The head coach has told Mediamax Sport that the team will hold their last training in Armenia and leave for Bucharest tomorrow.
According to Babalaryan, Armenia will have 8 representatives in the tournament: Norayr Hakhoyan (55kg), Armen Melikyan (60kg), Slavik Galstyan (63kg), Armen Hakobyan (72kg), Seryozha Bernetsyan (77kg), Gegham Torgomyan (82kg) and Edgar Khachatryan (130kg).
The World Championship in Bucharest will be held on November 12-18.
Alexander Avanesov. A number of intellectuals of Armenia and Russia call on Russian and Armenian societies establishing a new discussion platform.
In the Statement received by ArmInfo, in particular, it is noted that Russia and Armenia have developed centuries long relations. "During this time, our peoples experienced together the bitterness of losses and the joy of victories. We also had difficult periods of mutual misunderstanding and distrust, fortunately, they were short. But our countries, our peoples always had an ineradicable sense of justice and a desire to preserve peace and trust.
This is all the more relevant now, when in international relations signs of instability, intolerance and unpredictability are growing, many regional conflicts are becoming aggravated and hardening ", the message says. The document also notes that both Russia and Armenia must be strong in order to overcome external and internal challenges to their sustainable development. It is not by chance that at all stages of independence Russia and Armenia supported each other, which is confirmed by joint participation in the CIS, the Eurasian Economic Union and the Collective Security Treaty Organization. In such a situation, only joint, bilateral and multilateral actions can be productive. "However, this is not enough, especially now. It is vitally important to establish and maintain informal contacts between representatives of both states from the most diverse sectors of scientific, cultural, government and social activities, as well as business structures. The more extensive and regular such contacts are, the higher will be the level of mutual trust between the public and state organizations of Russia and Armenia, the societies of our countries. As an informal, free and permanent platform for meetings and exchange of views, we, as representatives of different field of the socio-political, economic and cultural life of Russia and Armenia, are taking the initiative to set up a new discussion platform for deepening the dialogue between our civil societies. We suggest calling it the "Lazarev Club" in the name of Armenian benefactors Lazarevs, the founders of the Lazarev Institute of Oriental Languages in Russia, which became the forerunner of the Institute of Asian and African Countries at Moscow State University and of the Moscow State Institute of Foreign Affairs of Russia) ", the statement reads.
The Club is expected to become a voluntary association of citizens of Russia and Armenia who will work jointly to support the Russian-Armenian public dialogue at various levels, establish, maintain and strengthen working, business and scientific contacts, encouraging interaction and mutual enrichment of the cultures of our peoples. It is also planned to carry out joint public-political initiatives and projects, freely share private and expert opinions on the most pressing issues of bilateral relations, conduct expert and analytical assessments of the state and prospects for the development of bilateral and multilateral relations in the Caucasus region. The club's task will also include holding collective meetings of club members to discuss topical issues of regional and global politics, economics, issues of history and culture, meetings of bilateral working groups, joint participation in scientific, social and cultural events organized by partner organizations concerning relations between Armenia and Russia, bringing the results of joint research, appeals and proposals to the highest level of executive and legislative power of both states, leadership of leading international organizations.
"Lazarev Club" will conduct its work publicly and openly, by organizing meetings, "round tables" and public hearings in Russia and Armenia. We hope that the meetings in the Club will help form a positive attitude for further constructive work to strengthen mutual trust and allied cooperation for the benefit of the peoples of our countries, in the interests of ensuring security and stability throughout the Greater Caucasus region.
The Russian-Armenian Lazarev Club is open for cooperation in the interest of fostering dialogue, developing and strengthening people's diplomacy for the benefit of the peoples of Armenia and Russia, both with state and public organizations and with private individuals, the message reads. The statement was signed by the Head of the Board of Directors of the AVILON Group of Companies Kamo Avagumyan, journalist Roman Babayan, public figure Zori Balayan, deputy of the National Assembly Artashes Geghamyan, State Duma MP Konstantin Zatulin, Ambassador of the Russian Federation Vladimir Kazimirov, President of the Tashir Group of Companies Samvel Karapetyan, Chairman of the Public Council of Armenia Vazgen Manukyan, Member of the Council of Federations Nikolay Ryzhkov, State Duma Deputy Vyacheslav Nikonov, State Duma Deputy Artur Chilingarov, Director General of the Mosfilm Studio Karen Shakhnazarov and others.
Politician Ruben Mehrabyan believes that there cannot be a government in the parliamentary system that has no majority in the parliament.
Snap parliamentary elections should have been held earlier, instead of December. According to the political scientist, the new Electoral Code will nevertheless be adopted on the next Monday.
“I think, regardless of RPA’s electing or not electing, there are deputies in the parliament who will vote for it. This time the voting process will be better organized and the necessary votes will be provided. ”
The politician is confident that the Civil Contract party will again have victory during the election of the future parliament. It is more intriguing to find out which force will occupy the honorable second place. “With my impressions, the Luys bloc or PAP will take the second place.”
And when asked what force will occupy the fourth place, the politician preferred to abstain, noting that there are many candidates, it depends on which forces will take part in the elections.
Referring to the visit of US President’s National Security Advisor John Bolton to Armenia, the political scientist mentioned that there is nothing new over the settlement of the Artsakh issue, but John Bolton’s visit to Armenia was also conditioned by the revolution.
“Bolton has also come to the region to get acquainted with the processes. The United States is trying to hear answers of many questions, analyze, and formulate for future strategies.”
Tuesday,
Republican Lawmakers Side With Armenian PM
ARMENIA -- Supporters of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian protest outside the
parliament building in Yerevan, October 3, 2018
At least ten lawmakers representing the former ruling Republican Party of
Armenia (HHK) have broken ranks to voice support for Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s efforts to force snap parliamentary elections in December.
They include Gevorg Kostanian, the chairman of the Armenian parliament
committee on legal affairs who served as prosecutor-general from 2013-2016.
Speaking to RFE/RL’s Armenian service on Monday, Kostanian said that Pashinian
is “honest in his goals and desires,” enjoys overwhelming popular support and
must therefore be able to execute his political plans.
Nine other members of the HHK’s parliamentary faction on Tuesday signed a
statement that called for a quick dissolution of the current National Assembly.
“The Armenian people stand by these authorities,” one of them, Knyaz Hasanov,
told reporters.
The statement was also signed by seven other parliamentarians. Six of them
defected from the HHK faction shortly after Pashinian swept to power in May in
wave of mass protests that toppled the country’s former government headed by
Serzh Sarkisian. The latter remains the HHK’s chairman.
The HHK, which now controls 50 of the 105 seats in the parliament, is opposed
to holding the elections in December. It says that they should be delayed until
May or June so that political forces have enough time to properly prepare for
them and enact anti-fraud amendments to the Electoral Code.
Armenia - Deputies from the Republican Party of Armenia attend a parliament
session in Yerevan, 22 May 2018.
Under the Armenian constitution, the parliament can be dissolved only if it
fails to elect, within two weeks, another prime minister in case of Pashinian’s
resignation. Pashinian has pledged to tender his resignation this month.
The HHK’s parliamentary leaders have so far declined to clarify whether they
will respond by nominating or endorsing a prime-ministerial candidate. The
effective defections of more HHK lawmakers dealt a further blow to the party’s
ability to scuttle Pashinian’s plans.
The 43-year-old premier on Monday secured the crucial backing of businessman
Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK) which holds 31 parliament
seats. In a joint memorandum, Tsarukian and Pashinian said the fresh elections
must be held in December.
As recently as on October 2, the BHK helped the HHK to enact a bill that could
have complicated the conduct of the vote. Pashinian reacted furiously to the
move, telling his supporters to rally outside the parliament building in
Yerevan and firing government ministers representing Tsarukian’s party.
Pashinian, who controls only a handful of seats in the current legislature,
stepped up his push for snap general polls after his My Step alliance won as
much as 80 percent of the vote in the September 23 municipal elections in
Yerevan. Observers believe that his political team could do just as well if the
polls are held in the coming weeks. By contrast, the HHK would most probably
struggle to win any seats in the next National Assembly.
U.S. Hopes For Democratic Elections In Armenia
Armenia - U.S. Ambassador Richard Mills (R) gifts a book to Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, 8 October 2018.
The United States hopes that the widely anticipated snap parliamentary
elections in Armenia will be free and fair, the outgoing U.S. ambassador in
Yerevan, Richard Mills, said on Tuesday.
“The date for elections is a matter for political parties, the government and
the Armenian people to come to a decision,” Mills told a news conference.
“What the U.S. government and, I think, all the friends of Armenia want to see
out of these elections is a free, fair and credible process that gives all
parties … a chance to fairly participate, and a process that will have
credibility with the Armenian people and produce solid multi-party democracy
that has a loyal opposition as well as a ruling majority,” he said.
Mills, who had a farewell meeting with Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on
Monday, added that he is “very encouraged” by his election-related discussions
with Armenian government officials and politicians. He praised their “spirit of
sitting down and reaching a compromise on what’s the best way to move forward
on elections.”
The current Armenian parliament has been widely expected to be dissolved ever
since Pashinian-led mass protests brought down this spring the country’s
previous government headed by Serzh Sarkisian.
U.S. President Donald Trump praised those protests when he congratulated
Pashinian on Armenia’s Independence Day marked on September 21.
“A peaceful, popular movement ushered in a new era in Armenia, and we look
forward to working with you to help you execute the will of your people to
combat corruption and to establish representative, accountable governance, rule
of law buttressed by an independent judiciary, and political and economic
competition,” Trump wrote in a congratulatory message.
The U.S. Embassy in Yerevan gave a largely positive assessment of the conduct
of Armenia’s last parliamentary elections held in April 2017. It said “voters
were able to freely exercise their right to vote.”
An April 2017 statement by the embassy backed the findings of an OSCE-led
monitoring team which said that the elections were “tainted by credible
information about vote-buying” and pressure on voters. But it also said that
electronic anti-fraud equipment installed in the Armenian polling stations
helped to prevent more serious irregularities.
Sarkisian’s Party Decries ‘Government Pressure’
• Astghik Bedevian
Armenia - Armen Ashotian, a deputy chairman of Republican Party of Armenia.
A senior member of former President Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK) on
Tuesday accused the authorities of forcing some of its deputies to agree to the
early dissolution of Armenia’s current parliament.
“According to my information, pressure was exerted on and the state repressive
apparatus was used against a number of deputies,” claimed Armen Ashotian. “They
even tried to find ways of influencing some deputies from abroad.”
“But I don’t exclude that there are also [HHK] deputies who willingly changed
their positions,” he told RFE/RL’s Armenian service (Azatutyun.am).
At least ten HHK lawmakers have openly voiced support for Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian’s efforts to force snap parliamentary elections in December. The HHK
leadership says that the vote must not be held before May.
Ashotian argued that none of the HHK dissenters voiced objections when the
former ruling party’s parliamentary faction issued last week a statement that
argued against holding the elections in December. He said at least some of them
subsequently voiced support for Pashinian’s plans as a result of government
pressure and intimidation.
Ashotian refused to name any of those lawmakers, however. “Let those people
themselves talk about that pressure,” he said. “It is evident that such
pressure first occurred when some deputies left our 58-member faction [in June]
and we became a 50-member faction.”
Hrachya Hakobian, a lawmaker representing Pashinian’s Yelk alliance, dismissed
Ashotian’s allegations. He challenged the HHK representative to present
evidence of his claims to law-enforcement authorities.
“It looks like Mr. Ashotian is confusing the current situation with the
situation that existed during their rule,” said Hakobian.
Pashinian on Monday praised HHK parliamentarians for breaking ranks. He said
they should be “encouraged” by his supporters.
Meanwhile, the HHK faction issued another statement on Tuesday saying that it
will not nominate a candidate for the post of prime minister if Pashinian
resigns to pave the way for the December elections. But it said it continues to
believe that the polls must be held in May or June next year.
Press Review
“Zhoghovurd” is confident that fresh parliamentary elections will be held in
Armenia before the end of this year. The paper says that Serzh Sarkisian’s
Republican Party (HHK) is “falling apart,” with several members of its
parliamentary faction openly saying that the elections should be held in
December. It points out that the current parliament’s dissolution is now also
supported by Gagik Tsarukian’s Prosperous Armenia Party (BHK). “It must also be
noted that political processes seem to be unfolding without shocks,” it says.
Lragir.am notes that former Prosecutor-General Gevorg Kostanian is one of those
HHK parliamentarians who have effectively sided with Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian. Another HHK lawmaker, Alik Sargsian, has expressed readiness to
leave the HHK’s parliamentary faction. The online publication notes that these
developments followed the weekend arrest of Samvel Mayrapetian, a wealthy
entrepreneur reputedly linked to former President Robert Kocharian. “The
[former] system is crumbling and any attempted resistance only accelerates the
depletion of its resources,” it says.
“Zhamanak” comments on a joint memorandum of understanding that was signed by
Pashinian and BHK leader Gagik Tsarukian on Monday. “In terms of current
political affairs, Gagik Tsarukian tried to save the chance to be second [most
important political force,]” writes the paper. “The question, however, is
whether by voicing support for Pashinian and agreeing to holding elections in
December he managed to reverse the losses suffered by the BHK on October 2. It
is possible that the BHK leader does not care about that and is now more
concerned with his personal rating seeing as the BHK’s ‘political period’
probably ended a long time ago.”
(Lilit Harutiunian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2018 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
Baku, Azerbaijan, Oct. 7
By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:
Deputy chairman of the Russian State Duma Committee for CIS Affairs, Eurasian Integration and Relations with Compatriots Konstantin Zatulin has always been distinguished by his anti-Azerbaijan position, chairman of the Azerbaijani Press Council, MP Aflatun Amashov, told Trend.
Amashov commented on Zatulin’s recent statement regarding Azerbaijan.
“This position can be called Armenian lobbying,” he said. “Such Zatulin’s words as “if military operations begin in Nagorno-Karabakh region, this will lead to the collapse of Azerbaijan” is an absurd product of political adventurism.”
"It is known that Zatulin’s statements have no influence on the public assessment in Azerbaijan,” Amashov said. “He himself knows this very well. Moreover, these statements contradict the state policy of Russia. The main point is that Zatulin always appears in tense political moments."
“The April fights brought expectations and the scenarios of the Karabakh conflict by a number of Armenian and pro-Armenian ideologues to nothing,” he added.
"The generation who did not see Karabakh mainly fought in the battles, but it is clear that the new generation does not forget Karabakh,” Amashov added. “This aspect has sobered the Armenians. Therefore, Zatulin and people like him are striving to eliminate the atmosphere of fear in Armenian society."
He added that Azerbaijan constantly demonstrates its commitment to peace negotiations.
"If the war starts again, it will not be considered in the context of violation of the two countries’ negotiation process," Amashov said. “Of course, the reality has nothing in common with the adventurous views of Zatulin or other pro-Armenian people.”
Armenian President Armen Sarkissian has appointed Romik Margaryan to serve as the new head of the rear – head of department of the Armenian Armed Forces, Sarkissian’s office said.
The appointment was made upon Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan’s recommendation.
On September 24, at 3:47 pm, the 911 hotline received an alarm that a citizen was trying to commit suicide by jumping off the Victory Bridge in Yerevan.
A firefighting brigade from the RA Ministry of Emergency Situations rescue squad and operative group of the National Center for Crisis Management left for the scene.
More information will be provided.
Armenia remains committed to the peaceful negotiations process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict settlement, within the internationally accepted format, which is called Minsk Group Co-Chairmanship, Armenia’s foreign ministry Zohrab Mnatsakanyan told reporters in Artsakh, addressing his upcoming meeting with Azerbaijan’s foreign minister.
“Yes, this is a continuous process, it will happen. I have already mentioned once, let me repeat, that I respect the rules of work in similar processes, and one of these rules is announcing the date, hour and location of the meeting in an agreed manner. Be sure, that all this will be done in an agreed-upon manner and naturally it will be available to all,” the FM said.
Addressing a question about the ongoing military exercises in Azerbaijan, the Armenian FM said: “We are constantly emphasizing the important circumstance that if we are seriously moving towards peaceful settlement, and it is exclusively peaceful settlement for everyone, exclusively through negotiations and exclusively within the Minsk Group co-chairmanship, this important factors are subject to real implementation in terms of practice, when we are working in the direction of creating an atmosphere contributing to peace. What took place during this period doesn’t anyhow contribute to the formation of such an atmosphere, both in terms of rhetoric and moreover in terms of actions. This is condemnable and unacceptable, when we have signs of tension, when we have actions of targeting peaceful civilians. Naturally this is unacceptable.
We have clearly noted that both Armenia and Artsakh are capable of defending themselves, but this isn’t our goal. We must avoid crises with all cost, avoid the situation which can simply bring disaster to this region. No one will win or lose from this. This must be clearly realized. It is unacceptable, condemnable and is seriously damaging the peaceful process”.
At the opening of the 60th Damascus International Fair, Prime Minister of Syria Imad Khamis visited the Armenian pavilion to be welcomed by Armenian Ambassador to Syria Arshak Poladian, Business Armenia said in a press release.
Presented in a single pavilion Armenia participates in the 60th International Fair in Damascus held on September 6-15. Samples and catalogues of 33 companies represent the machine building, construction materials, pharmaceutical, and food industries of Armenia.
The Syrian PM welcomed the participation of the fellow state Armenia, expressing hope that the fair will boost the Armenian-Syrian trade and economic cooperation. Ambassador Poladian noted that Armenia’s producers are ready to make maximum efforts for the mutually beneficial cooperation.
Armenia was awarded for the participation, with the award granted to Ambassador Arshak Poladian by Syrian Minister of Economy Mohammad Samer al-Khalil.
The Armenian pavilion is in the center of attention of the distributors and major buyers-visitors who are mainly interested in the offerings of the Armenian companies producing food, construction materials and renewable energy. Considering the great interest in the solar energy systems, on 12 September the CEO of Stigen, Hayk Shekyan will present the production, capacity, competitiveness and export potential of the company.
The Domascus international fair has brought together over 1700 companies from 48 countries.