are more rumors that you could leave the club…

Nah… They’re rumors, just rumors. That’s right.

So let’s end with a look ahead. If you look at the second half of the season, where do you see Dortmund? What do you expect?

I want to see us in the highest places because, really, with this kind of football we deserve to be at a minimum, in second place. So we’re going to fight to qualify for the Champions League for next year, then to go again to Berlin for the German Cup Final and in the Europe League, to go as far as possible.

– You can’t become a knowledge economy by going after your brightest minds.

So says Joseph Stiglitz, a Nobel Prize winner in economics, speaking after Turkey’s highest education authority last week announced an investigation into more than 1,100 academics. They had signed a petition calling on the government to redouble efforts for peace in the southeast, where for months the military has been fighting an insurgency in largely Kurdish cities.

The petition was signed by international academics, including Noam Chomsky of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Judith Butler of the University of California, Berkeley, and faculty members at Turkey’s top universities. By the end of the week, professors in Turkey were subject to police raids, several had lost their jobs and at least a dozen were detained, according to press reports.

That pressure will have a “chilling effect,” according to Stiglitz, who said he intended to raise the issue when meeting Turkish officials at the World Economic forum in Davos, Switzerland.