Relative peace was maintained at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan during the holidays, the NKR Ministry of Defense reports.
The rival fired about 4,500 shots from weapons of different caliber in the direction of the Armenian positions between January 1 and 7.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep full control of the situation and confidently fulfill their military tasks all along the line of contact.
Real Madrid has fired coach Rafa Benitez after seven months and replaced him with former player Zinedine Zidane, the Associated Press reports.
Club president Florentino Perez announced the decision at the Santiago Bernabeu stadium on Monday, a day after Madrid’s 2-2 draw at Valencia deepened a crisis that started with an embarrassing 4-0 home loss to rival Barcelona in November.
Madrid won seven of nine matches since that demoralizing defeat but fans continued to demand the departure of Benitez, whose Liverpool side won the Champions League in 2005.
Real Madrid is third in the Spanish league, four points behind leader Atletico Madrid and two behind Barcelona.
France soccer great Zidane, who was Carlo Ancelotti’s assistant in 2014 when Real Madrid won the Champions League, has been coaching Madrid’s “B” team in the third division.
AP Photo/Mosa'ab Elshamy
Azerbaijan is considering joining the Islamic coalition against terrorism whose creation was initiated by Saudi Arabia, Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry spokesman Hikmet Hajiyev told reporters on Tuesday, TASS reports.
According to him, the issue was discussed during a telephone conversation between Foreign Ministers of Azerbaijan and Saudi Arabia Elmar Mammadyarov and Adel al-Jubeir.
Hajiyev added that, in accordance with Azerbaijan’s legislation, the country’s participation in such organizations is determined by the requirements of internal procedures.
“Currently, the issue (of joining the coalition) is under consideration. As a country that has suffered from terrorism, Azerbaijan strongly condemns all its forms and manifestations,” he said.
The Islamic coalition created under the leadership of Saudi Arabia incorporates 34 states. Apart from Saudi Arabia itself there are also Jordan, the United Arab Emirates, Pakistan, Bahrain, Turkey, Tunisia, Sudan, Somalia, Palestine, Qatar, Kuwait, Lebanon, Libya, Malaysia, Egypt, Nigeria and Yemen. A dozen other Islamic states, including Indonesia, came out in support of that association.
Saudi Arabia’s Defense Minister Mohammad bin Salman al Saud has said the coalition would be fighting against any terrorist organizations that constitute a threat, including the Islamic State . He promised that the alliance would be coordinating operations with the leading powers and international organizations.
Photo: Getty Images
The Duchess of Cambridge paid a touching tribute to her late mother-in-law on Tuesday night, teh reports.
Kate Middleton attended the Queen’s annual Diplomatic Reception, on 8 December, wearing a dazzling diamond and pearl tiara once owned by Princess Diana.
She paired the stunning Cambridge Lover’s Knot tiara with one of her favourite Alexander McQueen dresses – the same lacy, ice blue gown she wore to the 2013 event.
According to the , the tiara was originally made by Queen Mary in 1914 and has been passed down through royal generations before it was given as a wedding present to Diana by the Queen.
This isn’t the first time Kate has chosen to pay tribute to Diana by wearing her gorgeous jewellery.
Prince William famously proposed to her with his mother’s engagement ring and also have her Diana’s earrings as a present.
Turkey’s President Tayyip Erdogan said that will continue to respond the same way it did when it downed the Russian Su-24 Fencer bomber if its airspace is violated, Sputnik News reports.
Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan stated that in case of another violation of the country’s airspace, Ankara is ready to respond in the same manner as with Russia’s Su-24.
“If today there will be another violation of our airspace, we are capable of the same kind of response,” Tayyip Erdogan said.
The downing of Russia’s Su-24 bomber was an “automatic reaction” in line with a standing order given to the Turkish military, according to Erdogan.
Photo: AP
The United Nations has denied reports that Secretary General Ban Ki-moon is to visit North Korea, the BBC reports.
China’s state media had earlier quoted North Korean sources as saying Mr Ban was due to visit Pyongyang this week. South’s Korea’s Yonhap news agency ran similar reports earlier in the week.
A planned visit by Mr Ban to North Korea in May was abruptly cancelled.
The last visit by a UN chief to the reclusive nation was by Boutros Boutros-Ghali in 1993.
The UN said in a statement that Mr Ban, a former South Korean foreign minister, would be in New York next week then Malta, before going to the COP21 climate summit in Paris.
He had no plans to go to North Korea but “has repeatedly said that he is willing to play any constructive role”, including travelling there, “in an effort to work for peace, stability and dialogue on the Korean Peninsula”, a spokesman said.
Earlier reports had said that he was due to visit for four days and would meet North Korean leader Kim Jong-un.
A joint Russian and Armenian air defense system project was launched long ago and is not connected to the ongoing turmoil in the Middle East. Nevertheless, the crisis in the region proves the necessity of such measures, political analyst Sergei Minasyan said.
Russia President Vladimir Putin ordered to sign an agreement on the creation of a joint air defense system of Russia and Armenia. The decree was published Wednesday.
The system will allow for protecting the airspace far to the south of the Russian borders, political analyst Sergei Minasyan said.
“The system will comprise air defenses and Russian combat jets deployed to the Southern Military District. This would allow for monitoring the airspace far from the Armenian borders. The system will also help modernize Armenian air defenses and improve their operational range,” Minasyan told .
The deployment of air defense missile systems, radio-radars and jet fighters to Armenia will allow for protecting the airspace far from the Russian borders, including in the Middle East, he pointed out.
According to him, the initiative was launched long ago.
“It has been in the development for over 10 years. And now it’s just a coincidence with the Syrian conflict. The situation in the so-called Greater Middle East just proves that the measures are effective,” the analyst said.
Minasyan underscored that Moscow and Yerevan laid groundwork for the project back in the 1990s.
“From political and strategic points of view there have been no significant changes. The system still works. Russia and Armenia coordinate their actions in patrolling the airspace. The new joint air defense system would just be more effective,” he said.
Iran’s First Deputy Foreign Minister Morteza Sarmadi and Armenia’s Ambassador to Iran Artashes Tumanyan explored avenues for reinforcing Tehran-Yerevan cooperation, particularly after the recent nuclear deal between Iran and world powers, Tasnim News Agency reports.
In the Monday meeting in Tehran, Sarmadi hailed Iran’s “excellent” ties with Armenia since the Caucasian country’s independence in 1991.
He further noted that the recent nuclear agreement Tehran and the Group 5+1 (Russia, China, the US, Britain, France, and Germany) finalized on July 14 has paved the way for increased economic cooperation between the two neighboring countries.
Tumanyan, for his part, reaffirmed that the resolution of Tehran’s nuclear issue has prepared the grounds for wider cooperation between Tehran and Yerevan.
“Many companies in Armenia are keen to invest in the Islamic Republic of Iran, and in turn, we welcome the investments of Iranian firms in Armenia,” he added.
High level representatives from the Armenian government, civil society and media gathered today in Yerevan to participate in the celebratory event organized by the OSCE Office in Yerevan on the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the Helsinki Final Act, the founding document of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE).
“The role of the Helsinki Process in bringing about the end of the Cold War cannot be overestimated. Yet with the end of the East-West stand-off in the 1990s we saw the emergence of new challenges to security and sources of conflict,” said Marcel Peško, OSCE Director of the Conflict Prevent Centre. “The foundations of the security system which served us for so long are now in jeopardy. We need to look for creative ways to overcome growing divisions, to engage in a meaningful dialogue to address the old and new security challenges. Armenia can and should play an important role in this process.”
The Armenian Foreign Minister, Edward Nalbandian, said: “Armenia has established a close cooperation with the OSCE bodies, the Office in Yerevan – the only full-fledged OSCE office in the South Caucasus, vividly demonstrating Armenia’s attitude towards the international cooperation and the existing regional realities. 35 states signed the Helsinki Final Act in 1975. Today the OSCE comprises of 57 participating states. This considerable enlargement of the OSCE family is the result of the implementation of the principles of the Helsinki Final Act, in particular the right of people to self-determination.
The full implementation of the norms set forth by the Helsinki Final Act 40 years ago, which we have inherited is one of the essential prerequisites for peace, security and prosperity in Europe. Therefore, constant care and attention to it should occupy a pivotal place in current international relation”.
The Helsinki Final Act, signed by presidents and prime ministers from 35 countries on 1 August 1975, was seen as a major step in reducing Cold War tensions and led to the formation of a permanent forum for dialogue on security – the Conference on Security and Co-operation in Europe, now the OSCE. The Act established a unique comprehensive definition of security – encompassing the politico-military, the economic-environmental and the human dimensions – and along with the commitments subsequently agreed by the participating States continues to guide the OSCE’s work. Its ten basic principles guide the conduct of the participating States vis-a-vis their citizens, as well as among each other.
The Special Envelope with an OSCE postage stamp and special postmark was prepared for the occasion by the Haypost National Operator of Armenia and officially launched at the event. Also launched at the event were a photo exhibition and an anniversary publication with messages from high officials, brief information on the Helsinki Final Act and activities of the OSCE and the Office in Yerevan.
On September 4, in accordance with the arrangement reached with the authorities of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic, the OSCE Mission conducted a planned monitoring of the Line of Contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan in the northern direction of Kuropatkino settlement of the NKR Martuni region.
From the positions of the NKR Defense Army, the monitoring was conducted by Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk and his Field Assistants Jiri Aberle (Czech Republic) and Yevgeny Sharov (Ukraine).
From the opposite side of the Line of Contact, the monitoring was conducted by staff member of the Office Peter Svedberg (Sweden) and Personal Assistant to the Personal Representative of the CiO Simon Tiller (Great Britain).
The monitoring passed in accordance with the agreed schedule. No violation of the cease-fire regime was registered.
From the Karabakh side, the monitoring mission was accompanied by representatives of the NKR Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Ministry of Defense.