Author: Raffi Khondkarian

Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan received today the delegation led by Ambassador Herbert Salber, EU’s Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the Crisis in Georgia. Head of the EU Delegation in Armenia Piotr Switalski was present at the meeting.

The Armenian Defense Minister briefed the EU official on the recent developments at the Armenian-Azerbaijani border and the line of contact between the armed forces of Artsakh and Azerbaijan.

Minister Sargsyan emphasized the importance of targeted statements by the international community, including the EU, as well as the implementation of investigation mechanisms as important guarantees of efficiency of negotiations.

Herbert Salber noted, in turn, that the EU accepts the leading role of the OSCE Minsk Group in the settlement of the Karabakh conflict and is ready to contribute to the intensification of negotiations in that format.

Four Memorandums of Understanding were signed within the framework of the Armenia-UAE Investment Forum held in Abu Dhabi last week, the Development Foundation of Armenia reports.

The “Hydro Corporation” Group of Companies and Estekshaf Investment Company signed a MoU on investments in the field of renewable energy, which envisages implementation of large-scale and long-term programs. The programs aim to upgrade the small HPPs.

“Tamara Fruit” CJSC and Natural Organic Healthy Food Company signed an agreement, under which the Armenian company will supply organic food to luxury hotels in six Arab countries. The first delivery is expected in the first decade of April.

The Armenian-Emirati Business Union and the Natural Organic Healthy Food signed a Memorandum on opening of organic food processing center in Armenia.

Under a MoU signed with the Armenian Ministry of Energy Infrastructures and Natural Resources, the in solar photovoltaic power plants in Armenia and operate them using the best technology available to the sector.

Ilhan Askin, chairman of the Turkish Azerbaijani Cultural Association in The Hague, has been sentenced to in the Netherlands for hate speech and inciting violence, for his “Karabakh will be Armenians’ grave” chants, the European Armenian Federation for Justice and Democracy (EAFJD) reports.

Askin has been sentenced to 120 hours of community service and a suspended imprisonment of four weeks with a probation period of two years.

Askin was prosecuted for having chanted “Karabakh will be the grave of the Armenians” during a Turkish rally in Almelo. With this statement, according to the prosecutor, he incited violence against and insulted a group of people because of their Armenian descent.

On 1 June 2014 a Turkish demonstration took place in Almelo, against the Genocide memorial erected in the churchyard of the Armenian Apostolic Church in the city.

The Armenian community, namely the Federation of Armenian Organizations in the Netherlands (FAON) and Dutch Armenian Committee for Justice and Democracy (Hay Tad) had filed a complaint against the statements made during that demonstration.

The court hearing on the case on March 3 lasted for two hours and was attended by many Armenians and Turks, as well as Dutch, Armenian and Turkish media. The video played during the session showed Mr. Askin chanting the words “Karabakh will be the grave of the Armenians” several times, and a crowd of a few thousand people repeating the slogan.

Mr. Askin stated that he doesn’t consider his statements an offence. He said that his expressions relate to a specific region, where due to the current situation war will possibly break out and blood will be shed. He believes that he has not done anything wrong. He declared he doesn’t regret his statements.

The Prosecutor extensively explained the process of examination of the case and demanded 80 hours of community service and a suspended imprisonment of two weeks with a probation period of two years, because it is necessary to give a strong message.

Iskander missile systems supplied by Russia in 2016 are owned and managed by the Armenian Armed Forces, Armenian Defense Minister Vigen Sargsyan told .

On 6 February Artsakh President Bako Sahakyan signed a decree, according to which serviceman of the NKR Defense Army Gor Gareginyan was posthumously awarded with the “For Service in Battle” medal for bravery shown during the defense of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic state border.

Gor Gareginyan was killed as a result of ceasefire violation by the Azerbaijani side at about 11:00 this morning.

Georgian citizens will be able to enter the Schengen area without a visa for short stays, under a new law passed by Parliament on Thursday.

The legislation still needs to be formally approved by the Council and will only enter into force once the suspension mechanism, which allows the temporary reintroduction of visas in the event of migration surges or risks to public security, is in place.

Parliament´s rapporteur for the proposal, Mariya Gabriel (EPP, BG), acknowledged the “broad and complex reforms” carried out by Georgia in order to get the visa waiver and thanked the country’s authorities and citizens for their consistency and patience. She also congratulated them on the strength of their democratic conviction and noted that the visa exemption brings the country closer to the EU.

Under the visa exemption, endorsed in plenary by 553 votes to 66, with 28 abstentions, Georgians who hold a biometric passport will have the right to enter the EU visa-free for 90 days in any 180-day period, for business, tourist or family purposes, but not to work.

Tbilisi has complied with all the benchmarks of its visa liberalisation plan, the text notes, underlining that “continuous fulfilment by Georgia of such criteria, especially on the fight against organised crime, will be duly monitored by the Commission.”

The visa waivers apply to the Schengen area, which includes 22 EU member states (all except Ireland, the UK, Croatia, Cyprus, Romania and Bulgaria), plus Iceland, Liechtenstein, Norway and Switzerland.

 

The legal change transferring Georgia from the list of countries whose nationals need a visa to enter the EU (the “negative” list) to the list of countries exempted from this requirement (the “positive” list) will have now to be approved by the Council of Ministers. Following its formal signature, the text will be published in the EU Official Journal.

The visa waiver for Georgia will enter into force on the same date as the revised  suspension mechanism, approved by Parliament on 15 December but still pending finalisation of the official translation of the legal texts

A new photo exhibit highlighting work created by Armenian and Turkish photographers during a five-month-long collaborative project opened on January 24, 2017, at the NPAK/ACCEA (the Armenian Center for Contemporary Experimental Art) in Yerevan.

The exhibit features work from 24 young Armenian and Turkish photojournalists, who spent five months taking a remarkable set of photographs that tell the story of their lives and underscore the similarities that exist between them.

“What makes this exhibit so compelling is the emphasis on shared stories, based on the fundamental premise that what connects us is greater than what divides us,” said U.S. Ambassador to Armenia Richard Mills, Jr. at the opening of the exhibit. “It is powerful and inspiring to see how this project is building bridges between our talented participants from Armenia and Turkey, and among their audiences, whether they visit the exhibit in person or follow the project online at the #BridgingStories Instagram page.”

With the sponsorship of the U.S. Embassy in Yerevan, the #BridgingStories project was implemented by the Storyteller’s Café NGO and led by co-teachers Anush Babajanyan and Serra Akcan under the tutelage of the acclaimed National Geographic photographer John Stanmeyer. #BridgingStories has garnered attention from around the world as participants have posted many of their images to Instagram, highlighting the similarities and parallel interests and experiences shared by the young people from both countries. Currently on display at NPAK/ACCEA are 72 photos that best capture the #BridgingStories theme.

The 24 participants, 12 each from Turkey and Armenia, were selected through a rigorous application process last summer and came together for an intensive photojournalism workshop in Dilijan, Armenia, in August 2016. Once back in their hometowns, they continued working with each other and with Mr. Stanmeyer, Ms. Babajanyan, and Ms. Akcan to hone their story telling skills and perfect their images. By photographing life in the towns and cities where they live, and sharing these images via the Instagram account “#BridgingStories,” they continue to connect with each other and with their global audience.

The free exhibition in Yerevan will run from January 24 to February 7.

The Stepantsminda-Lars highway is open for all types of vehicles as of 10 a.m. January 11, the Georgian Ministry of infrastructures and Territorial Development has informed the Armenian Ministry of Transport, Communication and Information Technologies.

The Ministry warns, however, that tire chains need to be used.

Photo: Reuters

 

President Barack Obama has called on Americans to defend their democracy in his farewell speech in Chicago, the BBC reports.

“By almost every measure, America is a better, stronger place” than it was eight years ago when he took office, he told thousands of supporters.

But he warned “democracy is threatened whenever we take it for granted”.

He implored Americans of all backgrounds to consider things from each other’s point of view, saying “we have to pay attention and listen”.

The country’s first black president, now 55, was first elected in 2008 on a message of hope and change.

His successor, Donald Trump, has vowed to undo some of Mr Obama’s signature policies. He will be sworn into office on 20 January.

Raucous chants of “four more years” from the crowd were brushed aside by the president. “I can’t do that,” he said with a smile. US presidents are limited to two terms by the constitution.

“No, no, no, no no,” he said, when the crowd booed the prospect of Mr Trump replacing him.

Striking an upbeat tone, Mr Obama said that the peaceful transfer of power between presidents was a “hallmark” of American democracy.

But, he outlined three threats to American democracy – economic inequality, racial divisions and the retreat of different segments of society into “bubbles”, where opinions are not based on “some common baseline of facts”.

Sputnik/Evgeny Yepanchintsev

 

According to press service of the Southern Military District, Russian Air Defense Troops repelled a missile attack by a simulated enemy during a drill at a military base in Armenia, reports.

Russian Air Defense Troops repelled a missile attack by a simulated enemy during a drill at a military base in Armenia, the press service of the Southern Military District said on Monday.

“At more than 6,500 feet Air Defense units of the Russian Transcaucasia searched, identified, tracked and struck with electronic missile launches … the simulated enemy,” the statement released by the press service said. According to the statement, Russian military took a 93-mile-long cross-country march to the Alagyaz training range and back.

The attack of the simulated enemy that, according to the drill’s scenario, used weapons of mass destruction was repelled with Buk-M1-2 and S300-V missile systems. The maneuvers were held in rocky snow-covered mountains, the statement added.