Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian will visit Indonesia on November 1.
Minister Nalbandian is expected to meet with representatives of the country’s legislative and executive authorities.
In Jakarta Minister Nalbandian will have a meeting with the Secretary General of the ASEAN.
Photo: AP
Thousands of people have fled the Mosul area and more are expected as Iraqi troops move on the city to liberate it from the so-called Islamic State (IS), the BBC reports.
Some 5,000 people have crossed the border into Syria in the last 10 days, the aid agency Save the Children says.
They have arrived at the al-Hol refugee camp where conditions are already reported to be filthy and overcrowded.
Up to 1.5 million civilians are thought to still be in Mosul, with up to 5,000 IS fighters.
The UN is preparing for what it fears could be the biggest man-made humanitarian crisis in recent times.
Vice-Speaker of the Armenian National Assembly and PACE, head of the Armenian delegation to PACE Hermine Naghdalyan has handed over a report to PACE Secretariat, in which she sharply criticizes anti-democratic processes in Turkey after coup d’etat, at the same time opposing the statements voiced by the Foreign Minister of Turkey Cavusoglu. PACE today held a debate on the Situation in Turkey in the Light of the Attempted Coup d’etat.
“Ladies and Gentlemen,
Today’s discussion is the best evidence that the situation in Turkey remains one of the “hot spots” of the international community attention. We all realize that the volatile situation in the country can be explosive not only for the region, but in a larger sense.
I am from Armenia, a country directly bordering Turkey, a country that feels negative consequences right immediately.
What is the situation today – after the coup d’etat attempt…?
The scope and depth of President Erdogan’s reaction is devastating, leaving no hope to country for any democratic processes to take place. The Turkish authorities started to use the coup attempt as an excuse for the crackdown in the country. Thousands of military officers, judges, educators and civil servants have been abruptly arrested or fired. The recently prolonged state of emergency means the suspension of basic human rights, while the death penalty is being discussed to be re-imposed.
The authorities closed several Kurdish TV and radio channels, including one for kids. Can you imagine – Turkey sees a source of threat in a cartoon channel?
The conclusion is inescapable, Dear Colleagues – Turkey is becoming more autocratic and unpredictable, which results in separation of the society.
Just very recently, we were discussing the state of play with regards to functioning of democratic institutions in Turkey. As you remember various standpoints have been expressed during our debates; we were much concerned with the misdevelopments in the country and supported the idea to re-open the monitoring process. Today this issue is more crucial because of the U-turn that Turkey made in its democratization path.
The Turkish authorities totally disregarding the rule of law are using the situation to fight their political opponents and national minorities in the country.
So, Minister Cavusoglu would better concentrate on these serious problems rather than sharing with the Assembly his personal stories.
Another reference to Minister’s yesterday’s misleading remarks – his vision on Nagorno-Karabakh negotiation process lies in a parallel reality with illusive withdrawal from five regions. Whereas in reality the settlement of Nagorno-Karabakh issue is aimed at the determination of the final status of Nagorno-Karabakh through the legally binding expression of will of its people.
One more attempt of misleading: the Minister also touched upon the Armenian-Turkish relations. If Turkey intended to normalize the relations with Armenia it would have then ratified and started to implement Zurich Protocols signed in 2009: the only closed border of Europe will be open.
Russian President Vladimir Putin will visit Armenia on October 14 to participate in the session of the Collective Security Council of the Collective Security Treaty Organization, Kremlin confirms.
The participants are expected to discuss the situation in the CSTO area and the further improvement of the collective security system in the organization.
In line with the decisions adopted at the CSTO summit in Moscow in December 2015, special attention will be paid to the measures of fighting international terrorism.
During the CSTO session Armenia will convey the presidency of the organization to Belarus.
President Serzh Sargsyan sent a telegram of condolences to President of the State of Israel Reuven Rivlin on the demise of prominent politician of the Jewish people, former President of the State of Israel, Nobel Peace Prize laureate Shimon Peres.
Private of the NKR Defense Army Sevak Hovhannes Khachatryan was killed in firing from the Azerbaijani side at about 10:40 on September 25.
Probe into the details of the incident is under way.
The NKR Defense Ministry shares the sorrow of the heavy loss and expresses its support to the Sevak Khachatryan’s family and friends.
Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s agent insists Manchester United fans have not seen the best of the midfielder because he is not fully fit, according to .
The 27-year-old summer signing from Borussia Dortmund was left on the bench by Jose Mourinho for the first three games of the season.
He was handed his first start in the 2-1 derby defeat to Manchester City but was substituted at half-time.
Mkhitaryan picked up a thigh injury while on international duty with Armenia in the build-up to the derby and missed the defeat to Watford on Sunday with the same problem.
But his agent, Mino Raiola, insists he will show why United shelled out more than ÂŁ25m to sign him when he returns.
He told the Daily Mail: “Mkhi was the best player in the German league the last two seasons. He has a strong mentality and will be an asset once fully fit.”
Raiola also revealed United beat off competition from another Premier League club to sign the former Shakhtar Donetsk man.
Hr added: “We had almost agreed with another Premier League club but Dortmund wouldn’t let him go, then United pushed it over the line.”
Brazilian president Michel Temer was booed as the 2016 Paralympic Games opened in Rio de Janeiro to a backdrop of colour, music and a powerful message of inclusivity, the BBC reports.
Thousands of performers were involved either side of the two-hour procession of competing countries at the Maracana.
Competition begins on Thursday, when Britain’s Dame Sarah Storey can become the most successful female Paralympian.
The opening ceremony began with American Aaron “Wheelz” Fotheringham, in a wheelchair, jumping from a massive ramp from the Maracana stands and performing a back flip through a giant ring.
The Brazilian national anthem was played on the piano by Carlos Martin, whose right hand is severely disabled, before the parade of athletes, with the loudest cheer of the night reserved for competitors from the host nation.
Each nation carried a piece of a jigsaw, which bore the name of their country on one side and faces of competing athletes on the other.
Once completed, the jigsaw was adorned by the faces of every competitor at the 2016 Games. All of the faces came together to form a beating heart, which began beating in time to the music.
One of the most striking parts of the ceremony was when bright lights temporarily ‘blinded’ the crowd to try to show spectators the reality Paralympic athletes face, forcing them to rely on other senses such as hearing.
The Armenian National Security Service informs that a group of people connected with the gunmen that attacked the premises of the patrol service of RA Police has been arrested.
The NSS says the group supported crimes committed in the past and keeps supporting the planned ones.
“Members of the armed group currently on the territory of premises of the patrol service directly guide and give instructions to their supporters in order to organize and perpetrate criminal actions threatening the life and health of citizens and inciting provocative and criminal actions,” the statement reads.
The National Security Service warns that other persons intending to support the armed group have also been individualized and are under constant monitoring of the authorized state bodies. All legal and accessible measures are being taken for the prevention of the possible criminal actions.
Taking note of the above-mentioned, the NSS strongly urges the citizens to be watchful at places of gathering, to leave any area in case of spotting strange behavior or suspicious items and immediately inform the law-enforcement bodies.
Medieval Armenian capital of Ani has been inscribed on the UNESCO World Heritage List. The decision was made at the 40th session of the World Heritage Committee in Turkey.
“What’s important for Armenia is that the site’s inclusion in the list provides certain guarantees of its preservation,” Vahram Kazhoyan, Secretary General of Armenian National Commission for UNESCO, told reporters in Yerevan today. He said, this becomes more important under the conditions of the strained relations between Armenia and Turkey.
“On a more practical level this means that any actions connected with the monument, be it maintenance, restoration or even management of tourist flows will be reported to UNESCO,” Kazhoyan said. He stressed that no changes can be made to the site without permission from UNESCO.
Besides, he said it was important from the point of view of popularization of the monument. The application clearly mentions the Armenian origin of Ani. To leave no doubt the Armenian side published a booklet about Ani, which presents the city’s history as the capital of the Armenian kingdom of the Bagratides. It was disseminated among all who could have any influence on the decision-making, Vahram Kazhoyan said.
Before Turkey would submit the application, the Armenian side had been frequently raising the issue of the state of Armenian cultural heritage in Turkey.
“Had Turkey tried to submit the application without mentioning the Armenian belonging of the city, it would be rejected by the expert group of the Committee,” Deputy Minister of Culture Nerses Ter-Vardanyan said.
Turkey’s initial bid was called “Cultural landscape of Ani,” which was quickly rejected with many questions raised about the belonging of the city, its cultural layers, maintenance, and especially the work done since 1918,” he said.
The Deputy Minister praised the final application submitted by Turkey. “Of course it was not ideal, but not bad,” he said.