Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with CSTO Secretary General Nikolay Bordyuzha today.
The Armenian FM briefed CSTO Secretary General on the situation established as a result of Azerbaijani offensive against Nagorno Karabakh.
During the meeting reference was made to Armeniaâs presidency of the CSTO, a number of issues on the organizationâs agenda.
The interlocutors exchanged views on the schedule of future meetings within the framework of the CSTO.
An EgyptAir airliner has been hijacked and forced to divert to Larnaca airport on the south coast of Cyprus, the BBC reports.
Flight MS181, an Airbus A320 carrying 81 passengers from Alexandria to Cairo, was taken over after a passenger said he was wearing an explosives belt.
EgyptAir said negotiations had resulted in the release of all those on board apart from the crew and four passengers.
No demands have been made by those in control of the plane.
Larnaca airport has been closed and scheduled flights diverted elsewhere.
Statement by Edward Nalbandian, Foreign Minister of Armenia at the High Level Segment of the 31st Session of the UN Human Rights Council
Mr. President,
Excellences,
Ladies and Gentlemen,
Ten years of successful experience of the Council is by itself an achievement but it is also a major responsibility. The experiences of recent years prove that human rights, peace and security are interrelated.
Today the world is facing unprecedented threats and challenges. We are facing the rise of hatred, xenophobia and racial discrimination, facing situations, where the right to life is under serious threat, as war and other acts of mass violence continue to take the lives of thousands of innocent human beings around the world.
Armenia condemns the atrocities, the crimes against humanity perpetrated in the Middle East, by âDaesh”, Al-Nusra and other terrorist groups, which constitute a threat to the existence of religious and ethnic minorities in the region, including the Armenians who have been for centuries a genuine component of the cultural diversity of the Middle East.
About 20.000 refugees sought protection in Armenia due to the conflict, on per capita basis making our country as the third largest recipient of Syrian refugees in Europe. We welcome the initiative to convene high-level meeting on global responsibility sharing through pathways for admission of Syrian refugees which will take place at the end of March, here in Geneva.
During its existence, the Human Rights Council has played a key role in international efforts aimed at genocide prevention. There is a growing consensus in the international community that prevention will be effective if it is accompanied by the fight against impunity, against the denigration and denial of the committed genocides.
Armenia continuously works on the concept of genocide prevention, and regularly presents to the Human Rights Council appropriate resolutions.
In March last year the Human Rights Council, upon the initiative of Armenia, unanimously adopted a resolution on the Prevention of Genocide. I would like to take this opportunity to express our appreciation to all countries who cosponsored and supported this resolution. In follow up to this initiative Armenia continued its efforts within the UN General Assembly by introducing a resolution on designating the 9th of December as International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.
This year marks the 50th anniversary of the adoption of the International Covenants on Human Rights. The first article of these Covenants proclaims: âAll peoples have the right of self-determination. By virtue of that right they freely determine their political status and freely pursue their economic, social and cultural development.â It is well known that the UN Charter underlines the respect for the principle of equal rights and self-determination of peoples as a purpose of this organization.
This right is among the basic principles presented by the international mediators for the settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. Armenia fully shares this approach because, without free and full exercise of this right, a whole range of human rights are unattainable and lasting peace endangered. We do agree with the view, expressed in the UN, that self-determination is an expression of democracy, and its implementation is essential to the establishment of a peaceful international order.
According to the Geneva Conventions civilians may under no circumstances be the object of attack and must be protected. Armenia strongly condemns the continued attacks of Azerbaijani military forces against civilians and civilian objects along the Armenia-Azerbaijan border and the line of contact with Nagorno-Karabakh. It is yet another gross violation of the international humanitarian law by Baku. It requires immediate reaction from the international organizations.
Mr. President,
I would like to add a few words about Armeniaâs human rights commitments and new developments within human rights agenda.
Armenia continues its efforts aimed at consolidating democratic institutions, strengthening the rule of law, national mechanisms for the protection and promotion of human rights and sustains strong partnership with the international organizations. We actively work with all UN human rights mechanisms, including special procedures and treaty bodies.
Constitutional reform in Armenia that the Venice Commission of the Council of Europe characterized as of âextremely high qualityâ and âin line with international standardsâ, was approved by the nation-wide referendum last December. It is another important step also aimed at advancing many of the mentioned goals.
In 2015, Armenia passed through the second cycle of the Universal Periodic Review. In November last year, a government-civil society dialogue was held, during which the process of implementation of the UPR recommendations was discussed. The government of Armenia is planning to submit a mid-term progress report which will be continuation of the best practices of work within the UPR process and gives us more opportunities to assess the current situation and rightly planning further actions. The successful implementation of recommendations stemming from the UPR and other UN human rights mechanisms will further strengthen Armeniaâs human rights records and strengthen the rule of law and democracy.
Thank you.
Tonight, at the A. Spendiarian
President Serzh Sargsyan was present at the 15th Haikian award ceremony of the Youth Fund of Armenia at the Opera and Ballet National Academic Theater after Alexander Spendiaryan. It is called to encourage achievements of the youth organizations, certain young individuals, including students who in the course of the year stood out with their active stance and substance of the programs carried out in different areas.
The 2015 awards were bestowed in a number of nominations such as the best public youth organization in Yerevan, the best public youth organization in marzes, the exceptional youth project, the best Chairperson of the Student Council, the best higher education establishment program, the best youth announcement, the best journalistic project, the best international structure, the best scientific achievements made by a young scientist, the best student self-governing body.
Along with the traditional nominations presented were also special awards which were handed to the winners by President Serzh Sargsyan. Special awards were handed to Gohar Martikian for the Formula of Living military and patriotic book collection-program, Youth State Orchestra of Armenia for its contribution to the dissemination of classical art among young people and public at large and on the occasion of its 10th anniversary, to Edgar Vardanian â an alumnus of the specialized school of Physics and Mathematics for excellence in the international subject Olympiads in 2014-2015, to Samvel Karapetian for the Eghern after Eghern program carried out in the framework of the events dedicated to the 100th anniversary of the Armenian Genocide, Aram Antinian for implementing the idea on the creation of the first in Armenia charity cafĂ© and for helping numerous needy people, to the serviceman of the Armenian Armed Forces, Major Sargis Stepanian for valor in executing his duties and infinite dedication. President Sargsyan congratulated all winners of Haikian award and once again welcomed and stressed the importance of this initiative by the Armenian Youth Fund and wished the young people undying vigor and new success.
âI would like to confess frankly that I always attend the Haikian award ceremony with pleasure, because I find myself in a milieu where new ideas, new initiatives, good deeds are being commended, appreciated and encouraged. It is not only gratifying but also useful because a person gets positive impulses. I really do not have any participation in the award process, so I donât know why all the awardees thank me. Youâd rather thank your peers. This is one of the advantages of this award because the initiative comes for young people, the appreciation comes from the young too. It means that adults do not impose their will, donât say one thing is good, the other is bad. It is the young who say this one is fine, the other â not so. It is, of course, inspiring. Inspiring because what weâve seen today in this hall is directly related to the future of our country, with whatâs ahead. These are clichĂ©s, however it should be repeated constantly that the future of the country is always in the hands of the young. You all are brilliant people, nice young people. I should say frankly that the majority of our young people are brilliant, they are defending our Fatherland. Today Army is the youngest structure in our Republic. Our young people have achievements in every area. Look, today he can be called a young man â he defends Armeniaâs honor at the international subject Olympiads, there are other like him, twenty-one young people. At the moment we have success in every area, and it became possible because of young people. It means that the future of our country is in strong hands. I wish that in 20, 30, 40 years you become the speakers on this podium and you think what kind of initiatives you should come up with to encourage young people, where to lead them. And it should go on and on, for a million years. Thank you,â said President Serzh Sargsyan in his welcoming remarks for the young people.
On February 22, Armen Yeganian, Ambassador of the Republic of Armenia to Canada, had a meeting with John McCallum, Minister of Immigration, Refugees and Citizenship of Canada.
Highlighting the necessity of opening Embassy of Canada in Armenia, Ambassador Yeganian informed Minister that every year several thousands Canadian citizens visit Armenia and sometimes they experience the need of consular and immigration services of the Embassy.
The sides also discussed a number of issues concerning the recent flow of refugees to Canada. Minister McCallum underlined that he is well informed about the problems the Syrian-Armenians are facing while arriving to Canada. He stressed that the Canadian Government is implementing numerous assistance programmes, which in particular are aimed at the improvement of refugeesâ social conditions. Ambassador Yeganian expressed his gratitude to Canadian Government for the support.
During the meeting thoughts on the current visa policies between the two countries were exchanged.
Armen Yeganian briefed on the commemorative events of the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide, organized throughout 2015 in different countries, including Canada.
The results of the 31st Ministerial Conference of the International Organization of La Francophonie, which took place last October in Yerevan, were discussed.
According to WikiLeaks, NSA had bugged meetings between UN Secretary General Ban Ki-Moon and German Chancellor Angela Merkel, between Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi, as well as talks of key EU and Japanese trade ministers on “trade red-lines,” Sputnik News reports.
“Today we showed that UN Secretary General Ban KiMoon’s private meetings over how to save the planet from climate change were bugged by a country intent on protecting its largest oil companies⊠WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange said in a statement as quoted by the organization.
According to Assange, Washington signed a deal with the United Nations vowing to not engage in such activities against the organization.
“It will be interesting to see the UN’s reaction, because if the Secretary General can be targeted without consequence then everyone from world leader to street sweeper is at risk,” Assange said.
On February 13, in Munich Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian had a meeting with Victoria Nuland, the US Assistant Secretary of State.
The sides expressed satisfaction with the high-level of bilateral relations, attached importance to the steps undertaken in recent years towards the consolidation of friendly partnership between Armenia and the United States. Edward Nalbandian and Victoria Nuland exchanged views on the ways of further development of cooperation in various fields.
The Foreign Minister of Armenia and the US Assistant Secretary of State touched upon pressing regional and international issues
Edward Nalbandian and Victoria Nuland discussed the process of settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh issue.
Russia has not initiated the adoption of any new documents on the principles of settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov told a press conference in Moscow.
He reminded that there are several documents on the Karabakh settlement. âThere are five or six documents the OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs have prepared at different stages of negotiations as a step towards a peace deal that will be of legally binding, not political character,â Lavrov said.
âDifferent versions of this document have been deposited with the OSCE Secretary General and are kept in the deposits of that organization. Those are the only documents negotiated by the parties after the diplomatic contacts were resumed after a break with a view of âseeking solutions,â the Russian Foreign Minister said.
âSuch solutions are currently being searched for on the level of oral considerations. There have been several meetings with my Armenian and Azerbaijani counterparts. There are no documents other than the ones deposited with the OSCE. The rest is a search for solutions, a âbrainstormingâ,â Lavrov stated.
– Celebrity British human-rights lawyer Amal Clooney has sparked grumblings in Azerbaijan over , before the European Court of Human Rights. Azerbaijani media which often do PR hit-jobs for the government claim that Clooney is Armenian and a Turkophobe.
âClooney targets Turkic states in her path to fame,â screamed a headline in , an outlet long busy with whitewashing the Azerbaijani governmentâs human-rights record. âWe would like to note that Amal Clooney is an ethnic Armenian and she represented Armenian interests in the European Court for Human Rights,â echoed the hawkish news service.
Clooney and the a British charitable organization, will represent Ismayilova in a case brought before the European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) over the reporter’s extended pre-trial detention, MLDI attorney Nani Jansen emailed in response to a query from EurasiaNet.org. Ismayilova, 39, was detained in December 2014 on charges of allegedly having prompted a co-worker to attempt suicide. She remained in custody even after the co-worker had dropped his charges.
The MLDI also is representing Ismayilova before the ECHR concerning the government’s failure to prosecute those involved in against Ismayilova, and the violation of her right to privacy.
Clooney and the MLDI are not involved in the better known matter of Ismayilova’s seven-and-a-half-year-long prison sentence on various criminal charges. Rights groups term the prison-term retribution for
Under the ECHR rules, Ismayilova’s September 2015 sentence must first go through the Azerbaijani appeal-process before the Strasbourg-based court can consider a complaint against Azerbaijan about it. After the Baku Court of Appeals upheld the sentence, Ismayilovaâs lawyers filed a case with Azerbaijanâs Supreme Court, reported on January 18, and expect a hearing âin two to three months.â
Azerbaijani officials, bent on promoting their countryâs own profile, long have had thin-skinned reactions to international shaming over Ismayilova’s sentencing.
The fact that Clooney is actually of Lebanese extraction matters little for Azerbaijanâs pro-government media, known for its time-honored tradition of blaming various woes on the countryâs next-door enemy, Armenia, with which Azerbaijan has a decades-long conflict over the breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh region.
The attacks on Clooney focused on she led against a Turkish politician in the European Court of Human Rights. That case feeds the accusations that the 37-year-old attorney is on an anti-Turkic binge. Turkey and Azerbaijan share Turkic ties and, as close allies, both oppose Armenia on Karabakh.
âAnti-Turkic activities indeed helped Amal, a Lebanese by origin with close roots to large Armenian community in her motherland, to get distinguished in her lawyer career,â opined journalist Gunal Camal in her piece for AzerNews. The reporter maintained that the said âanti-Turkicâ spree is Clooneyâs âbid to catch up [with] with her husband [Hollywood star George Clooney]âs fame.â
To add a twist to the tale, the government-aligned cited Ismayilovaâs two Azerbaijani lawyers, Fakhraddin Mehdiyev and Fariz Namazli, as saying they know nothing about Clooneyâs involvement in the case over Ismayilova’s sentencing. Namazli, however, is named as the Azerbaijani counsel in .
That said, a high-profile lawyer championing any of Ismayilovaâs cases could be enough to rile Baku; low prices for oil, a key economic engine, already have put the government on the defensive.
Secret files exposing evidence of widespread suspected match-fixing at the top level of world tennis, including at Wimbledon, can be revealed by the and BuzzFeed News.
Over the last decade, 16 players who have ranked in the top 50 have been repeatedly flagged to the Tennis Integrity Unit (TIU) over suspicions they have thrown matches.
All of the players, including winners of Grand Slam titles, were allowed to continue competing.
The TIU– set up to police the sport – said it had a zero-tolerance approach to betting-related corruption.
Chris Kermode, who heads the Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the body that governs world tennis, rejected claims evidence of match-fixing had “been suppressed for any reason or isn’t being thoroughly investigated”.
But he added: “While the BBC and BuzzFeed reports mainly refer to events from about 10 years ago, we will investigate any new information.”
The cache of documents passed to the BBC and Buzzfeed News include the findings of an investigation set up in 2007 by the ATP.