Category: 2018

Sports: Netherlands U19’s started a four-nation tournament in Armenia with a comfortable 4-0 win over the hosts.

Hagop Kamalian
Football-Oranje, The Netherlands
Nov 14 2018


Netherlands U19’s started a four-nation tournament in Armenia with a comfortable 4-0 win over the hosts. 

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Armenia will host next years U19 European Championships, but over the next week the country plays host to a four-nation tournament involving Netherlands, Germany and Portugal.

On Wednesday, Netherlands came up against Armenia and eased to a simple 4-0 victory. By half-time, it was already 3-0 with Sepp van den Berg heading in the opener before Daishawn Redan and Jurgen Ekkelenkamp netted.

In the second half, CheickToure missed a penalty but the Feyenoord winger eventually added the fourth with a nice finish on the turn.

In the other game on Wednesday, Portugal beat Germany 1-0. Netherlands come up against Germany on Saturday.

Azerbaijani Press: Azeri leader lambastes Armenian "antics" towards Belarus

Meline Chalian
AzerTag, Azerbaijan
Nov 14 2018
Azeri leader lambastes Armenian "antics" towards Belarus

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev has said that Baku's arms purchase from Belarus has caused "psychotic episodes" in Armenia. Baku and Yerevan are locked in the protracted dispute over breakaway Nagorno-Karabakh.

"We purchase military hardware from Belarus and are very pleased with its quality and characteristics. The Belarus military industry also performs at a very high level and we intend to continue cooperation in the military-technical sphere. But as you know that causes, let me call it, psychotic episodes in Armenia, which is very surprising because Azerbaijan does not only buy weapons from Belarus. Russia is the biggest arms supplier of Azerbaijan. We buy large amounts of ammunition and hardware from Turkey, Israel, Pakistan and European countries too. Therefore, it is surprising that they have reservations exclusively about Belarus," President Aliyev said in Russian at a meeting with the Belarusian ambassador in Baku. The video of the meeting was posted on the website of the state-owned AzarTAC news agency on 14 November.

Aliyev went on to say that Armenia has "inferiority complex" to Belarus which has managed to develop successfully over the past two decades despite Western sanctions imposed against it. In contrast, he said, Armenia is "one of the poorest countries in the world" which caused its people to overthrow "the government which had exploited and robbed its own people for 20 years".

The president said that Baku has watched the recent developments within the CIS Collective Security Treaty Organisation (CSTO) which both Armenia and Belarus belong to. He said that Baku was concerned that a representative of Armenia headed the CSTO.

"Armenia is the country which has occupied Azerbaijan's territories and naturally it cannot but concern us which country heads the CSTO, which is a military-political organisation. It is natural that these issues are discussed between partners and friends," Aliyev said.

He called "inappropriate" the Armenian foreign ministry commentary on Belarus President Alyaksandr Lukashenka's (Alexander Lukashenko) remarks about Armenia's chairmanship of the CSTO.

"We consider the recent statements by the Armenian Foreign Ministry as being absolutely inadmissible in international practice. A foreign ministry cannot comment on the deeds or remarks made by a foreign country's president, especially of a country considered to be an ally, and call them inappropriate. Inappropriate is this behaviour by the Armenian Foreign Ministry which allows itself to engage in antics of this sort. Probably, that is because they do not perceive the world and themselves on the world map very correctly. Simultaneously, as you know, the Armenian side said that there were problems within the CSTO. Surely they are right about that. These problems are Armenia itself and problems which it created," Aliyev said.

He recalled that the CSTO head Yuri Khachaturov was dismissed after criminal charges were brought against him in Armenia and said that "the appointment of this individual to an important international organisation like the CSTO discredited the organisation to some extent".

President Aliyev praised Azerbaijani-Belarusian relations as "unshakable". "As to our relations – they are unshakable. They have a solid foundation based on ties of friendship, mutual respect and support, and are oriented to the future," he said.

He added that his forthcoming official visit to Belarus would further strengthen bilateral relations. No date of the visit was announced yet.

Azerbaijani Press: Russia hints on reconsidering its stance on Nagorno-Karabakh

Elizabeth Jabejian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Nov 15 2018
15:31 (UTC+04:00)

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

Statements by Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov on the Nagorno-Karabakh settlement at a press conference held following a meeting with OSCE Secretary General Thomas Greminger in Moscow are quite significant in terms of their essence since they can facilitate progress on Karabakh settlement.

In his speech, Lavrov stressed that Russia welcomes agreements reached in Dushanbe.

However, he stated that until the current somewhat tumultuous domestic political processes in Armenia are complete, it will hardly be possible to discuss in real earnest specific options for overcoming this crisis and ensuring a full Nagorno-Karabakh settlement.

Simultaneously with the statement of Lavrov, the Russian co-chairman Igor Popov, while on a visit to the region, refused to go from Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh, in other words, he did not meet with the Armenians in Nagorno-Karabakh.

A group of pro-Armenian Russian experts associated this with technical issues.

However, we should not forget that Popov met in Baku with representatives of the Azerbaijani community of Nagorno-Karabakh.

Therefore, the unwillingness to visit occupied Karabakh lands should be viewed as something more than just a technical issues. It is rather a political step showing that Russia demonstrated support to Azerbaijan, which is understandable and logical in view of recent developments in Armenia and its aggressive policy.

Worsening relations with Russia, after Pashinyan came to power, is not surprising. Russia, which has its own interests in the region, has long viewed Armenia as its true ally, but the country is reconsidering this at the moment.

Prior to becoming the prime minister of Armenia, the then oppositionist Pashinyan made a number of anti-Russian statements, urging the Armenian authorities to leave the alliance with Russia, in particular, the Eurasian Economic Union.

Armenians perceive the current position of Russia as not corresponding to their interests. From the point of view of Azerbaijan, this is a step towards objectivity, the norms of international law.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

As a result of Armenia's armed invasion into Azerbaijan's legal territory, the two neighboring countries have remained locked in a bitter territorial dispute over the Nagorno-Karabakh region, which Armenia-backed separatists seized from Azerbaijan in a bloody war in the early 1990s.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.

Despite Baku's best efforts, peace in the occupied lands remains a mirage in the distance as Armenia refuses to comply with international law.

Sports: Simon Martirosyan: Becoming world champion was a goal for me

Arpi Talalian
Panorama, Armenia
Nov 14 2018
Sport 16:41 14/11/2018 Armenia
See also Armenia’s weightlifting champion, runner-up return home to hero’s welcome

The Armenian weightlifting team has performed successfully at international championships this year, claiming a total of 73 medals, Armenian Weightlifting Federation Secretary General Pashik Alaverdyan told reporters on Wednesday.

“You know that we were disqualified after some athletes tested positive for drugs. But we worked very well with the International Weightlifting Federation and fulfilled all their demands, with no violations revealed among our athletes, expected for Sona Poghosyan,” he said.

“They took all this into account to reduce our disqualification period, with our junior and young weightlifters starting to compete at championships already in June. In fact, this year we missed only the European Championships,” Alaverdyan added.

He stressed the large number of medals won by the team testifies to the fact the Armenian weightlifting has a bright future.

Armenian athlete Simon Martirosyan, a European champion and Olympic silver medallist, was crowned world champion after lifting a combined total of 435kg, setting several world records, while Gor Minasyan, an Olympic silver medal winner, grabbed the silver with the result of 450kg in the World Weightlifting Championships held in Ashgabad, Turkmenistan a few days ago.

Martirosyan, present at the meeting, stressed becoming a word champion was a goal he was pursuing. “It was a dream and a goal for me to become a world champion. To tell the truth, I don’t realize that I have become a champion of the world; I feel like a champion only when people meet me casually and offer their congratulations,” he said.

Azerbaijani Press: Six Theses Forgotten in Statement of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan

Maral Takmazian
Turan Information Agency, Azerbaijani Opposition Press
Tuesday
Six Theses Forgotten in Statement of Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
 
 
The Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a response statement on the speech by the Acting Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan in Paris. Former Foreign Minister Tofig Zulfugarov considers the statement of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan incomplete.
 
Two statements – the statement by Pashinyan and the response from the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Azerbaijan – were published by Turan IA on November 12, 2018 – "The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan reminds Pashinyan of the provisions of international law" http://www.co ntact.az/ext/news/2018/11/free/politics%20news/76577.htm
 
Tofig Zulfugarov believes that if we consider the Armenian-Azerbaijani conflict as a conflict arisen between the Armenian minority and the central government and characterize it as separatist, then the response of the Foreign Ministry in this logic can be considered adequate. "Actually, Pashinyan advocates such a classification of the conflict with his speech. But today, after the Presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan have been negotiating directly for 20 years, essentially demonstrating by this format that the conflict is intergovernmental and takes place on the basis of Armenia"s territorial claims to Azerbaijan, then the response of the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan should have been in the same logic," Zulfugarov evaluated the Foreign Ministry"s statement for Turan IA.
 
To the request to point out the shortcomings in the statement of the Foreign Ministry, the ex-minister drew attention to the important political issues that the Foreign Ministry had to use in the statement.
 
First missed thesis: The official document requires binding the statement to the event. Pashinyan spoke with anti-Azerbaijani accusations at a forum in Paris dedicated to the centenary of the end of the First World War. Consequently, it was necessary to recall that the cause of the wars in Europe lay in the attempt to forcefully redraw the borders.
 
Second missed thesis: Today, Armenia is attempting to annex part of the territory of Azerbaijan by force.
 
Third missed thesis: 20% of the territory of Azerbaijan is occupied. A total ethnic cleansing of the Azerbaijani population was carried out there.
 
Fourth missed thesis: "The new Armenian democrats," that is, Pashinyan"s so-called democratic power, continue to pursue a policy of annexing the territory of Azerbaijan, in every way trying to torpedo the peaceful negotiation process with the mediation of the OSCE Minsk Group.
 
Fifth missed thesis should have been highlighted in the statement: the Karabakh conflict is the first in the post-Soviet space. The Karabakh conflict led to the repetition, replication of the separatist armed scenario in many countries of the world.
 
Sixth missed thesis: In the statement, the Foreign Ministry of Azerbaijan had to show that the reason for what is happening lies in the inaction of the world community and the absence of sanctions against the Armenian occupier, Zulfugarov explained.
 
At the forum in Paris, Pashinyan said the longstanding struggle of the people of Nagorno-Karabakh for the right to determine their own destiny had not yet received a proper legal decision. "In the 21st century, it is completely unacceptable for the desire to apply the people's right to self-determination to become a threat to biological existence." "No state can build its success at the expense of the poverty of others, no one can get freedom at the expense of the slavery of others" (www.ñîntact.az).
 
Answer of the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry on November 12: Statements of Acting Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan at the Paris Peace Forum on November 11 fundamentally contradicted the policy pursued by Armenia, which violated the fundamental principles of international law, especially the principle of non-use of force, occupied the territories of Azerbaijan, depriving hundreds of thousands of Azerbaijanis, who historically lived in Nagorno-Karabakh, of their rights – the right to live in their homeland. The right to self-determination does not mean the right to ethnic cleansing in relation to other ethnic groups living in the same locality, and the supremacy of international law does not imply a military occupation of the territories and imposing a solution based on fait accompli.
 
A better future for our region and Armenia itself is closely linked with the termination of the occupation of the territories of Azerbaijan by the armed forces of Armenia and the return of all internally displaced persons to their native lands, the commentary noted.
 
Speaking at the same Paris Forum, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov said that people in the world are still subjected to violent ethnic cleansing and are expelled from their places of origin, as happened in Azerbaijan as a result of the aggression of the Armenian armed forces.
 

Azerbaijani Press: Azerbaijani MP: Dismissal of Armenian representative from CSTO was predictable

Emil Lazarian
AzerNews, Azerbaijan
Nov 13 2018
19:24 (UTC+04:00)
469

By  Trend

The dismissal of the Armenian representative from the Collective Security Treaty Organization (CSTO) was predictable, because after Nikol Pashinyan's coming to power, Yerevan is conducting an erroneous policy in many directions, Azerbaijani MP Tahir Rzayev told Trend on Nov. 13.

The MP said that according to the CSTO procedures and rotational rules, and following the alphabetical sequence until 2020, the position of secretary general was to be held by a representative of Armenia. However, according to the decision of the Collective Security Council, which is the highest body of the CSTO, the representative of Armenia, Yuri Khachaturov, was prematurely dismissed as the CSTO secretary general, Rzayev added.

Rzayev described this step as Armenia's failure at the CSTO Astana Summit.

The MP also noted that the CSTO is aware of the policy that Armenia pursues in relation to neighboring states.

"It is because of such a policy that Armenia is an extra burden and problem for the CSTO. In general, since the organization's establishment, there has been no other such state that caused so much damage to the CSTO as Armenia. And the fact that a criminal case was initiated against the CSTO secretary general without consulting with other member countries is the biggest disrespect to the charter of the structure," Rzayev stressed.

EU, Germany, UK and Sweden to provide support for Armenia’s early parliamentary elections

Suren Karakhanian

EU, Germany, UK and Sweden to provide support for Armenia’s early parliamentary elections

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15:16,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The European Union, the German, UK and Swedish governments will provide support to Armenia for holding the upcoming early parliamentary elections, reports Armenpress.

A joint document between these structures was signed in Yerevan on November 14.

“Armenia has officially applied to several international partners, and some of them agreed to provide support for holding the December 9 early parliamentary elections. This document officially signals the launch of a program for support of electoral processes in Armenia which aims at having transparent, reliable, free and fair elections on December 9. I am confident that all these efforts are not only just technical, working commitments, but a sincere dedication to support democratic elections in Armenia. We have quite long-term plans to develop the electoral processes in Armenia. If we have a majority in the Parliament by the upcoming election results, next elections in Armenia will be held by a new Electoral Code”, acting first deputy prime minister of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan said.

Head of the EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski said the EU has also taken part in the previous elections in Armenia, and this participation will continue. “The efforts initiated by the government and the UNDP aim at making you be confident that your votes will fairly reach their place. Don’t sell your votes, don’t take bribes and every time you receive such an offer, please inform. Let these elections be the best not only in Armenia’s, but also other nations’ history”, the EU Ambassador said.

German Ambassador to Armenia Matthias Kiesler noted that this is going to be a very important day for Armenia. “We managed to implement this program within a record time. Germany has provided 700.000 Euros for the installation of identification devices and cameras”, he noted.

UK Ambassador to Armenia Judith Farnworth stated that these elections will signal the beginning of a new development stage for Armenia. “I think the speed we, the donors, have put speaks about the fact how we highlight this program. All these aim at making the voter be confident that their votes will be taken into account that day. The elections signal the beginning, rather than the end of the new development stage of Armenia. The UK supports the Armenian government. We see a stable and democratic partner in the person of Armenia”, she said.

Chargé d'affaires of the Swedish Embassy in Armenia Martin Fredriksson expressed hope that the elections will raise the level of public trust. “During the previous elections the final result of the international donors showed that there was a lack of public trust. I hope this year after the elections we will be able to confirm that the public trust level was higher”, Fredriksson said.

UN Resident Coordinator and UNDP Resident Representative for Armenia Shombi Sharp said they attach great importance to the strengthening of democratic structures in Armenia.

“We want to be confident that we will achieve our goals and we see this desire among everyone. This is not the first time that assistance is provided by our donors for holding elections. We are trying to move forward step by step and further improve the previous positive practice. We want to raise the awareness level of voters about the participation in elections. The outcome of these elections is in the hands of the people”, Shombi Sharp said.

The program is funded by the Armenian government (0.7 million USD), the European Union (1.5 million Euros), Germany (0.7 million Euros), UK (0.5 million pounds) and Sweden (1.5 million Swedish kronas).

 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Im Kayl (My Step) bloc submits proportional, district lists to Central Electoral Commission

Meline Chalian

Im Kayl (My Step) bloc submits proportional, district lists to Central Electoral Commission

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15:41,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Im Kayl (My Step) alliance submitted the necessary documents and the proportional and district lists for the general election to the Central Electoral Commission today.

Civil Contract Party spokesperson Vahan Kostanyan told reporters after submitting the documents that as a revolutionary team they will run for parliament by the My Step alliance.

“183 people are included in the proportional list. Our entire political team is included in the list, people who have been engaged in party activities, government and National Assembly members,” he said.

He said they find the list to be revolutionary in its entire logic.

“The involvement of a number of people in the list is associated with the statements that the time has come to break the barricades. Particularly, the involvement of Shirak Torosyan and Felix Tsolakyan is associated with these very statements,” Kostanyan said.

He said they have taken into account the professionalism and experience when including the candidates in their list.

“Like we have rejected before, we continue rejecting the electoral bribe mechanism. Those people who have been engaged with such activities for many years don’t have a place in our team,” he said.

Speaking about including journalists in the bloc’s list, Kostanyan found it to be reasonable that people who for many years have covered political activities have the desire to have direct participation in it.

 

Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan resigned on October 16 to trigger the process of disbanding the parliament.

Pashinyan took office after massive protests in April forced president-turned PM Serzh Sargsyan to resign. But Sargsyan’s Republican Party (HHK) still has most seats in the 105-seat parliament. Since taking office, Nikol Pashinyan has numerously said that the incumbent parliament doesn’t represent the people and that early elections should take place as soon as possible.

In accordance to the Constitution, when a Prime Minister resigns the parliament must elect a new PM within two weeks. Lawmakers deliberately failed to elect a new PM as a formality in order to pave the way for dissolution.

The last round took place on November 1 and the parliament was dissolved by virtue of law.

Later on the same day, President Armen Sarkissian signed an order on dissolving the parliament and calling early elections on December 9.

The parliament will function until the new parliament is elected.

The government is formally a caretaker government until a new government is formed after the election.

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan




Acting FM introduces Armenia’s recent domestic political developments to UN Special Rapporteur

Edgar Tavakalian

Acting FM introduces Armenia’s recent domestic political developments to UN Special Rapporteur

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16:32,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. Acting foreign minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan on November 14 received UN Special Rapporteur on Rights to Freedom of Peaceful Assembly and of Association Clément Nyaletsossi Voule, the foreign ministry told Armenpress.

During the meeting the acting FM stated that the Armenian government attaches great importance to the cooperation with the UN structures dealing with human rights. Both highlighted the UN Special Rapporteur’s visit to Armenia which is a good opportunity to get acquainted with the recent developments in the country and outline the future partnership framework.

Acting FM Mnatsakanyan introduced the guest on Armenia’s recent domestic political developments, highlighting the government’s commitment to carry out a comprehensive agenda of reforms based on the broad mandate given by the people aimed at strengthening the rule of law and justice, fighting corruption, as well as providing equal opportunities in social and economic sectors. The officials emphasized the importance of the engagement of the women and youth and dialogue with the civil society in this process as an integral part of the sustainable development agenda.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Prosperous Armenia party submits pre-election lists to Central Electoral Commission

Yeghisabet Vorskanian

Prosperous Armenia party submits pre-election lists to Central Electoral Commission

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17:42,

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 14, ARMENPRESS. The Prosperous Armenia party has submitted the proportional and district lists, the necessary registration documents to the Central Electoral Commission for the December 9 early parliamentary elections, reports Armenpress.

Party representative Ruben Manukyan told reporters that 178 persons are included in the party’s proportional list.

The list is headed by party leader Gagik Tsarukyan, followed by Mikayel Melkumyan, Artur Grigoryan and Naira Zohrabyan.

“There are also non-partisans in the list”, Manukyan said.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan