Author: Garo Vardanian

Photo: AP

 

Prince’s private estate and studio complex is to open to the public six months after his death, the BBC reports.

The singer died in an elevator at the 65,000 square-foot complex in Minneapolis in April.

The trust company overseeing his estate announced Paisley Park will open for daily public tours from 6 October, provided the city approves the plan.

Prince’s sister, Tyka Nelson, said: “Opening Paisley Park is something that Prince always wanted to do.”

The singer died after an accidental overdose of the painkiller fentanyl.

Officials investigating his death said earlier this week the pills had been mislabelled as hydrocodone, a weaker type of opioid.

Armenia fetched four medals at 31^st Summer Olympic Games in Rio and came in 42^nd among 206 countries in the medal count.

Greco Roman wrestler Arthur Alexanian (98 kg) won the first gold medal for Armenia after a 20-year break.

Armenia was deprived of a second gold medal after a biased decision of the arbiter in the men’s 66 kg Greco-Roman wrestling final. The Serb wrestler was given the gold, while Armenia’s Migran Arutyunyan won a silver medal.

Weightlifters Simon Martirosyan (105 kg) and Gor Minasyan (+105 kg) both fetched silver medals.

Photo: AFP

 

A French court has sentenced two former Rwandan mayors to life in prison for their part in the 1994 genocide, the BCC reports.

Tito Barahira, 65, and Octavien Ngenzi, 58, were found guilty of crimes against humanity and genocide.

They were accused of playing leading roles in the massacre of 2,000 ethnic Tutsis who sought refuge in a church in the town of Kabarondo.

About 800,000 people, mostly Tutsis, died at the hands of Hutu extremists during the Rwandan genocide.

It is the second case of its kind to be brought in France, after Rwandan army captain Pascal Simbikangwa was jailed for 25 years over the mass killings.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan will reportedly sign a £200,000-a-week, four-year deal with Manchester United, reports.

Mkhitaryan‘s move to United was announced over the weekend by Borussia Dortmund, with CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke confirming the deal.

“This transfer was for us a difficult one but Manchester United made us a tremendous, valuable offer,” Watzke said.

“Had we knocked it, the player would have left the club for free in 2017.”

And with Mkhitaryan’s arrival set to be announced by United imminently, German newspaper  have leaked details of the 27-year-old’s contract.

The report says Mkhitaryan’s move will cost United in excess of £80million – which includes a signing on bonus, transfer fee and four-year £200k-a-week contract.

It is said the Armenia international will receive a £6.7m signing-on fee, £10.4m-a-year contract and will cost United in the region of £34m.

Mkhitaryan was one of the most prolific forwards in European football last season, scoring 23 goals and providing 32 assists in 52 appearances for Dortmund.

Once confirmed he will become Jose Mourinho’s third signing at United, having already sealed deals for defender Eric Bailly and striker Zlatan Ibrahimovic.

 

 

 

President of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic Bako Sahakyan had a meeting in Yerevan with OSCE Chairman-in-Office, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier this morning.

“The meets was held in a sincere atmosphere. The parties exchanged views on issues related to the ways out of the current situation,” NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan told reporters after the meeting.

“The steps that will pave the way for restoring the negotiation process shave long been discussed. These include the development and implementation of the investigation mechanism, as well as the expansion of the office of the Personal Representative of the OSCE Chairman-in-Office. We expressed our views on the matter. It was noted, in part, that the proposals are in line with those Karabakh has been offering since early 2000. The Artsakh side has made a number of other proposals, which will not only allow to build confidence between the parties, but also pave the way for the uninterrupted negotiation process,” Minister Mirzoyan told reporters.

Frank Walter Steinmeier told a press conference yesterday that “the maintenance of the status–quo is impossible in the long run. Commenting on this, the NKR Foreign Minister said “we first need to understand what we mean under status-quo.”

“The current status of Artsakh, which does not ensure full rights to its people, does not provide an opportunity for the uninterrupted continuation of the process of independent state-building in Artsakh, is definitely unacceptable. It’s necessary to take all steps to reach the legal formulation of the achievements we have had over years,” he said.

The Minister said “official Stepanakert remains committed to the peaceful settlement of the issue within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group, but stresses the importance of restoring the full format of negotiations with the participation of Artsakh.

“This is our official position. It’s not only the demand of Artsakh, but also an objective reality that serious progress is impossible without Artsakh’s full participation in all stages of the negotiation process,” Minister Mirzoyan said.

Mirzoyan said it was made clear during the meeting that irrespective of the situation in the negotiations and the status quo, the people of Artskah have humanitarian needs and the OSCE, as a serious international organization, should take steps in that direction.

“The rights and freedoms of the people of Artsakh are being violated because of blockade. I mean the freedom of movement, education, and other right. I think the OSCE can also play serious role in this respect,” he said.

Speaking about the situation at the line of contact, Karen Mirzoyan noted that “the more stable the situation, the better conditions it will create for the diplomats and the negotiating parties for launching constructive dialogue.”

He added that “no matter where the next meeting is held, it’s important to reach agreement on the conditions and formats that will allow to restore the negotiation process.”

“There is definitely a common understanding  among the international community and the Armenian party that there is no military solution to the Karabakh conflict, and the peaceful negotiated settlement is the only option. The sooner Azerbaijan comes to understand this, the sooner will it be possible to further the process,” Karen Mirzoyan concluded.

Artak Barseghyan
Public Radio of Armenia

“NATO views the countries of the South Caucasus as potential partners with Georgia being an aspirant for membership. I do not see NATO membership as realistic for Georgia any time soon, however. There is no consensus in the Alliance on Georgia’s membership,” Paul Stronski, Senior Associate at Carnegie Foundation, said in an internet press conference for Armenian media.

“On Armenia, as an ally of Russia, it is firmly in Russia’s security orbit.  But, NATO will still continue to engage with Armenia and appreciates the partnership it has had with NATO throughout the past twenty years.  I’d also note that Armenian military reform is generally modeled after NATO and the United States, so there are clear incentives on the Armenian side to keep good ties with NATO despite Yerevan’s security alliance with Moscow. However, I do not see the relationship between NATO and Armenia getting any closer in the immediate future,” he said.

“I do not see any prospects for NATO membership for Armenia or Azerbaijan.  Neither country seems interested in membership.  NATO says the door is always open, but many NATO members are not keen to enlarge the alliance any further east,” he added.

Is there a possibility for exclusion of Turkey from the Alliance, considering that Turkey is playing back-door games with ISIS and in light of deterioration of relations between Ankara and Brussels?

“I am neither an expert on Turkey nor ISIS, so I cannot really answer this question.  I think many governments in the West are frustrated with Turkey right now given Erdogan’s increasing authoritarianism, and unpredictable foreign and domestic politics. But, Turkey is a long-standing and important member of the NATO alliance.  The goal of the alliance is to increase the security of its members, and I still think that most NATO members believe that Turkish membership in NATO enhances their security.  I do not see their exclusion from the alliance anytime soon,” the expert said.

Garo Paylan, a member of the Turkish Parliament of Armenian descent, has filed a complaint against the Grey Wolves Turkish nationalist organization.

Mmebers of the organization took to the streets immediately after the German recognition of the Armenian Genocide on June 2. About 200 protesters rallied in front of the German Consulate in Istanbul waving Turkish and Azerbaijani flags and chanting “The best Armenian is the dead Armenian.”

“These slogans constitute obvious public expressions of hate speech, open threats to Armenians. I have filed a lawsuit to the Istanbul Chief Prosecutor’s Office against these hate crimes,” Garo Paylan said.

Germany’s speaker of parliament has sharply criticized Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following threats against German-Turkish MPs. Norbert Lammert said top Turkish politicians had fuelled the fire, reports.

Norbert Lammert expressed the outrage in Germany’s lower house of parliament, the Bundestag, on Thursday, over comments made by Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan. Lammert also denounced the “sometimes hate-filled threats and smears” targeting the 11 German lawmakers with Turkish heritage.

“I would not have thought it possible in the 21st century, that a democratically elected head of state would criticize members of the German Bundestag by voicing doubts on their Turkish heritage, by labeling their blood as impure,” Lammert told parliament on Thursday.

He was criticizing Erdogan’s reaction to last week’s contentious Bundestag resolution, which repeatedly referred to the killings of Armenians in Ottoman-era Turkey during World War I as genocide. Turkey disputes this definition of the massacre of Armenians.

Erdogan had said the German-Turkish parliamentarians were a “mouthpiece for the PKK,” the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party seeking an independent Kurdish state. The president also suggested that the 11 lawmakers should undergo blood tests, to see “what kind of Turks they are.”

“Also, I reject in all its forms the insinuation that members of this parliament are terrorist mouthpieces,” Lammert said.

 

Armenian Foreign Ministre Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Iranian President Hassan Rouhani on Sunday.

The President hailed the strong and stable relations between Armenia and Iran and attached importance to their further reinforcement and deepening. He added that the agreement on Iran’s nuclear program has opened broad perspectives for the development of bilateral trade and economic ties and stressed the need for practical steps towards that end.

The Iranian President and the Armenian Foreign Minister referred to the process of implementation of the agreements reached between the leaders of the two countries and the joint economic projects.

The parties agreed that the lifting of the visa regime between the two countries would serve an additional impetus for the intensification of ties between the business circles and boost tourism.

Ministry Nalbandian briefed Hassan Rouhani on the steps targeted at the elimination of consequences of the military actions unleashed by Azerbaijan against Artsakh, the efforts towards implementation of the agreements reached in Vienna.

President Rouhani stressed Iran’s willingness to contribute to stability and peace in the region, and reiterated his country’s support for the exceptionally peaceful settlement of the Karabakh conflict on the basis of the principles of international law.

Minister Nalbandian hailed Iran’s balanced position on the Karabakh issue.

Iran’s President asked to convey his warm greetings to the President of Armenia and revealed his plans to visit Armenia in the near future.

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Tuesday expressed concerns to German Chancellor Angela Merkel over plans in Germany’s parliament to recognize the World War I killings of Armenians as genocide, the Associated Press reports.

Germany’s parliament will hold a vote on a motion describing the deaths as genocide on Thursday.

Erdogan’s office said the Turkish leader told Merkel during a telephone conversation that it was “important that a prudent approach is displayed.” His office said Erdogan had initiated the call.

Before departing for a trip to Uganda and Kenya, Erdogan noted that Germany is home to a large population of ethnic Turks and suggested that ties between the two NATO allies could suffer.

“This situation would of course damage the diplomatic, economic, commercial, political and military … relations between the two countries,” Erdogan told reporters. “I believe that this will be thought through.”

The Turkish leader added that any decision taken by the German parliament would not “have any aspect that would be binding under international law.”

In Berlin, Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said Turks in Germany were unlikely to change their view of Germany because of the resolution.

“The fact that an event happened 100 years ago isn’t an obstacle to Parliament dealing with it,” Steinmeier told reporters.

“What’s still urgently necessary is a reappraisal of this event from different perspectives, which is certainly not going to be easy and would likely be controversial, by the two neighboring countries,” he said, in reference to Turkey and Armenia.