Author: Alex Nanijanian

On March 15 Armenian’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Germany Ashot Smbatyan had a meeting with Norbert Lammert, President of Bundestag.

The interlocutors discussed issues related to Armenian-German political dialogue, reinforcement of inter-parliamentary ties, cooperation in the economic, cultural and scientific-educational spheres.

Referring to the cooperation between the Armenian National Assembly and the German Bundestag, the parties pledged commitment to work towards further deepening of parliamentary ties between the two countries.

Photo: Serhat

A car bomb has exploded in the Turkish capital Ankara, killing 27 people and wounding another 75, the city governor’s office has said, the BBC reports.

The explosion happened in Guvenpark in the Kizilay district, a key transport hub and commercial area.

Several vehicles at the scene were reduced to burned-out wrecks, including at least one bus.

Last month, a bomb attack on a military convoy in Ankara killed 28 people and wounded dozens more.

The Hurriyet newspaper said the latest blast happened at about 18:40 (16:40 GMT) and the area was evacuated in case of a second attack. Many ambulances were at the scene, it added.

No group has yet claimed the attack. However, a security official told Reuters news agency that initial findings suggested it was the work of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) or an affiliated group.

In continuation of the landmark case for the return of the historical Seat of the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia at the Monastery of St. Sophia in Kozan, Turkey, His Holiness Catholicos Aram I held a meeting with his legal team in Geneva on Saturday, March 5^th, to discuss progress of the case filed before the Constitutional Court of Turkey on April 27^th, 2015.

The claim of the Catholicosate is that it retains ownership rights over its historic Seat and that under international law, the 1923 Lausanne Treaty, the Government of Turkey is under an obligation to return this property so that it may be restored and used for religious worship.

In order to expedite the case, the lawyer of the Catholicosate in Turkey recently submitted a petition requesting a prompt hearing. If the Government of Turkey does not voluntarily return the Monastery, or if the Constitutional Court does not order its return, the Catholicos has previously indicated that the case will be taken to the European Court of Human Rights in Strasbourg, France, which has the jurisdiction to issue a legally binding decision against Turkey.

Photo: Getty Images

European Council President Donald Tusk is due to hold talks with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan to try to strengthen their joint approach to Europe’s migration crisis, the BBC reports.

Mr Tusk has raised the idea of “shipping back” migrants who arrive in the Greek islands from Turkey.

He said on Thursday that it could break the business model of people smugglers.

Mr Tusk has been engaged in intense diplomatic activity ahead of an EU-Turkey summit to be held on Monday.

French President Francois Hollande is also hosting the German Chancellor Angela Merkel in Paris on Friday to discuss the migration crisis.

Thousands of refugees and migrants are continuing to arrive on the Greek islands every day after setting off from the Turkish coast.

They aim to reach Germany and other countries in northern Europe but are finding their way blocked by increasing border controls.

More than 25,000 are now stranded in northern Greece on the border with Macedonia, raising fears of a humanitarian crisis.

Photo: Getty Images/Heritage Auctions

A lock of hair snipped from the head of John Lennon 50 years ago has fetched $35,000 at auction in the US, the BBC reports.

The four-inch (10cm) lock was kept by a German barber who gave him a trim as he was about to film How I Won The War in 1966.

The unnamed buyer was a British-based collector of memorabilia, auctioneers said.

“This is the largest lock of Lennon’s hair ever sold at auction,” Heritage Auction in Dallas, Texas, said.

Spokesman Garry Schrum said the bidder got a “good chunk of Lennon’s hair”, adding: “It was a good size with quite a lot of strands.”

Lennon’s locks were chopped by Klaus Baruck in Hamburg, Germany, just before the rocker’s starring role as Gripweed in Richard Lester’s dark comedy about a British army platoon and their misadventures in World War II.

The haircut took place just a month after the release of the band’s legendary 1966 Revolver album.

The European Union has lifted most sanctions against Belarussian President Alexander Lukashenko and his administration officials, the EU Council said in a statement Monday, praising Belarus’s role at a time when Russia has been pushing to reestablish control over former Soviet republics, The Moscoe Times reports.

Relations between Belarus’s authoritarian president and the West have improved markedly since the start of Russia’s meddling in Ukraine a couple of years ago. Lukashenko criticized Moscow’s annexation of Crimea and the Russian-backed separatist insurgency in Ukraine’s east, and hosted peace talks in his capital Minsk between representatives of the Kiev government, rebel leaders, Russia, Germany and France.

The EU Council “acknowledges the steps taken by Belarus over the last two years that have contributed to improving EU-Belarus relations,” and “values Belarus’ constructive role in the region,” it said in a statement.

The EU suspended sanctions against Lukashenko and 169 other Belarussian individuals last year, and lifted them altogether on Monday. The sanctions, which included asset freezes and visa bans, had been in place for over a decade.

The release of all political prisoners by late August last year, and improvements during the October presidential balloting after a series of flawed elections in the past contributed to the EU decision, the statement said.

“The principles of the Helsinki Final Act are of equal importance and all OSCE member states, including Armenia and Azerbaijan have agreed that the settlement of the Karabakh conflict should be based on the principles of non-use of fore, the right of peoples to self-determination and territorial integrity,” Armenia’s Permanent Representative to the OSCE Arman Kirakosyan said, as he addressed the OSCE Permanent Council.

He said “Azerbaijan’s anti-Armenian policy has not changed in the course of the past 25 years. “Azerbaijan refuses to recognize the right of the people of Nagorno Karabakh to self-determination, which has been recognized by the Minsk Group co-chairing countries as one of the basic principles of settlement. The determination of the final status of Nagorno Karabakh through legally binding expression of will lays in the basis of the resolution,” Arman Kirakosyan said.

The Armenian Ambassador said “the people of Nagorno Karabakh have gained de facto independence, thus realizing its inalienable right to self-determination in compliance with the USSR legislature and the norms of international law.

“Azerbaijani claims to sovereignty over the people of Nagorno Karabakh are baseless,” Kirakosyan said. He reiterated Armenia’s support for the OSCE Minsk Group format. He expressed concern over Azerbaijan’s questioning of the long-term experience of the co-chairing countries and their efforts towards a peaceful settlement.

The Armenian Ambassador further noted that “Azerbaijan’s requirements connected with the expansion of the Minsk Group format are destructive and negatively affect the peaceful settlement process. Hailing the mediating efforts of the three co-chairing countries, Arman Kirakosyan noted that “as a Minsk Group member state, Turkey has adopted a contradicting approach, trying to manipulate the Karabakh issue for the benefit of its geopolitical interests.”

Arman Kirakosyan said “Azerbaijan has turned down the proposals to withdraw snipers from the frontline and create a mechanism for investigation of border incidents. He reconfirmed the principled approach of the Armenian side that “the reinforcement of the ceasefire regime will create preconditions for a peaceful negotiated settlement, while through escalation of the situation Azerbaijan carries responsibility for the maintenance of the status quo.”

The Armenian side dubbed Azerbaijan’s efforts to take the Karabakh issue to platforms not involved in the settlement of the issue as “non-constructive” and said it does no good to the negotiation process.

To conclude with, Ambassador Kirakosyan reiterated Armenia’s resoluteness to continue to work with the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs to further the peace proves.

The Hayastan All-Armenian Fund is implementing a multi-year renovation project at Yerevan’s Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School, with the sponsorship of the fund’s Eastern US affiliate. Founded in 1939, the school provides a curriculum that combines music and general education. Currently it has more than 600 students.

The extensive renovations are expected to be completed by the beginning of the 2016 academic year. To date, the campus, which was built in 1973, had undergone seismic retrofitting, a complete structural redesign, and a slew of upgrades. The improvements include a new roof, new doors and windows, and new heating, air-conditioning, electrical, water, plumbing, and security systems. Other significant enhancements include the addition of an elevator and evacuation staircases.

The main building of the campus has been thoroughly modernized and now features a sizeable foyer. The renovations have also included the reconstruction of the gym and the transformation of the concert hall into a state-of-the-art auditorium, complete with a new stage and amenities for performers and audiences alike. Thanks to the refurbishments, the school’s symphony orchestra, string quartet, brass band, choir, and jazz band now have comfortable and fully appointed rehearsal rooms.

The final phase of renovations will include the construction of wheelchair ramps at the entrance of the school, a completely upgraded lighting system throughout the grounds, and the installation of pavilions and benches in the inner courtyard. Artistic touches, including a relief sculpture on the facade of the main building, created by architect Jim Torossian, as well as the interior relief sculpture and stained-glass windows, will continue to lend the school an esthetic character all its own.

In 2014, the Tchaikovsky Secondary Music School celebrated the 75^th anniversary of its founding. Legendary composer Aram Khachaturyan has called the storied school a “foundry of musicians.” Its alumni have included Eduard Tadevosyan, Ruben Altunyan, Vahram Sarajev, Jean Ter-Mergeryan, Levon Chaushyan, Sergey Smbatyan, Tigran Hamasyan, Aram Talalyan, Vahagn Hayrapetyan, Armen Babakhanyan, Stepan Lusikyan, and other musical giants who are the pride of the Armenian people.

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).

Photos by Tom Smart, Deseret News

ABC 4 Sports – Six years ago, after helping RSL win the MLS Cup, Yura Movsisyan could not pass up the opportunity and big money to play overseas. But after playing in Europe and Russia, Movsisyan was itching to come back to MLS, and Real Salt Lake was the only team he wanted to play for.

“When I decided to come back to MLS a couple years ago, I told them that I only wanted Salt Lake,” Movsisyan said. “Salt Lake is home for me. I had success in Salt Lake.”