Author: Anna Tamamian

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Water Steinmeier on the sidelines of the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg.

The parties exchanged views on the activity of the OSCE and referred to issues on the agenda of the OSCE Ministerial Council.

Minister Nalbandian hailed the support of the German presidency to the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chais’ efforts towards the peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict.

Edward Nalbandian called Frank-Walter Steinmeier’s attention to the fact that Azerbaijan refuses to implement the agreements reached the Vienna and St. Petersburg summits and keeps aggravating the situation at the line of contact.

An airplane with 72 people on board, including players from a Brazilian football team heading to Colombia for a regional tournament final, has crashed on its way to Medellin’s international airport, AP reports.

Medellin’s Mayor Federico Gutierrez said that it is possible there are survivors.

“It’s a tragedy of huge proportions,” Gutierrez told Blu Radio on his way to the site in a mountainous area outside the city where the chartered aircraft is believed to have crashed shortly before midnight local time.

He said ambulances and rescuers were on their way. It is not clear what caused the crash.

Medellin’s airport confirmed that the aircraft, which departed from Bolivia, was transporting the Chapecoense football team from southern Brazil, which was scheduled to play the Copa Sudamerica finals against Atletico Nacional on Wednesday in Medellin.

UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon has issued a message for the International Day to end Violence against Women and Girls:

At long last, there is growing global recognition that violence against women and girls is a human rights violation, public health pandemic and serious obstacle to sustainable development.  Yet there is still much more we can and must do to turn this awareness into meaningful prevention and response.

Violence against women and girls imposes large-scale costs on families, communities and economies.  When women cannot work as a result of violence, their employment may be put at risk, jeopardizing much-needed income, autonomy and their ability to leave abusive relationships.  Violence against women also results in lost productivity for businesses, and drains resources from social services, the justice system and health-care agencies. Domestic and intimate partner violence remains widespread, compounded by impunity for those crimes.  The net result is enormous suffering as well as the exclusion of women from playing their full and rightful roles in society.

The world cannot afford to pay this price. Women and girls cannot afford it – and should not have to.  Yet such violence persists every day, around the world.  And efforts to address this challenge, although rich in political commitment, are chronically under-funded.

Since 2008, I have led the UNiTE campaign to End Violence against Women, which calls for global action to increase resources and promote solutions.  I call on governments to show their commitment by dramatically increasing national spending in all relevant areas, including in support of women’s movements and civil society organizations.  I also encourage world leaders to contribute to UN Women and to the United Nations Trust Fund to End Violence against Women.  We look as well to the private sector, philanthropies and concerned citizens to do their part.

Today, we are seeing the world lit up in orange, symbolizing a bright future for women and girls. With dedicated investment, we can keep these lights shining, uphold human rights and eliminate violence against women and girls for good.

Photo: AP

 

Egypt’s highest appeal court has overturned a life sentence handed down to ousted President Mohammed Morsi, the BBC reports.

The Court of Cassation ordered that the 65-year-old be retried on the charge of conspiring to commit terrorist acts with foreign organisations.

Last week, the court quashed a death sentence handed to Morsi in a separate case revolving around a mass prison break during the 2011 revolution.

But he is still serving lengthy sentences related to two other cases.

Morsi was elected president in 2012 but was removed by the military a year later after protests against his rule.

PHOTO: KYODO/REUTERS

 

A giant sinkhole swallowed a five-lane street in the centre of one of Japan’s biggest cities on Tuesday morning, the reports.

The collapse began at around 05:00 local time (20:00 GMT Monday) near Hakata Station, the busiest in Fukuoka city in the southern island of Kyushu.

It began with two smaller holes that grew steadily until they formed one huge depression around 30m (98ft) wide.

There were no reports of serious injuries but it disrupted power, water, gas and transport links in the area.

Broadcaster NHK reported that an elderly lady slipped on some stairs because of the power cut.

Engineering work to extend a nearby underground train line may be related to the sinkhole’s sudden appearance, city officials said.

Dresden Symphony Orchestra will perform “Aghet” progam dedicated to the centennial of the Armenian Genocide at the German Consulate in Istanbul on November 13, reports.

Turkish-Armenian Friendship Association will host a reception after the concert. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, Prime Minister Binali Yıldırım, Minister of Foreign Affairs Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and Minister of Culture Nabi Avcı have been invited to participate in both events.

“Aghet” project caused a crisis between Germany, Turkey and EU. Turkey decided to leave the Creative Europe Program, because of the latter’s support for “Aghet.” German Minister of Foreign Affairs Frank-Walter Steinmeier expressed his support to Aghet project, causing further disturbance in Turkish government.

Expressing his support to Aghet project, Steinmeier stated: “The deportation of the Armenian people happened a century ago. However, Armenian and Turkish sides haven’t yet officially reconciled concerning the events of 1915-1916. With this project, three composers from Germany and Armenia echo the voice of the deceased and also bridge the gap between the present and a past full of hatred and violence. The project invites the audience to get out of the world of hatred. I am convinced that only the people who learn and acknowledge the dreams and traumas of the others can contribute to the bright future of this continent. And Aghet project is one of the most important milestones in this path.”

Artistic director and principal conductor of the State Youth Orchestra Sergey Smbatyan led three concert programs at Coliseo Theatre in Buenos Aires on October 21, 22 and 23.

Another concert titled “An evening with John Malkovich” will take place in Mendoza, Argentina,

World famous actor John Malkovich presented works by Ernesto Sabato and Pablo Neruda to the accompaniment of Alfred Schnittke’s Concerto for Piano and String Orchestra and compositions by John Tavener.

This is not the first time Sergey Smbatyan cooperates with John Malkovich. They first performed together in Seoul in 2015.

President Serzh Sargsyan sent today a congratulatory message to Antonio Guterres on his election as Secretary General of the United Nations.

“It is gratifying and inspiring that the responsible mission of leading the global Organization is assumed by a professional statesman such as yourself who has a decades-long experience in the national as well as international areas. Your wisdom, knowledge and abilities are in great demand particularly now when the international peace, security, and development are going through a turbulent period of time. I have no doubt that your skillful leadership will strengthen the structure of the United Nation and move forward its agenda items. I wish you every success in this difficult and important mission.

I would like to express Armenia’s and my own support to you with the anticipation that we will have many opportunities for cooperation. Armenia will undoubtedly continue to bring her input to the implementation of the goals and aspirations of the United Nations,” reads the congratulatory message of the President of Armenia.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan introduced newly-appointed Minister of Culture Armen Amiryan to the staff of the Ministry.

The Prime Minister thanked ex-Minister Hasmik Poghosyan for the work done during her tenure in office.

Karen Karapetyan noted that “culture and history are the pride of our nation” and added that he expects the specialists to maximally value the legacy.

“Culture plays an important role in the formation of the taste and education of the citizen of the Republic of Armenia. We must think of ways to have the world familiarize with our culture and to create an environment that will allow the citizens of Armenia to get to know more about the world cultural legacy. For that very reason we expect a maximally effective work from the new Minister and your team,” PM Karapetyan said.

According to the Prime Minister, the Armenian culture can play a great role in attracting tourists. He wished an effective and creative work to Minister Armen Amiryan and his staff.

The Prime Minister also introduced the Ministers of Sports and Youth Affairs, Environmental Protection, Healthcare and Economy to the staffs of the respective Ministries.

On September 19, while paying a working visit to New York, Edward Nalbandian, Acting Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, had a meeting with Sebastian Kurz, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Austria.

Edward Nalbandian and Sebastian Kurz exchanged views on different issues of bilateral relations, discussed ways of expanding cooperation and strengthening collaboration within the framework of international organizations.

Within the context of preparation works of Austria’s chairmanship at the OSCE, Sebastian Kurz presented to Edward Nalbandian the priorities of the Austrian chairmanship and the steps to be undertaken for their implementation.

Upon the request of the Foreign Minister of Austria, Edward Nalbandian briefed on the efforts exerted by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs and Armenia towards the advancement of the peaceful settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.