Author: Vatche Chakhmakhchian

More than 50 miners are trapped after an explosion in a coal mine in Iran, state media reports say, the BBC reports.

It happened at the Zemestan-Yurt mine in Golestan province in the north.

Two people are reported to have died and 25 others are wounded. One emergency services spokesman said that 16 people had managed to escape.

There are some reports that the incident was caused by a gas explosion, possibly as someone was attempting to start a lorry engine.

Pirhossein Koulivand, the head of Iran’s emergency services, told the country’s news agencies that the number of trapped miners may be much higher, with 40 trapped in one section, and a similar number in another.

He said that 12 miners had escaped unhurt, and another four were injured and taken to hospital for treatment.

The rescue operation has reportedly been hampered by concerns about gas in the tunnels.

– Turkey under President Tayyip Erdogan has turned its back on joining the European Union, at least for now, the bloc’s top official dealing with Ankara said, offering economic cooperation instead if both sides can restore friendly ties.

After years of stalemate on Turkey’s bid to join the world’s biggest trading bloc, EU governments say the process is dead, citing Erdogan’s crackdown on dissidents, his ‘Nazi’ jibes at Germany and a referendum giving him sweeping new powers that a rights group says lack checks and balances.

“Everybody’s clear that, currently at least, Turkey is moving away from a European perspective,” European Commissioner Johannes Hahn, who oversees EU membership bids, told Reuters.

“The focus of our relationship has to be something else,” he said in an interview after EU foreign ministers met in Malta and where France and Germany led efforts to consider a new deal with Ankara based on trade and security ties.

“We have to see what could be done in the future, to see if we can restart some kind of cooperation,” Hahn said on Saturday, saying that he had not had meetings on the economy with NATO-member Turkey since January last year, normally a fixture of accession talks.

The EU process is not formally frozen, but EU lawmakers called last week for a formal halt to talks, with some saying Turkey no longer met the democratic criteria to be considered a candidate, let alone a full member, for the EU.

Erdogan told Reuters in an interview last week that Turkey would not wait at Europe’s door forever and would walk away from accession talks if what he said was rising Islamophobia and hostility from some member states persist.

Launched in 2005 after decades of seeking the formal start of an EU membership bid, negotiations dovetailed with Erdogan’s first economic reforms in power as prime minister from 2003.

EU officials say Turkish reforms to enter the EU brought stability and attracted foreign investment, making Turkey an important emerging economy with high-speed trains crossing the strategically-located country bridging Europe and Asia.

That economic success remains part of Erdogan’s popularity with the pious Turkish poor, who saw living standards rise, although Hahn noted the worsening state of Turkey’s economy now.

The European Union is Turkey’s biggest foreign investor and biggest trading partner, while Turkey shares a border with Iraq, Syria and with Russia in the Black Sea.

Hahn said he would present a report by early next year to EU governments to clarify Turkey’s status. The lack of urgency shows the reluctance of EU states to upset Ankara, given that they rely on Turkey to keep migrants from coming to Europe, diplomats said.

But Hahn said that limits on with press freedoms, mass jailing and shrinking civil rights made it almost impossible at the present time for Turkey to meet EU joining criteria.

Hahn said EU rules “were not negotiable” and the bloc would not “decouple the human rights situation” from discussions.

“There is no version of Turkish democracy. There is only democracy. Turkish people have the same rights to live in freedom as Europeans do,” said Hahn, whose delegation in Turkey has visited dissidents in prison.

A slim majority of 51.4 percent of Turkish voters voted in April to grant the president sweeping new powers, the biggest overhaul of the country’s politics since the founding of the modern republic, amid opposition accusations of vote fraud.

Asked if the European Union was partly responsible for Turkey’s turn towards a more centralised system, Hahn said the drive to change had come from inside the country.

“Nobody can claim to be blameless, but it is always the sovereign decision of a country (to decide policy) … If you have a certain vision in mind, it is difficult to intervene in a meaningful way,” Hahn said.

“All these reform efforts are not done for the European Union but for the sake of (Turkish) citizens,” Hahn said, referring to the process that helped transform former communist countries in central and eastern Europe into thriving market democracies as they sought to join the European Union.

“This is not about serving the Europeans,” he said.

A large explosion has hit an area near Damascus international airport, the Syrian Observatory for Human Rights says, the BBC reports.

“The blast was huge and could be heard in Damascus,” said Rami Abdel Rahman, head of the UK-based monitoring group.

The airport lies about 25 km (15 miles) south-east of Syria’s capital.

The blast was reportedly followed by a large fire. There is no word on casualties. The cause is unclear.

 

Photo: AFP

 

Armenian peacekeepers are safe after the Taliban attack on an army base on Friday, Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense Artsrun Hovhannisyan reports.

“No of the Armenian peacekeepers has been hurt in the attack on the Mazar-e Sharif in northern Balkh province. they continue service in another base,” Hovhannisyan said in a Facebook post.

More than 100 Afghan soldiers were killed or wounded in a Taliban attack on an army base on Friday.

A police helicopter carrying 12 people crashed in the eastern province of Tunceli, Turkey, on April 18, the local governor’s office has said, adding that the crash may have been caused by poor weather conditions, the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

The helicopter was carrying a judge, seven police officers, one sergeant and three crew members, the Tunceli Governor’s Office said in a statement.

Heavy fog in the region made the rescue operation difficult, Turkish media reports said.

– The Pasadena Armenian Community Organizations Committee has organized a community-wide two-part event series designated, Resistance|Rebuilding|Redefining, which will take place on consecutive Sundays with Part I taking place at the Pasadena Armenian Center on Washington Blvd, and ending with Part II at the Pasadena First Church of the Nazarene’s, Lee Chapel.

Both events have been organized as part of the upcoming commemoration of the 102nd anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. The struggle against Genocide and human rights atrocities is still present and prevalent today. Now, as in the past, the world is experiencing a contentious political climate where genocide is rife and subversive ideological strife common place. Genocides that have taken place in recent history have yet to teach us a lesson on humanity’s enduring willingness to commit evil and inability to live in peace with each other. In retrospect, hope is always there, in perpetuity, for a better and peaceful tomorrow.

“I can’t fathom that the Armenian Genocide has not been resolved to this day!” said organizing committee member Victoria Dochoghlian. “It’s time steps were taken by the world’s community of powers to rectify the aberration, the mistakes and the iniquities of the past, which caused humanity to deviate from its path, causing a degradation in its conscience, and then proceeded to propel itself into irretrievable ruin.”

Committee Chairperson, Taleen Hindoyan, stressed that, “For far too long, the world has shamefully sat back and neglected to resolve the “Epic” miscarriage of justice that is the Armenian Genocide.” “For, as long as this genocide remains unresolved, and history fails to correct the heinous misdeeds of the Ottoman Turks, the depravity of which has caused untold pain and suffering on the Armenian Nation, the stain of evil and shame will be engraved “permanently” on humanity’s legacy.”

On March 24, Edward Nalbandian, Minister of Foreign Affairs of Armenia, received Ibrahim Rahimpour, Deputy Foreign Minister of Iran.

Edward Nalbandian congratulated Ibrahim Rahimpour on the occasion of Nowruz wishing progress and prosperity to the people of Iran.

Ibrahim Rahimpour conveyed to Edward Nalbandian good wishes from Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif.

The parties touched upon the process of implementation of the agreements reached during the visit of the President of Iran to Armenia late last year. Ibrahim Rahimpour underlined that visits of the President, First Vice-President and a number of ministers of Iran to Armenia in 2016 attest to the importance attached by Iran to the relations with Armenia.

Minister Nalbandian and Deputy Minister Rahimpour discussed a wide range of issues on bilateral agenda. Both sides highlighted the importance of continuous efforts aimed at further deepening of trade and economic cooperation.

Issues of EAEU-Iran cooperation were on the agenda of the meeting.

The interlocutors noted with satisfaction the presence of numerous Iranian tourists in Armenia on the occasion of Nowruz and emphasized the importance of the agreement on visa liberalisation reached between the two states last year.

Edward Nalbandian and Ibrahim Rahimpour touched upon the issue of regular consultations between the Ministries of Foreign Affairs of the two countries.

The sides also exchanged views on urgent international and regional issues and the situation in the Middle East.

Turkish President Erdogan has praised the arrest of a German journalist and accused Germany’s Angela Merkel of using “Nazi measures,” in a fresh attack on Berlin. A Turkish paper also slammed DW for “terror propaganda,” reports.

Ankara launched a new wave of anti-German rhetoric on Sunday, with President Recep Tayyip Erdogan calling out the German chancellor in a televised speech.

“When we call them Nazis, they (Europe) get uncomfortable. They rally together in solidarity. Especially Merkel,” Erdogan said.

“But you are right now employing Nazi measures,” he said, addressing Merkel directly and using the unofficial, personal way of saying “you” in Turkish.

Erdogan has previously accused both the Netherlands and Germany of acting like Nazis after the two countries prevented Turkish ministers from holding campaign rallies on their territory.

In his Sunday speech, Erdogan accused Merkel personally of using Nazi methods against his “Turkish brother citizens in Germany and brother ministers.” The row with Europe “showed that a new page had been opened in the ongoing fight against our country,” he added.

Berlin was decidedly not amused, saying that the Turkish president had “gone too far.” Foreign Minister Sigmar Gabriel told the Passauer Neue Presse that he warned Ankara against continuing this “shocking” rhetoric.

“We are tolerant but we’re not stupid,” Gabriel said. “That’s why I have let my Turkish counterpart know very clearly that a boundary has been crossed here.”

Erdogan also described German reporter Deniz Yucel, who had been arrested  in Turkey, as a “terror agent.” Yucel was initially detained after reporting on emails allegedly coming from the private account of Berat Albayrak, Turkey’s energy minister and Erdogan’s son-in-law.

“Thank God he has been arrested,” the Turkish president said.

Berlin has urged Yucel’s release and rejected earlier claims that he was working as a German spy

A week after Jose Mourinho criticised their pitch, the Russian Premier League has “banned” FC Rostov from hosting league games due to “shortfalls” in the playing surface, the BBC reports.

Manchester United drew 1-1 at the Olimp-2 Stadium in their Europa League last-16 first-leg tie last Thursday thanks to a goal from Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

“It’s hard for me to believe we are going to play on that field, if you can call it a field,” Mourinho had said.

Rostov now have until 24 March to bring their pitch up to standard.

The pitch was dry and bobbly, and after the match Mourinho said the conditions made it “impossible to play a passing game”.

Rostov will have their pitch inspected again on 24 March, with their next home game on 31 March against FC Krasnodar.

Uefa had deemed the pitch playable for the Europa League game, but the Russian Premier League say they have different regulations in place.

United and Rostov play the second leg at Old Trafford on Thursday.

Like Rostov, Rubin Kazan’s Central Stadium has also been banned by the Russian Premier League.

Armenian Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian does not exclude the perspective of having one country recognize Artsakh Republic by the end of year. “Recognition by one country is not enough, but everything has its beginning,” Minister Nalbandian told reporters in Stepanakert, as he commented on the possibility of recognition of Artsakh’s independence by Armenia.

“The negotiation process is aimed at exceptionally peaceful settlement of the conflict. We should reach not just recognition, but also realization of Artsakh people for self-determination. This will allow to hope for Artsakh’s recognition,” Edward Nalbandian said.

The Foreign Ministry said “Azerbaijan is losing in the negotiations, the Azerbaijani leadership has forced itself into deadlock, because what the Azerbaijani leadership is doing is completely different from what the Co-Chairs holding international mandate are doing.”

“Having forced itself into deadlock, the Azeri side is trying to use force, which, they think will bring them bigger success.  But soldiers in Artsakh have proven their illusions are void,” Minister Nalbandian stated.