Author: Yeghisabet Arthur

The last king of Rwanda has died in the US aged 80 years old, the BBC reports.

Born Jean-Baptiste Ndahindurwa, King Kigeli V came to power in 1959 but was only king of Rwanda until 1961, when the monarchy was abolished and he was forced into exile.

He eventually settled in the US where he set up a charity helping Rwandan refugees and orphans.

A 2013 profile in Washingtonian magazine found him living off food stamps in subsidised housing.

His death was announced on his website on Sunday.

“He was a devout and dedicated believer and the last anointed African Roman Catholic king to reign over a full country,” it said.

It addd theat “the heir to the Royal throne of Rwanda” will be “announced in good order”.

A military parade dedicated to the 25th anniversary of independence was held in Yerevan.

On 13 September Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk, NKR President’s Press Office reports.

The meeting addressed a number of issues related to the situation along the line of contact between the Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan armed forces.

Two policemen held hostage at the police station in Yerevan’s Erebuni district since Sunday have been released.

“The negotiations with members of the Sasna Tsrer (Daredevils of Sasoun) group continue,” Head of the Press Center of the Armenian National Security Service Samson Galstyan said in comments to Tert.am.

“Members of the group have voluntarily released two police hostages,” he said, without going into details about the negotiation process.

Turkey will temporarily suspend the implementation of its obligations emanating from the European Convention on Human Rights (ECHR) in line with the declaration of a state of emergency in the country, a senior government official has said, while assuring that fundamental rights and freedoms will not be affected during this period, the reports.

“France proclaimed a state of emergency, too. And they have suspended the ECHR upon article 15 of the convention,” Numan Kurtulmuş, deputy prime minister and government spokesperson, told a group of Ankara bureau chiefs of media outlets on July 21.

“A declaration of a state of emergency is not against the ECHR,” he said, adding Turkey would announce its decision to suspend the ECHR through a statement.

Article 15 of the ECHR stipulates: “In time of war or other public emergency threatening the life of the nation any High Contracting Party may take measures derogating from its obligations under this Convention to the extent strictly required by the exigencies of the situation, provided that such measures are not inconsistent with its other obligations under international law.”

The state of emergency will give the government a good opportunity to fight against coup plotters and clean the state apparatus fully of the members of the Gülenist organization, Kurtulmuş said. “I want to guarantee that fundamental rights and freedoms and normal daily life will not be affected by this. Our citizens should feel comfortable about that.”

President Serzh Sargsyan received today the Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Bulgaria in Armenia Georgi Karastamatov who is concluding his diplomatic mission in our country, President’s Press Office reports.

President Sargsyan thanked Ambassador Karastamatov for his personal contribution to the consistent development of the Armenian-Bulgarian relations and underscored that in recent years the political dialogue between the two countries has noticeably intensified constituting a solid base and guarantee for the development and strengthening of the interstate relations in all areas.

Serzh Sargsyan expressed hope that the next ambassador of Bulgaria will also spare no effort to deepen the relations between Armenia and Bulgaria and to develop cooperation in a number of mutually beneficial areas. The President of Armenia wished all the best to Georgi Karastamanov in his future endeavors.

Ambassador Karastamatov thanked the President of Armenia for the high assessment of his work and for the assistance provided to him throughout his diplomatic tenure in our country. He assured that he was leaving Armenia with warm feelings and good impressions and would forever remain a friend of the Armenian people.

Dear Compatriots,

I congratulate you on the occasion of Constitution Day.
This is an important and historic day for our country and our people. Together, we are traveling step by step down the road which leads us towards the implementation of the goals enshrined in the Constitution.
The latest constitutional reforms have proved once again that our sovereign, democratic, legal, and social state has matured; the reforms have also highlighted tendencies for our country’s upward and sustainable development. The altered version of the Constitution makes us as a society freer and stronger. At the same time, the new reality requires a responsible attitude from all of us towards the ongoing social, legal, and political processes.

I once again extend my congratulations on the occasion of this great holiday and wish that we live and work according to the letter and spirit of our Main Law.

Today, President Serzh Sargsyan, who is in Luxemburg (Grand Duchy of Luxemburg) on a working visit participated at the Summit of the European People’s Party (EPP) dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the creation of the Party. The event was chaired by the President of EPP Joseph Dole. Present at the Summit were Presidents of the European Council Donald Tusk and President of the European Commission Jean-Claude Junker, Heads of state and government of the EU and Eastern Partnership Countries – members of the EPP. They gave congratulatory speeches on the occasion of the EPP jubilee, touching in their statements upon the history of the Party, its achievements, European Community and Eastern Partnership agenda items, as well as issues related to the development and strengthening of the EPP.

On the occasion of the 40th anniversary of the largest Pan-European family – European People’s Party President Serzh Sargsyan gave a speech.

Noting that for years the EPP has been one of the most important entities for the re-assessment of the European values and a driving force behind the Pan-European advancement, Serzh Sargsyan underscored that numerous political forces – members of the EPP today too play a significant role in the political processes of many European countries.

In his statement the President of Armenia paid special tribute to the blessed memory of Wilfried Martens, who made a remarkable contribution to the creation of the Party, its maturing and copious achievements, and noted his input and multifaceted assistance to Armenia’s European integration and to the EEP membership of Armenia’s Republican Party and two alternative political forces.

The President of Armenia attached great importance to the inter-party cooperation with the EPP for the dissemination of the European political culture and strengthening of the Pan-European system of values.

“The Armenian nation is an indivisible part of the European civilization through its past and culture, aspirations and goals, while membership of the Armenian parties to the EPP stems from our common Christian heritage and commitment to the basic freedoms, democracy, and human rights. With this regard, membership of the Armenian Republican Party’s Youth and Women’s organizations to the corresponding structures of the EPP is also noteworthy.

I also highly value the EPP’s position on the issues related to Armenia in different European structures as well as on the interparliamentary platforms.

The assistance of the European People’s Party to the development of our relations with the European Union has been impressive. Today, these relations have reached an important and meaningful milestone. Negotiations on the Armenia-EU new comprehensive legal document have already kicked off. It will reflect the nature of our relations and will reveal new directions of our mutually beneficial cooperation. I have no doubt that in calling to life this new document, the EPP will stand by our side,” said President Sargsyan in his congratulatory message and expressed confidence that under the able leadership of President Dole EPP family will continue to carry its mission which stems from the fundamental values of the Party.

The Karabakh issue should be solved through negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship, Iran’s Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary to Armenia Seyyed Kazem Sajjad told reporters today.

“The Islamic Republic of Iran has always lived peacefully with its neighbors and has always tried to prevent military actions between the Armenian and Azerbaijani parties,” the Ambassador said.

“The issue should be solved through negotiations within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairmanship,” he said.

Asked about his country’s stance on the perspectives of deployment of peacekeepers at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan, the Ambassador said: “We’ve always called on both parties to show restraint. The issue of peacekeepers depends on the decisions of the leaderships in the two countries.”

Speaking about the perspectives of development of Armenian-Iranian relations after the lifting of sanctions against Iran, Mr. Sajjad said “considerable growth has been registered in the field of tourism, which, in turn, contributes to the organization of reciprocal business visits, cultural exchange and development of economic ties.”

As for the Armenia-Iran railway project, the Ambassador said “Iranian specialists have already been invited to visit Armenia to hold discussions on the issue.”

The Ambassador participated today at an international conference dedicated to poet Saadi Shirazi organized at the initiative of the Yerevan State University. The event has brought together more than 80 participants from Armenia, Georgia and Iran.