Category: News

Gunfire and explosions were heard Wednesday morning local time from within Bacha Khan University in Charsadda, northwestern Pakistan.

There are still dead inside and the operation is ongoing, Bilal Faizi, a local emergency service spokesman told CNN. Fog and low visibility have been hampering military and police efforts to regain control.

Lt. Gen. Asim Bajwa, an army spokesperson, said on Twitter that four attackers had been killed and that government troops had resumed control of all buildings and rooftops. An updated tweet said that the gunfire had ceased and troops were clearing the site block by block.

Photo: Reuters

 

A loud explosion was heard on Wednesday in an area close to the Russian embassy in the west of the Afghan capital of Kabul, local media reported.

​The explosion was likely caused by car bomb; a number of casualties are feared, TOLOnews reported, citing eyewitnesses.

​Firefighters are currently battling fire in a building in front of the Russian embassy, Sputnik News reports.

Friends of Armenia will travel to Washington, DC from across America on March 15th for a two-day Capitol Hill advocacy campaign promoting peace, prosperity, and justice for the Armenian nation, organized by the Armenian National Committee of America (ANCA).

“We look forward to building upon the success of December’s fly-in with a renewed grassroots drive this spring challenging Azerbaijan’s aggression, removing barriers to the growth of U.S.-Armenia economic relations, and overriding Turkey’s veto against a principled American stand for a just resolution of the Armenian Genocide,” said Elen Asatryan, ANCA Western Region Executive Director and Armen Sahakyan of the ANCA Eastern Region.  “We encourage constituents from across America to join us, once again, in making our case to Congress.”

Friends and supporters of Armenia and Artsakh are invited to register on the ANCA website at  and work with ANCA Regional and Washington, D.C. staff to coordinate meetings with Senate and House offices to share core ANCA public policy priorities. Registration is free; participants are responsible for their travel and lodging.  The ANCA will host a reception in the Aramian Conference Room of its Washington, DC office on the evening of Tuesday, March 15th.

Among the key requests that advocates will deliver to legislators during the fly-in are the following:

Congressional leaders will be urged to help save lives, avert war and create the conditions for a fair and enduring peace by demanding the immediate implementation of the Royce-Engel proposals for Nagorno Karabakh: 1) The withdrawal of snipers and heavy arms, 2) the addition of OSCE observers, and 3) the deployment of gunfire locator systems.  The U.S. government, the OSCE and both Armenia and Artsakh have endorsed these proposals. Only Azerbaijan ‘s objections are preventing their implementation.

Member of Congress will be encouraged to help remove a major barrier to U.S.-Armenia business ties – the double taxation of U.S./Armenia profits – through the negotiation of a long overdue bilateral Tax Treaty.  This accord, building upon last year’s landmark U.S.-Armenia Trade and Investment Framework Agreement, would help create jobs, foster hope, and generate economic opportunity in both countries.  Legislators will also be asked to support continued U.S. assistance to Nagorno Karbakh, for de-mining of civilian areas and the urgently needed expansion of a regional rehabilitation center providing health care services to disabled children and adults from throughout the Caucasus area and beyond.

U.S. Senators and Representatives will be asked to support the adoption of S.Res.140 and H.Res.154, the Armenian Genocide Truth + Justice Resolution. H.Res.154, a reparations-oriented measure, goes beyond recognition, actively seeking to engage the full force of  United States  diplomacy in ending Turkey ‘s denial of both truth and justice for this still-unpunished crime against humanity.

 

 

 

 

New perspectives will open up for Armenia after the lifting of Iran sanctions, expert of Iranian studies Vardan Voskanyan told reporters today.

According to him, with Iran-Azerbaijan and Iran-Turkey relations strained for now, Armenia remains the most efficient, the most reliable and the most important route for Iran to the north.

“In this context Armenia can assume a very important role, as it has allied relations with Russia and good relations with Iran and Georgia,” he said.

According to the expert, the fears that Russia will necessarily block Iran’s energy projects through Armenia have no basis. “Russia understands that it must participate in the programs, as it’s clear that Iran will get to the international market anyway,” he said.

“We have the best opportunity to link Iran to the Black Sea through the North-South Highway, and we have to accelerate the process of construction, since every day spared works against Armenia’s interest in this new conjuncture,” Vardan Voskanyan said.

The expert believes the construction of the Iran-Armenia railway is also realistic. “Funding can be the only obstacle,” he said, reminding that China is another party interested in the project.

Vardan Voskanyan said “the unfreezing of Iranian assets will results in the further growth of investments in Armenia, especially considering that Armenia enjoys privileged regimes with both the Eurasian Economic Union and the EU.”

Photo: Reuters/Express News

 

At least seven people have been killed in a bomb blast close to a police checkpoint in north-western Pakistan, police and local officials say, the BBC reports.

About 20 people were also wounded in the blast, which took place in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) on the outskirts of Peshawar.

There has been fierce fighting in the region between security forces and the Pakistani Taliban.

No-one has yet said they carried out the attack.

TV footage of the latest attack showed vehicles parked near the blast site on fire after the explosion.

The bomb went off near Peshawar’s Karkhano Market, The Express Tribune reported.

It quoted eyewitnesses as saying the bomb was planted on a motorbike – but there are conflicting reports as to whether it was a suicide blast or a remotely controlled explosion.

“Who Killed the Armenians?”- the first Arabic film devoted to the Armenian Genocide, will be presented in the feature/documentary film category at the Socially Relevant Film Festival to be held in New York, member of the Armenian National Committee of Egypt Armen Mazlumyan told .

The film was produced by director Muhammad Hanafi and journalist and host Myriam Zaki. The film presents the Armenian Genocide perpetrated by the Turks 100 years ago, also as several archival photos and materials, most of which are released for the first time and affirm the Armenian Genocide of 1915.

The survivors’ eyewitness accounts affirm that the Genocide was previously planned. The shootings took place in Armenia, Egypt and Lebanon.

The first screening of the film took place on November 8 in Cairo.

Eagles guitarist Glenn Frey has died at the age of 67, the band has announced, the BBC reports.

He died in New York City on Monday from complications arising from rheumatoid arthritis, colitis and pneumonia.

“Words can neither describe our sorrow, nor our love and respect for all that he has given to us,” his family and fellow band members said.

The Eagles were one of the most successful bands of the 1970s, with multiple hit singles, including Hotel California in 1976.

Frey co-founded the Eagles in 1971 with Don Henley, Bernie Leadon and Randy Meisner.

He co-wrote Hotel California with Henley, and composed a number of the band’s biggest songs on his own, including Heartache Tonight and Lyin’ Eyes.

The Eagles notched up more than 150 million album sales worldwide, with Hotel California and their greatest hits among the best selling in history.

Amid calls for a boycott of the Academy Awards over its all-white acting nominees and Spike Lee and Jada Pinkett Smith both announcing they would sit out this year’s ceremony, the academy’s president said it was time for major changes and soon, the Associated Press reports.

Academy of Motion Pictures Arts and Sciences President Cheryl Boone Isaacs issued a statement promising more diversity, and quickly, after both Lee and Pinkett spoke out on Monday.

In a lengthy Instagram post, Lee said he “cannot support” the “lily white” Oscars. Noting that he was writing on Martin Luther King Jr. Day, Lee who in November was given an honorary Oscar at the Governors Awards said he was fed up: “Forty white actors in two years and no flava at all,” he wrote. “We can’t act?!”

In a video message on Facebook, Pinkett Smith also said she wouldn’t attend or watch the Oscars in February. Pinkett Smith, whose husband Will Smith wasn’t nominated for his performance in the NFL head trauma drama “Concussion,” said it was time for people of color to disregard the Academy Awards.

“Begging for acknowledgement, or even asking, diminishes dignity and diminishes power,” she said. “And we are a dignified people and we are powerful.”

She added: “Let’s let the academy do them, with all grace and love. And let’s do us differently.” The video had amassed 4.5 million by mid-Monday afternoon.

Last year’s all-white acting nominees also drew calls for a boycott, though not from such prominent individuals as Lee and Pinkett Smith. Whether it had any impact or not, the audience for the broadcast, hosted by Neil Patrick Harris, was down 16 percent from the year prior, a six-year low.

Press Statement by Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian following the 16th meeting of Armenia-EU Cooperation Council

2016-01-18

Dear Colleagues,
Ladies and Gentlemen,

In the framework of the 16th session of Armenia-EU Cooperation Council, together with our EU colleagues, we have had extensive discussions on the further development of Armenia – European Union relations, which included such issues as: Political dialogue, negotiations on a new framework agreement between Armenia and the EU, that would adequately reflect the depth and essence of our partnership, mobility, human rights, pace of reforms and others.

2015 was a special year for the Armenia-EU cooperation. We witnessed high level visits, an intense and constructive dialogue with an impressive number of bilateral meetings, simultaneous negotiations on Armenia- EU agreements in various areas.

The Eastern Partnership summit in Riga in May 2015 was a success with Joint Declaration reaffirming our shared vision of the Partnership based on mutual interests and commitments, supporting sustained reform processes in partner countries and highlighting the main directions for the further developing and strengthening of comprehensive cooperation in all areas of mutual interest.

Armenia welcomed the European Neighborhood Policy review process. We highly appreciated the EU initiative to engage the partner countries in this process. We are pleased to note that on 14th December 2015 the EU Council endorsed the principle of differentiation to be applied to the partners, taking into account the progress made in implementation of their commitments and reforms.

We expressed our appreciation to the EU for its continued support and assistance provided to our country over the years which have been instrumental for the effective implementation and sustainability of the reform process and institutional capacity building in Armenia.

Last month’s launch of the negotiations on a new legal framework of Armenia – EU relations was a new threshold in our relations. We hope that the new agreement will reflect the depth and essence of our bilateral relations and set new guidelines for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Based on shared values, Armenia is interested in working with the EU on to the continuous promotion of human rights and rule of law, consolidation of democratic institutions and improvement of judiciary, good governance, fight against corruption, strengthening the civil society. We are thankful to the EU for its valuable support in this regard.

Constitutional reform in Armenia that the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe characterized as of “extremely high quality” and “ in line with international standards”, was approved by the nation-wide referendum last December. It is another important step also aimed at advancing many of the mentioned goals.

Dear Colleagues,

During recent months alongside the deliberations on the legal basis of our relations, the Armenian side has been actively engaged in negotiations with the relevant bodies of the European Commission regarding our participation in a number of EU programs. We are glad to state today that negotiations on Armenia’s participation in the EU Framework Program for Research and Innovation Horizon 2020 are successfully concluded and we expect the Agreement to be signed shortly.

We look forward to develop our cooperation in the transport area as well, in this respect we underlined the importance of timely starting of negotiations on the Common aviation area.

We attach great importance to people to people contacts, and view enhanced mobility of our citizens as an important prerequisite for bringing our societies closer. It is almost two years now that the EU-Armenia Visa Facilitation and Readmission agreements are being implemented. We believe that time has come to move forward towards the Dialogue on Visa liberalization as it is enshrined in Joint Declaration of Eastern Partnership Riga Summit.

I have presented our European colleagues on the worldwide events on Armenian Genocide centennial, which we marked last year. Several thousands commemoration events held on all continents, supported by the four fundamental pillars. Those are remembrance, gratitude, prevention, and revival. These four notions are also deeply symbolic for the commemoration of all other crimes of genocide committed throughout the human history. I have used this opportunity to express our gratitude to the European Parliament, EU countries for their principled position on this issue and expressions of support and sympathy to Armenia.

I also talked about Armenia’s active engagement in efforts of international community on prevention of genocides and crimes against humanity. We thank the EU countries for their support to Armenian initiatives within the UN formats.

I briefed the Council on latest developments related to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict and in particular on the results of the meeting between the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan in Bern. The agenda of that summit was dictated by the escalation of situation as a result of Azerbaijan’s provocations, gross violations of cease-fire regime. Unfortunately, the relative calmness in the conflict area has ended with resumption of gross violations of cease-fire regime by Azerbaijan.

We also touched upon regional security issues and other topics of international political agenda.

Thank you.

Sarkis Eken, an 86-year-old known as one of the oldest Armenians born and residing in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir, passed away at Dicle University’s hospital, where he was receiving treatment, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

Ekenwas born in 1930 in the Başbuk village of Diyarbakir’s Silvan district and was living in the Meryem Ana Assyrian Church in its central Sur district for 55 years.

He lived out his final years alone after losing his wife of 65 years, Baydzar Eken, in 2014, only two months after their official civil marriage.

His funeral was initially planned in Surp Giragos Armenian Church in Sur’s Fatihpaşa neighborhood, but the venue was changed due to the curfew in Fatihpaşa.

The one-hour ceremony, which was orchestrated by priest Yusuf Akbulut of Meryem Ana Assyrian Church, was attended by Diyarbakir Church spiritual leader Ahmet Güvener, Sur deputy mayor Azize Değer Kutlu from the Democratic Regions Party (DBP), local authorities,  artists and Eken’s relatives and friends.

Priest Akbulut said the ceremony would have been attended by many more from both Turkey and abroad if there were not any ongoing clashes in Sur district. He added that Eken was a beloved man who always aimed at being a good person.

Eken was laid to rest in the Christian church in Diyarbakır’s Urfakapı district.