Author: Hagop Kamalian

The Armenian Patriarchate of Istanbul will apply to the Turkish authorities with a request to obtain permission to hold elections of a new Patriarch. The decision was made at the church meeting held on October 26, accoridng to the official website of the

The seat has been vacant since 2008 because of the illness of His Holiness Patriarch Mesrop Mutafyan, and Aram Atesyan has served as Patriarchal Vicar ever since.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan still has work to do to force his way back into the Manchester United team, manager Jose Mourinho has said, the Daily Mail reports.

The Armenian winger watched from the directors’ box as United eased to a 4-1 win over Fenerbahce in the Europa League on Thursday.

Mkhitaryan, a big-money summer signing from Borussia Dortmund, has not played since injuring his thigh more than a month ago.

Manager Jose Mourinho said ahead of the game that he was fit but, with competition for places intense in the forward positions, Mkhitaryan may have to wait for his chance.

Jesse Lingard and Anthony Martial both scored against Fenerbahce while Juan Mata also impressed and all three will hope to keep their places for Sunday’s key Premier League clash with Chelsea.

Mourinho said: ‘The situation is that we played with Lingard, with Mata and Martial. I am not an Einstein. I don’t know a tactical system that can play with four wingers at the same time.

‘He has to work more to get the intensity and fitness to play at a high level. To have him on the bench and give him 15 or 20 minutes like I did to Memphis (Depay), I think it is much better for him to work and wait for his chance, but he is ready very soon.’

Prime Minister Karen Karapetan received today the delegation of the Chinese AVIC International Corporation headed by its Executive Vice President Liu Jun.

The Prime Minister welcomed the delegation’s visit to Armenia and noted that the Armenian Government is ready for mutually beneficial cooperation.

Liu Jun said “the AVIC International is interested in the implementation of investment projects in Armenia” and presented the directions of the corporation’s activity.

The interlocutors discussed prospects of cooperation and the possibilities of implementing joint projects in transport, energy, aviation and agriculture.

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan welcomed AVIC International’s commitment to make investments in Armenia’s economy and expressed his government’s readiness to facilitate the cooperation.

The Prime Minister instructed the relevant departments to discuss in more detail the proposed investment programs in possible areas of cooperation.

President Serzh Sargsyan has accepted the government’s resignation.

The President has instructed the members of government to continue working until a new cabinet is formed.

Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamyan announced his resignation at the government sitting Thursday. Later the day the Republican Party of Armenia approved Karen Karapetyan’s nomination for Prime Minister.

The Catholicosate of Cilicia held consultations on the lawsuit asking the Return of its historic Seat from Turkey, the Armenian Catholicosate of Cilicia reports.

Since his arrival in Geneva, His Holiness Aram I has been consulting with experts regarding the lawsuit asking from Turkey the Return of the historic Seat of the Catholicosate in Sis (Kozan).

Discussions focussed on the recent attempted coup in Turkey and its temporary suspension of the European Convention on Human Rights. The Catholicosate will keep the constituency informed of developments.

On 22 August Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received defense minister of the Republic of Armenia Seyran Ohanyan, NKR President’s Press Office reports.

A number of issues related to army building and cooperation between the two Armenian states in this sphere were discussed during the meeting.

NKR prime-minister Arayik Haroutyunyan, vice-premier Arthur Aghabekyan, defense minister Levon Mnatsakanyan, RA deputy defense minister-head of the logistic support department Movses Hakobyan and other officials partook at the meeting.

As Turkey contemplates the reintroduction of the death penalty to punish those responsible for the coup attempt, the mayor of Istanbul has allocated space for a “graveyard for traitors,” where people will have a chance to “curse” those responsible, reports.

Following the failed July 15 coup attempt that left 246 people dead, including many members of the security forces and civilians, cemeteries across the country are refusing to bury those who plotted against the government.

In an attempt to remedy the situation, Istanbul Metropolitan Municipality Mayor Kadir Topbas said that he has ordered the allocation of space for the final resting place for “traitors” where “the passersby will curse the ones buried there.”

“I ordered a space to be saved and [for it to be called] … ‘the graveyard for traitors’,” Topbas told a group of pro-government protesters in Istanbul’s Taksim Square. “Everyone visiting the place will curse them and they won’t be able to rest in their graves.”

The decision to provide space, Topbas said, came after the mayor of Ordu, a port city on the Black Sea coast did not provide burial plots. As a result, the family of one of the dead took a body and buried it in their garden.

“I congratulate the mayor,” Topbas said as quoted by Anadolu Agency, adding that coup plotters “won’t be saved from hell.”

The mayor of Istanbul, a city of some 15 million people, also said that even the cemetery of the nameless was not a suitable place for the coup plotters to be buried with religious people.

Russian athletes will not be able to compete at Rio 2016 after the Court of Arbitration for Sport backed a decision to ban them over the country’s alleged state-sponsored doping regime, the BBC reports.

Russia’s athletics federation was suspended by the sport’s world governing body, the IAAF, after an independent report found evidence of widespread doping.

The Russian Olympic Committee and 68 athletes appealed against that decision but after hearing evidence from both sides, Cas has ruled the ban can stand.

Separately, the International Olympic Committee is considering calls to ban all Russian competitors from the Olympic Games following a second report into state-sponsored doping.

Negotiations on the release of people kept hostage at Erebuni police station are under way, the Armenian National Security Service (NSS) informs.

According to NSS, five people have been released since the armed attack on the premises of patrol police regiment early on Sunday.

The National Security Service declares once again that the measures being taken are special and highly professional. Therefore, it said, there is no need in unauthorized interference or assistance.

The special forces of the Armenian law-enforcement bodies remain in the state of combat readiness, but there are no preconditions for intensive actions at this point.

Twenty-two cases of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side were reported overnight.

The rival fired more than 380 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions using firearms and sniper rifles, the NKR Defense Ministry said.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the line of contact and confidently continue with their military duty.