Author: Ani Basmajian

On September 16, in Bishkek, Edward Nalbandian, Acting Foreign Minister of Armenia, participated and delivered remarks at the session of the Council of the CIS Foreign Minister which was held within the framework of the Organization’s 25th anniversary.

The agenda of the session included issues related to the increase of efficiency of the Organization’s activity and adaptation of the institution to the new realities.

The Foreign Minister of the CIS member-countries touched upon the issues of enhancement of cooperation in the fields of culture, education, law enforcement, emergency situations, cybersecurity.

The participants of the session discussed and approved the drafts of more than a dozen of documents, including the texts of statements to be issued by the Heads of the CIS member-countries on the 25th anniversary of the Organization and on a number of other issues.

A decision was made to held the next session of the CIS Ministerial Council in April of 2017 in Tashkent.

The Football Federation of Armenia has announced its support for Alexander Čeferin in teh upcoming elections of UEFA President.

“Appreciating the importance of Alexander Čeferin’s program for the development of football, Football Federation of Armenia announces its support for Alexander Čeferin’s candidacy in the upcoming UEFA presidential elections and in implementation of his action plan provisions in case of his election as the UEFA president,” the Federation said in a statement.

On the 7th day after seizure of the premises of the Police Patrol Service Regiment in Yerevan’s Erebuni district members of the group gave an on-line press conference.

The main demands of the armed group remain the same, Pavlik Manukyan and Varuzhan Avetisyan said at the press conference. They demand change of power.

They chose the regiment in Erebuni, considering its high importance.

They stressed that any political party should not interfere, as the struggle is public. They urged people to come out to the streets.

An army group in Turkey says it has taken over the country, with soldiers at strategic points in Istanbul and jets flying low in the capital, Ankara.

A statement read on TV said a “peace council” now ran the country and there was a curfew and martial law. There would also be new constitution.

It is unclear who the army group is. There are reports some senior army officials have been detained.

CNN Turk says President Recep Tayyip Erdogan is “safe”.

It did not elaborate.

PM Binali Yildirim had earlier denounced an “illegal action” by a military “group”, stressing it was not a coup. He said that the government remained in charge.

– Panos Aghzarian (b. 1994), an ethnic Armenian member of the Syrian Armed Forces, was killed in military clashes in Aleppo on July 10, according to a report by Aleppo-based Kantsasar news.

Fighting between the Syrian Army and rebel forces in Aleppo has intensified in recent days, with some reports claiming as many as 40 dead and nearly 300 wounded, including two ethnic Armenians—Hripsimeh Chazarian and Sosi Ghazarian-Hekimian—who were injured on July 9, according to Kantsasar.

Aghzarian’s death comes a little more than a month after five ethnic Armenians were killed in a week. Aleppo’s Armenian-populated Nor Kyugh and Zvartnots districts were attacked by more than 30 missiles on June 2, killing several civilians—including 4 ethnic Armenians. The attack, which reportedly came from militant opposition groups, injured several others and destroyed many buildings, including homes and stores. Vazken Jabaghchourian, Levon Kelkhacherian, Hovsep Janessian, and Khatchig Aboulaboutian were among those killed in the June 2 attack.

Eleven people, seven of whom were police officers, were killed while 36 others were wounded in an attack targeting a police vehicle in Istanbul’s Vezneciler neighborhood at around 8:35 a.m. on June 7. A bomb-laden car was detonated as the police bus was passing near a police station, according to Istanbul Gov. Vasip Şahin.

Ambulances and bomb disposal teams were sent to the scene, while security measures were increased in the area.

Gunshots were heard after the explosion, according to Anadolu Agency.

Shops close to the scene of the explosion suffered damage, while police have also begun evacuating nearby buildings.

The police bus was heading to the Istanbul University for regular duty, according to reports. Exams scheduled for today at the university were cancelled.

Turkish Ambassador to Berlin Hüseyin Avni Karslıoğlu returned to Turkey late on June 2, after the German Parliament approved a bill describing the 1915 massacres of Ottoman Armenians as genocide, th eHurriyet Daily News reports.

“This is an emotional decision. It is not a decision that was made in a rational framework. All of the speeches [of German lawmakers during the voting session] show this … We had many talks [with the German authorities] before the vote but the decision was already made,” Karslıoğlu told reporters on his arrival at Esenboğa Airport in Ankara.

“Our friendship and our relations with Germany will continue. We will act logically,” the ambassador said, adding that he will now hold extensive meetings at the Foreign Ministry to analyze the decision taken by the German Parliament and decide what measures will be taken.

Asked whether he had a return ticket, Karslıoğlu said “Turkish Airlines doesn’t run out of tickets.”

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is set to reject Borussia Dortmund’s offer of a contract extension, with agent Mino Raiola saying in : “Why should we prolong it now?”

Dortmund have been trying to tie Mkhitaryan to a new deal since the turn of the year but, going into the summer break, the 27-year-old has yet to put pen to paper and is about to enter the final 12 months of his current Borussia contract.

However, German tabloid Bild said on Tuesday that the Armenia international is set to reject club’s latest offer, and Raiola told the paper: “Why should we prolong it now? ‘Micki’ is under contract until 2017, and we continue to think about his future.”

Raiola, who also represents the likes of Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Romelu Lukaku, reportedly wanted to include a release clause in Mkhitaryan’s contract that would allow the midfielder to switch clubs should current BVB coach Thomas Tuchel leave the Westfalenstadion in the future, according to ESPN.

However, Dortmund have said in the past they will no longer allow players to insert release clauses into their contracts.

“I won’t comment on this,” Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke told Bild when asked about the breakdown in negotiations.

Mkhitaryan, the club’s record signing when he joined from Shaktar Donetsk for €27.5 million in 2013, has excelled under Tuchel and was by his Bundesliga colleagues in the prestigious annual kicker player poll.

Bild also reports that Chelsea and Arsenal are interested in signing the skillful midfielder, but it’s unlikely that Dortmund are prepared to sell considering the club have already sold Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich and İlkay Gündoğan could also be set to move on.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received today the Ambassadors of EU member states accredited to Armenia and the Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia.

Minister Nalbandian presented the situation established as a result of Azerbaijani aggression against Nagorno Karbakh and briefed the Ambassadors on the efforts of Armenia and the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs towards elimination of its consequences.

Edward Nalbandian stressed the inadmissibility of violation of the 1994-1995 agreements on ceasefire and its reinforcement, and emphasized the importance of their unconditional implementtaion.

 

The Armenian Prosecutor General’s Office hasruled out the possibility that the explosion in a bust was caused by a terrorist attack.

Probe is under way to check all versions and reveal the causes of the explosion.

The law-enforcement bodies will provide additional information about the process of investigation.

As for now, the version of terrorism has been completed rejected, the Prosecutor General’s Office said in a statement.