National Iraqi News Agency (NINA) January 6, 2018 Saturday Al-Hakim from the Krikor Church: The Iraqi diversity is an enriching source for Iraq BAGHDAD / National Iraqi News Agency / NINA / Head of the National Alliance Ammar al-Hakim said that the Iraqi diversity is an enriching source for Iraq. The Iraqi diversity is an enriching source for Iraq," Al-Hakim said during the annual Mass of the Armenian calendar for the Armenian Orthodox Church of Krikor Al-Munwar in Baghdad, stressing the importance of preserving this diversity. Al-Hakim blessed the revelers of the glorious birth and the New Year./ End
Author: Adrine Hakobian
Armenia President: We will return our relatives to Armenia
News.am, Armenia
Dec 31 2017
Armenia President: We will return our relatives to Armenia Armenia President: We will return our relatives to Armenia
00:11, 01.01.2018
YEREVAN. – Armenia will do its outmost to return our relatives who left the country, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan said in his traditional New Year message.
“Honorable citizens of the Republic of Armenia, Dear Compatriots, I would like to thank you before we bid farewell to 2017. I am grateful to soldiers and workers, intellectuals and businessmen of Armenia for selfless work, patriotism and patience,” President said addressing the Armenians.
“Let the faith for our people and the future of the country give us strength in the New Year. We are gathered at the table to celebrate. All of us are summing up the passing year, expressing gratitude to God. Let’s greet 2018 with positive emotions of friendship and love. 2017 was a year of consistent work and implementation of serious projects, the rate of large-scale changes has not reduced, and, it made the changes more determined. The achievements are first of all the positive results we have this year.”
“And yet we have to work much to consolidate the foundations of the Armenian statehood and society. Our ambitions are great and we will be consistent in their implementation. We will continue to safeguard the rights and interests of Artsakh. Every citizen of Armenia should feel the work of the Armenian authorities and should give us a sense of confidence. We have a wonderful country and we should be proud of being a citizen of such a country.”
“Dear Compatriots, in 2017 we elected a new National Assembly.
The political competition was hot, but the atmosphere was constructive. We avoided hostility and separation of the opposing camps. It is much more important than the percent of votes.
This is another sound trend that we have to move from the past year to a new one. From now on, mutual respect, tolerance and solidarity are the constant guidelines of Armenia’s political life. At the end of next year, we will finish our work on a new government system. It is a wonderful coincidence that we will celebrate the 100th anniversary of the founding of the Republic of Armenia in 2018.
We can confidently say that this date is approaching with stronger and more developed state and non-governmental organizations. Together we will return our relatives who have left Armenia. They will come because they will see a bigger area for working and expressing themselves in Armenia. The purpose of our work is to open new opportunities, to create a wider field of activity for every citizen of Armenia.”
“Dear compatriots,
In 2017, we gave impetus to the strengthening of our Armed Forces. As a result of the changes, the parents sending their child to the army should be confident that he is serving in the Armed Forces with excellent organization and exceptional discipline. Let’s wish our servicemen good service. Let’s express our gratitude to those safeguarding our peace.
Another year in the millenniums of Armenia and the history of our young independent statehood. Let the Armenian-Artsakh-Diaspora trinity continue to strengthen in 2018, let our borders be secure and our homes hospitable.
Let us lift a glass and wish peace to Armenia, warmth and strength to our families. And, let’s never forget that family is the foundation of our country. May always the atmosphere of love, happiness, care and understanding be at each home. Happy New Year and Merry Christmas!”
Azerbaijani Press: We hope that conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be resolved in 2018 – Iranian spokesman
APA, Azerbaijan
Dec 30 2017
I congratulate the Azerbaijani people and APA readers on the New Year's Eve. We can say that the relations between Iran and neighboring Azerbaijan have developed on the rising tempo over the past year. Important steps have been taken to further strengthen the good relations between the two countries. We have reached agreements and cooperation in many areas, Iranian Foreign Ministry's spokesman Bahram Ghasemi told in a statement on the outcomes of 2017, APA’s Tehran bureau reports.
He said presidents Hassan Rouhani and Ilham Aliyev have held 11 meetings between so far.
“Three of them were held in 2017. Azerbaijan and Iran showed an exemplary and persistent behavior being good neighbors and having deep relationships between their peoples. This friendship between the two countries has played an important role in promoting peace, stability and security in the region, as well as the further strengthening of friendship between the peoples of Azerbaijan and Iran. These relations are undoubtedly important to all the countries in the region and are not directed against any third country,” Ghasemi noted.
Answering on the possibility of a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict through negotiations in 2018, Ghasemi said that we must not lose hope for the restoration of economic development, sustainable peace, stability and security in this unstable region of the Caucasus.
“The Islamic Republic of Iran has expressed concern about this since the first days of tensions between the two neighboring countries of the Caucasus. Therefore, as the most serious and the first mediators between the two neighboring countries, we have made and are making great efforts to ensure the ceasefire. We hope that the conflict between Azerbaijan and Armenia will be resolved in 2018. Iran wishes all the peoples of the region stability and development. It uses and will use all means to ensure stability and reduce tensions,” the spokesman said.
‘This is the last long vacation, enjoy to the fullest’ – PM Karapetyan on upcoming tasks
Category
Society
At the last Cabinet meeting of 2017, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan thanked members of the government for joint work and presented the upcoming tasks for January 2018.
“Enjoy your holidays, relax. Today is the last Cabinet meeting of this year, thank you for the joint work. During the first 15 days of January we will sum up and present to the public what we’ve done, and during the next 15 days together with all agencies and ministries we will set the tasks for 2018. Especially when this is the last long New Year vacation, that’s why I suggest you to enjoy at its best. In 2019, we will be back in office on January 3, I am sure everyone of you is happy for this news”, Karapetyan said.
Judging by the response of the Cabinet, the PM joked, saying : “Seems like you aren’t that happy”.
Ancient manuscripts, cross-stones, jewelry samples: Exhibition on Armenian culture to open in New York’s Metropolitan Museum
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia December 21, 2017 Thursday Ancient manuscripts, cross-stones, jewelry samples: Exhibition on Armenian culture to open in New York's Metropolitan Museum YEREVAN, DECEMBER 21, ARMENPRESS. An exhibition dedicated to the Armenian culture will open in the Metropolitan Museum of Art of New York in 2018, Vahan Ter-Ghevondyan, acting director of Matenadaran - The Mesrop Mashtots Institute of Ancient Manuscripts, told ARMENPRESS. He informed that the opening of the exhibition will be held in September and will last 4 months. “Exhibits from the Matenadaran, Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin and History Museum of Armenia will be displayed. We provide 28 manuscripts. I think it will contribute to promoting our values. This process started two years ago, it passed a very good preparation stage”, he said. Deputy director of the History Museum of Armenia Iveta Mkrtchyan told ARMENPRESS that the Museum is going to present samples of sculpture of 5-6th centuries, such as cross-stones. Applied art objects, jewelry samples dating back to 11-13th centuries will also be displayed at the exhibition. “We held a discussion with the specialists of the Metropolitan Museum, the exhibits were chosen to be displayed at the exhibition. In other words, we jointly selected the exhibits”, she said. The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin is going to present a total of 20 exhibits, including cross-stones, the stone-made model of the church, fabrics and curtains. “A very great event is expected to be held in one of the world’s greatest Museums. It’s a major exhibition presenting the culture of our people, the Christian era. It’s an important event in terms of promoting the Armenian culture”, director of the archives and manuscripts of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin Asoghik Karapetyan told ARMENPRESS, stating that catalog publishing is also expected.
Inese Lībiņa-Egnere to Deputy Speaker of Armenian parliament: Strengthening parliamentary cooperation important for both countries
Baltic Legal Updates, Latvia Friday Inese Lībiņa-Egnere to Deputy Speaker of Armenian parliament: Strengthening parliamentary cooperation important for both countries Riga: The Supreme Court of the Republic of Latvia has issued the following media release: On Friday, 15 December, Inese Lībiņa-Egnere, Deputy Speaker of the Saeima, met at the Saeima with Eduard Sharamazanov, Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of Armenia. Lībiņa-Egnere noted that 2017 is a symbolic year in the Latvian-Armenian cooperation as it marks the 25th anniversary since diplomatic relations were established between the two countries. “This is a good time to look back on what has been achieved so far and energise our parliamentary cooperation. It plays a special role in the context of strengthening political dialogue and sharing experiences,” Deputy Speaker Lībiņa-Egnere told her Armenian counterpart. Andrejs Klementjevs, Secretary of the Saeima, also participated in the meeting of the two Deputy Speakers. Lībiņa-Egnere and Sharamazanov discussed the role parliamentary contacts play in promoting closer cooperation in other areas. The Deputy Speaker of the Armenian parliament thanked the Latvian representatives for their efforts in strengthening parliamentary relations between the two countries and invited them to visit Armenia. The Latvian side praised the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between the European Union and Armenia, signed on 24 November. Deputy Speaker Sharamazanov emphasised that the Agreement attests to Armenia’s loyalty to the values of democracy and human rights, and reflects the institutional reforms carried out so far. Lībiņa-Egnere and Klementjevs spoke with Sharamazanov about current domestic events in both countries, as well as developments in the region. As regards the situation in Nagorno-Karabakh, the Latvian side emphasised their support for a peaceful resolution of the conflict based on international law. The Minsk Group is the only format for seeking a solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, the Latvian side stated. Deputy Speaker Sharamazanov is accompanied on his visit by two MP of the Armenian parliament: Samvel Farmanyan and Suren Manukyan. During their visit to the Saeima, the Armenian delegation also met with Lolita Čigāne, Chair of the European Affairs Committee of the Saeima, and members of the Committee, as well as Sergejs Potapkins, Chair of the Saeima Group for Interparliamentary Relations with Armenia, and the members of the Group.
Sports: Mourinho ready to sell Mkhitaryan and Shaw in January
News.am, Armenia
Dec 16 2017
Manchester United is ready to sell midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan and defender Luke Shaw in January, said Manchester United manager Jose Mourinho on Wednesday, the Telegraph reported.
“I think, for the right price,” said Mourinho, when asked if he would listen to offers in such circumstances. “That’s my approach as a manager, in cases where the club advises me. Every player has a price. If a player is not happy, if a player brings with him the request with the number that we consider a good number for us, like it happened with Memphis and Morgan, I would never say no,” said Mourinho.
Borussia Dortmund and Inter Milan are interested in Mkhitaryan.
According to ESPN, Manchester United Manager had a row with Armenian midfielder after the 13th round of the Premier League on November 25.
Mourinho was unhappy with Mkhitaryan's defensive work rate and a mistake made by the player, singling the Armenian international out for criticism in front of the rest of the first-team squad. Mkhitaryan responded to his manager's remarks, with the player continuing to debate Mourinho's assessment of his performance in the corridor outside the analysis suite at Carrington.
Midfielder Henrikh Mkhitaryan, who subbed in the 71st minute, was given the lowest rating. Man United defeated Brighton 1-0. Henrikh Mkhitaryan is being excluded from Manchester United's match squads as Jose Mourinho wants a balanced bench.
Barrack, castles, mosques: Balyan family left a significant trace in Istanbul’s architecture
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia December 9, 2017 Saturday Barrack, castles, mosques: Balyan family left a significant trace in Istanbul's architecture YEREVAN, DECEMBER 9, ARMENPRESS. The Balyan family has left a significant trace in Istanbul’s architecture. Armenian specialists have studied the archival documents reached from Italy to Armenia and the history of the architectural works of the Balyans has been summed up in the “Treasures of the gardens of the Armenian People: Balyans” book. Chief Scientific-Secretary of the A. Tamanyan National Museum-Institute of Architecture Ashot Grigoryan told a press conference in ARMENPRESS that hundreds of buildings have been built in Istanbul by the Balyan family. “The Balyans were very famous architects in Turkey, but their Armenian ethnicity was rejected for many years. They were presented as Italian architects. We have found the Balyans’ archive in Italy and transferred it to Armenia with a great difficulty. Initially, it seemed we could study it very quickly and publicize it, but when we started the work, we understood that it’s quite a hard work. The archival documents were written in French, Turkish, Western Armenian most of which were difficult to read. These documents have not been circulated in any way for more than 100 years”, Ashot Grigoryan said. The DolmabahçePalace of Istanbul, as well as a barrack, castles, mosques, reservoirs have been built by the Balyans. Ashot Grigoryan said the Balyans cooperated with the Armenian specialists and they mainly worked with Armenians during the construction of buildings. Some of these buildings have been burnt for different reasons, some have been changed, but most of them have been maintained. At the moment the book is being translated into Turkish to be spread within the Turkish universities and academic circles. “A little was talked about the Balyans in Armenia. Thanks to the translations the whole world should be aware that many buildings in Istanbul have been built by Armenians. The book solves a problem of recognition and preservation of the Armenian culture”, Ashot Grigoryan said.
About 15,000 young people and labor migrants across Armenia to undergo HIV self-testing
ARKA, Armenia
Nov 27 2017
YEREVAN, November 27. /ARKA/. About 15,000 young people and labor migrants across Armenia will undergo self-testing for HIV infection within the framework of a UN- supported program, implemented by the Armenian Youth Foundation with the financial and technical support of the Joint United Nations Program on HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS).
As part of the program about 30,000 young people and migrants across Armenia will have courses on the prevention of HIV infection and the possibility of self-testing for HIV. Presenting the program today health minister Levon Altunyan told the reporters that the program is of great importance.
"The program was approved by the UN Office. Thanks to the financial support of the organization, an express method will be used in Armenia, making the citizen a party to the process," added Altunyan.
He stressed that about 40% of patients in Armenia do not suspect they are HIV carriers and therefore do not receive proper treatment.
"Our task is to raise people's awareness. The ministry always supports such initiatives," he added.
Karen Avagyan, the coordinator of the Board of Trustees of the Youth Foundation of Armenia, noted that in order to get free tests, citizens should apply to regional centers of the Youth Foundation. He said the modern method of undergoing self-testing for HIV in a convenient place and convenient time of day takes a few seconds.
According to the latest data from the National AIDS Center, from 1988 to December 1, 2016, some 2,482 cases of HIV infection were registered in the country. Of them 1,309 patients were diagnosed with AIDS. Also 558 cases of death were registered.
The majority of those infected with HIV in Armenia are males (about 69%). The main sources of transmission in Armenia are heterosexual intercourse (66%) and drug injecting (25%). -0–
Chess: Armenia’s Levon Aronian tied for first place in FIDE Grand Prix R2
Pan Armenian, Armenia
Nov 18 2017
– 10:59 AMT
Armenia's Levon Aronian tied for first place in FIDE Grand Prix R2
Levon Aronian of Armenia defeated Russia's Ernesto Inarkiev in round two of FIDE Grand Prix in Palma de Mallorca.
The Armenian grandmaster is now tied for the first place with Teimour Radjabov (Azerbaijan), Anish Giri (the Netherlands) and Maxime Vachier-Lagrave (France).
The FIDE Grand Prix 2017 is a series of four chess tournaments that form part of the qualification cycle for the World Chess Championship 2018. The top two finishers will qualify for the 2018 Candidates Tournament.
Aronian who won the World Chess Cup in September, as well as Ding Liren, who reached the finals, have already qualified for the Candidates Tournament.