Author: Kanayan Tamar

The OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have one important message as they visit the region.

“We are at the one year anniversary of the violence that occurred in April last years in Nagorno Karabakh.  The main message is that this anniversary should be marked at negotiating table, it should not be marked on the battlefield,” US Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group told a press conference in Yerevan today.

“It’s time to negotiate,” he stressed. “The most important is to have political will at the top leadership on both sides to return to negotiations to find a peaceful solution.  It’s up to the leaders and up to their people to decide on how to live in peace and prosperity in the future. There are plans on the table that could be discussed, and it’s time to return to the negotiating table to discuss them,” Ambassador Hoagland said.

Responding to accusations that the Minsk Group often fails to issue targeted statements, Richard Hoagland said: “I assure we do know what is going on, but because we are mediators, we have to keep a little degree of distance so that we don’t overtly offend one side or the other side. When that happens, the possibility for discussion and mediation gets closed down. We cannot allow those doors to close. We have to keep the doors open. We’ll always note when there is an issue that needs to be called attention to, but we have to be a little careful of what we say in public, even though we know what’s really happening behind those closed doors.”

Speaking about the perspectives of organizing a high-level meeting, the US Co-Chairs said “we’re always working to find the right conditions to bring together the Foreign Ministers or even the Presidents. There is a process going on now. The two Foreign Ministers have been meeting in Moscow separately, and we hope that in the near future the two will be able to meet in Moscow to prepare the ground for the Presidents to meet.”

“Our job tight now as Co-Chairs is to talk to all the players,” the Ambassador said. He disclosed the plans of the Co-Chairs to visit Nagorno Karabakh to meet authorities in Stepanakert

“We cannot allow violence to be the solution to this long-standing issue. Violence is not an answer. Violence destroys families, violence harms economies, so we have to look for the most positive solution, and our job as Co-Chairs is to  continue to work together to encourage the negotiation process to continue,” he said.

“As co-chairs we try to find the most common ground for moving forward. We are facilitators. We ourselves cannot solve the issue. We can help create the conditions so that the leaders involved can make the final decision that will benefit all the people in the region,” Richard Hoagland said.

He said that although there is a new administration in Washington, the US policy remains unchanged. “We are fully committed to the Minsk Group, to the co-chairmanship process, to working quietly with all parties to find a solution that leads to peace.”

He said there are no strong differences between the three Co-Chairs, and the same goes for the governments of their respective countries. “Even if our governments disagree on certain issues, this is one issue where we really do work together extremely well.”

“The negotiation process has slowed down very dramatically, that’s why we say it’s time for the parties to return to the negating table and think how to move forward. What we want to do is to create the conditions that people feel ready and comfortable to talk again.  War is the worst possible solution. What everyone needs is a solution that brings peace and prosperity to all people involved. It’s possible to find win-win situations,” Richard Hoagland stated.

On March 24, Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian received Richard E. Hoagland, the U.S. Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group.

Steps aimed at creation of  conditions conductive to the advancement of peaceful resolution of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue discussed at the meeting.

Armenia’s Transport Minister Vahan Martirosyan will compete for the position of the UN World Travel Organization (UNWTO).

The UNWTO’s current Secretary-General, Taleb Rifai of Jordan, has served in the position since January 2010 and is stepping down at the end of this year. The organization’s 33-nation executive board will choose a nominee in May to be voted on by its General Assembly later this year to serve as Secretary-General for the 2018 to 2021 term.

Seven eligible applications have been submitted. Other candidates are Márcio Favilla, Brazil; Walter Mzembi, Zimbabwe; Zurab Pololikashvili, Georgia; Jaime Alberto Cabal Sanclemente, Colombia; Alain St. Ange, Seychelles; Dho Young-shim, South Korea.

As part of the United Nations, the UNWTO supports many of the United Nation’s programs and is one of the largest global tourism organizations that advises member states on how to develop and implement tourism policies. The organization’s mission is to, “drive economic growth, inclusive development and environmental sustainability and offer leadership and support to the sector in advancing knowledge and tourism policies worldwide,” according to its website.

UNWTO’s membership includes 157 countries, six associate members and 500 affiliate members representing the private sector, educational institutions, tourism associations and local tourism authorities.

Vahan Martirosyan was appointed as Armenia’s Minister of Transport and Communications in September 2016 and in October had a title change to Minister of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies. Martirosyan spent more than 30 years working in electrical engineering posts in Armenia, serving in various board positions of CJSC, one of the country’s largest electrical utility companies, for the past 16 years.

Reuters – Billionaire philanthropist David Rockefeller, former head of Chase Manhattan Corp and patriarch of one of the most famous and influential American families, died on Monday, a family spokesman said. He was 101.

Rockefeller, who reportedly gave away nearly $2 billion in his lifetime, died in his sleep of congestive heart failure at his home in Pocantico Hills, New York, spokesman Fraser Seitel said in a statement.

One of the few remaining links to the U.S. “gilded” era of robber barons, he was the son of John D. Rockefeller Jr., who developed New York’s Rockefeller Center, and was the last living grandson of oil tycoon John D. Rockefeller, founder of Standard Oil and the family dynasty. He also embodied an era when globe-trotting bank chiefs worked with the world’s most powerful politicians.

Manchester United legend Paul Scholes believes that new signings Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Paul Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have significantly improved the Red Devils squad, the reports.

While United many not be challenging for the Premier League title this season, they have certainly made a lot of improvements and Scholes believes that the likes of Ibrahimovic, Pogba and Henrikh Mkhitaryan have been crucial to his former side’s turnaround in fortunes.

Asked if ‘Ibrahimovic and Pogba brought some star quality back’ to Old Trafford, Scholes told the Daily Mail: “Definitely. They’re big signings.

“Henrikh Mkhitaryan as well.

“The signings in previous years weren’t good enough.

“(Louis) van Gaal signed players who didn’t have enough character or presence to play at this club.

“We knew what stars Pogba, Ibrahimovic and Mkhitaryan were.

“They’ve all played at massive clubs and were ready-made special players. It was what was needed.

“It’s no surprise how well Zlatan has done, although he would have struggled in a van Gaal team.”

Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan has instructed the Minister of Economic Development and Investments Suren Karayan to work actively with relevant structures to establish an Armenian-Russian investment fund.

The Ministry has also been instructed to work with relevant structures and interested organizations in Russia to ensure the involvement of the Russian capital in the free economic zone to be created in Meghri.

Karen Karapetyan next instructed the Minister of Agriculture to organize a meeting with representatives of Russian and other companies producing agricultural equipment to discuss the terms of supply of agricultural equipment.

The NKR National Assembly voted 20 to 7 with one abstention today to approve the President’s proposal to put the draft Constitution of the Artsakh Republic on a referendum.

“All of us are interested in having a better Constitution,” National Assembly Speaker Ashot Ghulyan said addressing the lawmakers.

“We already have certain traditions in the sphere and this maturity should become visible, when adopting the Constitution in 2017,” he said.

President’s representative Ararat Danielyan presented the main changes to the draft Constitution. All in all, 184 proposals had been submitted by factions and MPs, of which 30 were adopted. Another 13 offers were adopted partially, while the other 154 proposals were turned down due to different reasons.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan’s remarkable scorpion kick for Manchester United against Sunderland has unsurprisingly taken a landslide victory in our latest Goal of the Month poll, according to United’s official webpage.

The instinctive, skilful finish, which sealed a 3-1 win over the Black Cats at Old Trafford on Boxing Day, claimed 79 per cent of fans’ votes on ManUtd.com, from a 10-goal shortlist.

After the game, Mkhitaryan admitted to MUTV it was “the best goal I’ve ever scored”, adding: “I was very excited. The first thing I did was look at the assistant and I saw it was not ruled offside so I just started to celebrate.

“I was expecting the ball to be in front of me and then I realised I was in front of it. As the ball was behind me, the only thing I could do was a backheel so I did that and I succeeded.”

In an unprecedented result, the playmaker also finished second and third in the voting, for his efforts against Zorya Luhansk (nine per cent) and Tottenham Hotspur (four per cent).

They were Mkhitaryan’s first three strikes in a United shirt and capped an impressive December for the Armenian, who also finished as runner-up to Zlatan Ibrahimovic for our Player of the Month award.