Author: Meline Chalian

“No Armenian military positions are under Azerbaijani control at this point,” Armenia’s First Deputy Defense Minister David Tonoyan told reporters today.

As for reports on the violation of truce, Tonoyan said “shooting continues and no ceasefire has been established.”

“There is an agreement on maintenance of truce, but the rival keeps shooting,” he concluded.

 

 

 

The CNN listened to the Foreign Ministers of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan as it presented developments along the line of contact.

“In the early hours of April 2 Azerbaijan initiated an unprecedented escalation at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, using military equipment, artillery and aircraft,” NKR Foreign Minister Karen Mirzoyan told CNN.

“The Azerbaijani side fired artillery shells not only on the military positions, but also the populated areas, which resulted in many casualties, including among the civilian population,” Mirzoyan added.

Elmar Mammadyarov’s stated that “Azerbaijan is most interested in a peaceful settlement,” but said “we need a result from the point of view that our territories are under occupation.”

In response to the statement, teh NKR Foreign Minister said “it’s not a matter of territories, it’s a matter of self-determination.” “Twenty five years ago these people voted for independence, and now the current regime is Baku is trying to oppress this people not only by diplomatic, but also military means, which is a dangerous development.”

“We are looking for a diplomatic settlement, for a mechanism that will provide us with an opportunity of co-existence in this region,” the NKR Foreign Minister said.

Karen Mirzoyan added that “Karabakh highly appreciates the efforts of the OSCE Minsk Group, the international community, but added that any “unaddressed calls to both parties are received by Azerbaijan not as a sign of concern, not as a sign that it’s time to stop the violence, but as a sign that it could continue its policy.”

“We heard opinions from both sides,” the CNN host said at the end of the debate.

 

Armenian diplomats in Brussels and the delegation of the National Assembly have not suffered as a result of the blasts in the city, Spokesman for the Armenian ministry of Foreign Affairs Tigran Balayan said in a Twitter post.

Several explosions struck Brussels airport and the metro system, causing at least 13 deaths, Belgian media say.

Two blasts tore through the departures area of Zaventem airport shortly after 08:00 local time (07:00 GMT).

An hour later, an explosion hit Maalbeek metro station, close to the EU institutions. The airport and whole metro system have been closed.

The attacks come four days after Salah Abdeslam, the main suspect in the Paris attacks, was captured in Brussels.

The Belgian government has confirmed casualties at the airport but has given no numbers. The cause of the explosions is unknown.

Belgium has now raised its terror threat to its highest level.

Photo by Raul Roa

 

April 24 will be now designated “Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day” in the Glendale Unified School District after a unanimous vote by school board members on Tuesday, according to the .

Since the 2013-14 school year, students and teachers have been given the day off on April 24 — globally observed as the recognition of the Armenian Genocide — because so many of them take part in genocide events, such as the annual remembrance march through Hollywood.

However, school officials wanted to locally brand the day, which until now was referred to only as a non-instructional day.

“Every calendar in the school district, it’s going to be printed ‘Armenian Genocide [Commemoration] Day,” said board member Greg Krikorian. “It’s going to be embedded in there.”

Glendale Unified is the first school district in the country to establish a day in remembrance of the genocide, which began in 1915 and resulted in the killing of 1.5 million Armenians at the hands of the Ottoman Empire.

Glendale has one of the largest Armenian populations outside of Armenia.

Krikorian said the genocide remembrance day is also about welcoming other ethnicities to participate and learn about the genocide, adding that while growing up in Hartford, Conn., he learned a lot about the local Irish and Italian populations.

“I think it’s good to know what your neighbors and co-workers went through,” he said.

Christine Walters, board president, echoed those statements, saying the commemoration day is also a lesson about man’s inhumanity to man.

“I think for us to be able to really embrace our cultural history and our collective cultural history is extremely important and really educating students about how things can get out of control,” she said.

While it is important to afford people the time to observe April 24 in their own ways, it’s also significant for the day to have a label, said board member Armina Gharpetian.

“Naming the day has a lot more value and meaning to our students, to our teachers, to the whole entire district and the city,” she said.

Elen Asatryan, executive director of the Armenian National Committee of America – Western Region, praised the decision during the school board meeting.

She spoke of the massive relief effort by the United States immediately following the Armenian Genocide in the form of aid, including opening 400 orphanages and caring for 132,000 orphans. Establishing “Armenian Genocide Commemoration Day” is a way of expressing appreciation for that aid, Asatryan said.

“You’re also commemorating those who have really risked their lives and gone overseas during that time to really help save the Armenian nation,” she said.

Photo: Getty Images

 

Borussia Dortmund have been charged by Uefa after 17 Tottenham fans were injured in a crush before last week’s Europa League first leg, The Guardian reports.

Fans were hurt as they struggled to enter the Westfalenstadion before the last-16 game and Uefa has opened disciplinary proceedings against the German club.

Uefa’s control, ethics and disciplinary body has charged Dortmund with blocking stairways at the ground, which would breach Article 38 of the safety and security regulations. The case will be heard on 19 May.

Spurs fans were treated for injuries caused by police pepper spray while another reportedly had to be carried away on a stretcher.

The congestion developed as supporters were redirected towards a different entrance into the stadium shortly before kick-off.

Dortmund police said the late arrival of Spurs fans had created unexpected pressure on the entrances, which had to be temporarily closed.

A statement read: “In order to prevent an uncontrolled entrance of the followers of Tottenham, pepper spray and baton was used by the police, in which 17 English supporters were slightly injured due to eye irritation. Furthermore, a police officer and five employees of the security service were wounded in the course of these measures.”

Tottenham lost the last 16 match 3-0, with the second leg to be played at White Hart Lane on Thursday.

President Serzh Sargsyan held consultations today on Armenian-Austrian relations, the ongoing programs and the perspectives of development. Arman Kirakosyan, Armenia’s Ambassador to Austria and the country’s representative to a number of international organizations accredited to Vienna, presented a report.

“Austria is a friendly country, a developed country and we are building our relations, taking note of the joint historic path., i.e. we develop our relations on the basis of firm historic grounds,” he said. The President reminded that Austria was one of the first to respond after the devastating earthquake of 1988.

President Sargsyan said Austria is extremely important to us for its rich experience of development in the fields of information technologies, medicine, tourism and infrastructures.

“I think we have good chances of increasing the Austrian investments in Armenia, especially in the field of industry, as there are a number of powerful companies in Austria investing in different countries of the world, and Armenia could provide wide opportunities as a member of the Eurasian Economic Union,” the President said, adding that “we are ready to create favorable conditions for any serious investor.”

Task performance readiness inspection takes place in the Russian military base in Armenia in the course of the Southern MD unannounced combat readiness inspection, the Russian Ministry of Defense reports.

In the course of the inspection, motorized rifle, tank, artillery, air defence and special units are holding tactic, firing and driving control exercises.

The training is held at Kamhud and Alagyaz high-mountainous ranges and Erebuni military airfield. The main task of the inspection is to assess readiness level of the units to perform assigned tasks.

Navodchil-2 and Orlan-10 UAV complexes are used in order to provide control over the units.

The training is taking place at day- and nighttime at the altitude of 800-2,500 meters above the sea level in extreme weather conditions.

30- and 100-kilometer marching with meeting different qualification standards in units will become the final stage of the training.

On 15 January Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan partook at the meeting of the Defense Army’s Military Council dedicated to summing up the results of 2015 and the 2016 action plan, NKR Presidents’ Press Office reports.

In his speech the President touched upon the process of army building, outlined the accomplishments and existing problems. The President evaluated satisfactory the activities implemented in 2015.

Bako Sahakyan qualified geopolitical situation in the region and the world as a complicated and tense one, which generated new tasks of strategic nature.

The President highlighted that the Defense Army had always been and would remain the most important guarantor of independence, security and natural development of the Artsakh Republic, fulfilling its high mission with utmost responsibility under any conditions.

The Head of the State gave concrete instructions to the defense minister and the supreme command staff of the Defense Army towards solving on a proper level the issues the Armed Forces faced.

The Republic of Armenia defense minister of Seyran Ohanyan, head of the General Staff of the RA Armed forces, colonel-general Yuri Khachaturov and other officials partook at the consultation.

Photo: Sputnik/ Valery Melnikov

 

Syrian forces repelled an Islamic State attempt to take control over the strategic Kweiris airbase in the eastern part of Allepo province, sputnik news reports.