Author: Emma Nadirian

On the sidelines of his working visit to the Republic of Belarus, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan held private talks with Head of RF Government Dmitry Medvedev in Minsk.

Highlighting the fact that the two countries are first of all bound by allied relations of strategic partnership, Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan and Dmitry Medvedev stressed the need to take steps to further expand bilateral trade and economic relations, considering that the involvement of Armenia and Russia in the Eurasian Economic Union opens up new opportunities and prospects for cooperation.

Two strong earthquakes have hit central Italy, damaging buildings and injuring dozens of people, the BBC reports.

A 5.5-magnitude quake struck at 19:10 (17:10 GMT) near Visso in Macerata province, followed two hours later by a 6.1 magnitude tremor in the same area.

Emergency teams have worked through the night. In August an earthquake killed about 300 people south of Visso.

There are few reports of serious injuries but bad weather has been hampering efforts to assess the damage.

Visso is 70km (45 miles) from Amatrice, which was badly damaged in the 6.2 magnitude quake in August.

Wednesday’s earthquakes were felt across central Italy, including in the capital, Rome, where buildings shook and doors and windows rattled.

“Tens” of people were hurt, but only four people suffered serious injuries, Italy’s civil protection chief Fabrizio Curcio said.

The second earthquake was considerably stronger than the first and numerous smaller aftershocks have occurred. One witness told Italian TV he saw part of a building collapse in front of him.

On October 23, the “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund’s annual fundraiser took place in Toronto, organized by the local chapter of the foundation under the auspices of the Embassy of the Republic of Armenia to Canada. Armen Yeganian, the Ambassador of Armenia to Canada, Grigor Hovhannissian, the Ambassador of Armenia to the United States of America, Bishop Abgar Hovakimyan, the Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Canada, members of clergy, non-government sector, journalists and numerous members of the Armenian community attended the event.

In his speech, Ambassador Yeganian underlined the work of “Hayastan” All-Armenian Fund, emphasizing the success of its Toronto Chapter.

The guest speaker of the event, Ambassador Grigor Hovhannissian, spoke about the projects realized by Diaspora organizations, aimed at the development of Armenia and Artsakh. Ambassador Hovhannissian noted since the first day of independence,

Armenia and Artsakh have always felt the strong presence and support of the Diaspora.
The record-breaking sum of 915,000 USD, raised during the evening, will be directed to the implementation of several important projects in Armenia and Artsakh.

The  Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group have issued the following statement:

The Co-Chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group (Ambassadors Igor Popov of the Russian Federation, James Warlick of the United States of America, and Pierre Andrieu of France), together with the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, traveled to the region from 23 to 25 October 2016.

‪The Co-Chairs met with the Presidents and Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Armenia, Armenia’s newly appointed Defence Minister, and de facto authorities in Nagorno-Karabakh. The purpose of the Co-Chairs’ visit was to discuss the situation after the unprecedented violence last April, and to clarify positions on the negotiation process.

‪During the meetings, the sides confirmed that the situation on the ground remains relatively calm.  The Co-Chairs underscored that respect for the ceasefire provides a critical foundation for ongoing negotiations, and stressed the importance of fully implementing decisions taken in Vienna and St. Petersburg.

‪The Co-Chairs also discussed current working proposals to advance substantive negotiations towards a lasting peace. The Presidents each expressed their views on how to move the settlement process forward.  The Presidents also reaffirmed their agreement to expand the Office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, and operational details are still being discussed.

‪The Co-Chairs plan to meet with the Ministers including on the margins of the December 2016 OSCE Ministerial Council meeting in Hamburg to discuss a possible meeting of the Presidents at the earliest opportunity.  Such a dialogue at the highest level is necessary to make progress towards a settlement.

‪While in the region, the Co-Chairs also met with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) to discuss the work the organization has undertaken on the exchange of data on missing persons, a humanitarian measure which the Co-Chairs have fully supported in meetings with officials at all levels.

On 21 October Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received defense minister of the Republic of Armenia Vigen Sargsyan, head of the General Staff of the RA Armed forces Movses Hakobyan and advisor to the Armenian President, chief military inspector Michael Haroutyunyan.

Issues related to the army building and cooperation between the two Armenian states in this sphere were on the agenda of the meeting, attended by NKR Defense Minister Levon Mnatsakanyan.

The President congratulated Vigen Sargsyan and Movses Hakobyan on being appointed to such responsible positions and wished them great successes in the consistent development of the army and strengthening of the country’s defense capacity.

The Turkish authorizes are constructing a 8km-long road to Mount Maruta – the highest peak in Sasssoun Province, Akunq.net reports, quoting the Anadolu Agency.

The construction works are expected to be completed within a month. The road will make it easier to reach the Armenian St. Astvatsatsin Church on the peak of the mountain.

Azerbaijanis are voting on whether to boost the powers of President Ilham Aliyev, who has ruled since 2003 and cracked down on dissent, the BBC reports.

The plan includes lowering the age limit for presidential candidates, creating a strong vice-presidency and extending the presidential term.

The opposition sees the vote as a move to cement the powers of the first family, with Mr Aliyev’s wife and 19-year-old son seen as potential heirs.

The ruling party dismisses the claims.

The constitutional changes would also create other vice-presidential posts and enable the president to dissolve parliament at any time.

The referendum comes after dozens of opposition activists were arrested in the oil-rich former Soviet state.

One of President Aliyev’s main opponents, Ilgar Mammadov, leader of the pro-Western opposition party ReAL, and other pro-democracy activists are still in jail.

 

The coin dedicated to the centenary of the Armenian Genocide issued by the Central Bank of Armenia has been named Coin of the Year at “Coin Constellation-2016” contest in Moscow.

Name	The Centenary of the Armenian Genocide
Presented by	Central Bank of Armenia
Nominal value	100 dram
Metal	Silver 925°
Weight	67,2 g
Diameter	50,0 mm
Thickness	5,85 mm
Mintage	1000 pcs.
Production quality	Uncirculated, antique-finish
Description of obverse and reverse	Obverse: Armenian Genocide Memorials (right to left): the monument to the sorrowful mother (Izhevsk, RF), the monument to musician Komitas (Paris, France), the memorial – cross-stone (The Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin, Armenia), the stela – cross-stone (Glendale, USA). Beneath – Tsitsernakaberd memorial (Yerevan, Armenia) and inscription “Armenian Genocide”. Around the rim – “REPUBLIC OF ARMENIA”, on the left – face value and year of issue. Reverse: Armenian Genocide Memorials (right to left): the monument to Armenian freedom fighters (Udjan, Armenia), a fragment from the memorial in the form of an eagle (Aleppo, Syria), a fragment from the memorial plaque: a statue of a woman (São Paulo, Brazil), a cross-stone (Antwerp, Belgium). Beneath – Tsitsernakaberd memorial and inscription “Armenian Genocide”. On the right – “1915–2015”.
A brief annotation	The Armenian Genocide was administered by Turkey’s ruling circles during the First World War and the years subsequent. During 1915 about 800 Armenian intellectuals were arrested in Constantinople, more Armenian people were slaughtered and deported. Over 1,5 million Armenians were killed through the Genocide. Western Armenia was deprived of the native population. A massive damage was inflicted to the Armenians’ material and spiritual achievements. About 800 thousand Armenians were forced to migrate and scatter around the world settling in the countries where afterwards memorials to the victims of the Genocide were erected.
Designer	Suren Simonyan; Aram Urutyan
Producer	Lithuanian Mint

About 30 cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were reported at the line of contact with the Karabakh forces last night.

The rival used firearms of different calibers as it fired more than 370 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

Private of the NKR Defense Army Arman Alik Ghandilyan, born in 1997, was fatally wounded as a result of breach of rules of military duty.

Investigation into the details of the case is under way.

The NKR Defense Army shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses support to his family and friends.

 

 

 

“The Public Radio of Armenia will always retain a leading role with its outspread, capacity, traditions and staff,” Arman Saghatelyan, Executive Director of Public Radio of Armenia, told reporters today.

He said two public opinion polls had been conducted to reveal the preferences of the public and review the broadcasting policy.

“What we found out is that the public needs social information, consulting, explanation. This refers to different spheres –healthcare, finances, agriculture, human and consumer rights, etc,” he said. Saghatelyan added that the new schedule in the new season will come to fill the gaps.

“Some programs will air live, which will provide the listeners with an opportunity to immediately interfere with the work of the radio station, ask questions and receive answers to issues of concern,” the Executive Director said.

“At the same time, the decades-long traditions have been maintained,” he said. “We have wonderful, beloved programs and authors. New voices will be heard along the familiar ones, which, I’m confident, will become no less beloved in a short period of time,” Arman Saghatelyan said.