On 13 May Artsakh Republic President Bako Sahakyan received personal representative of the OSCE chairman-in-office, Ambassador Andrzej Kasprzyk.
The meeting addressed a number of issues related to the situation along the contact line between Artsakh and Azerbaijan armed forces.
Manchester United moved a step closer to a first Europa League triumph – and a Champions League return – by creeping past Celta Vigo to reach the final, the  BBC reports.
Leading 1-0 from the first leg, United took control as Marouane Fellaini headed home Marcus Rashford’s cross.
But Celta, needing two goals, levelled on the night through Facundo Roncaglia to set up a nervy finish.
United’s Eric Bailly and Roncaglia were sent off after a mass brawl as the hosts joined Ajax in the final.
The Red Devils will meet the Dutch side, who beat Lyon in the other semi-final, in Stockholm on 24 May, with the winners guaranteed a place in next season’s Champions League.
An editor at a leading opposition newspaper in Turkey has been detained for questioning, the Associated Press reports.
Oguz Guven, the editor of pro-secular Cumhuriyet newspaper’s online edition, tweeted Friday “I’m being detained.”
Turkey’s state-run Anadolu news agency said Guven was detained for a news article on the death of prosecutor Mustafa Alper in a traffic accident Wednesday. Details about the article in question have not been released.
Alper, chief prosecutor of Denizli province in southwest Turkey, filed the first indictment against the network of U.S.-based cleric Fethullah Gulen following last summer’s coup attempt.
The Turkish government blames Gulen for orchestrating the coup, which he denies.
Twelve journalists and senior staff members of Cumhuriyet are behind bars pending trial on “aiding terrorist organizations.”
The lineup of the Grand Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest has been announced.
Ten acts from each Semi-Final have gone through to Saturday’s Grand Final and join the ‘Big Five’ — France, Germany, Italy, Spain and United Kingdom and host country Ukraine.
The running order was proposed by UA: PBC and approved by the EBU Executive Supervisor, Jon Ola Sand and the Chairman of the Reference Group, Dr. Frank-Dieter Freiling.
The Grand final will take place on Saturday, May 13. Artsvik represents Armenia with the song Fly With Me.Â
The running order of the Grand Final of the 2017 Eurovision Song Contest:
The Delegation of the European Union to Armenia has started the Europe Day public celebrations. This year the Europe Day celebrations will be held in 6 Armenian cities and will culminate in Yerevan.
Yerevan is hosting the celebrations from 6 to 27 May, 2017.
Europe Day annual celebrations in Armenia include information events which present the EU-Armenia close cooperation and partnership, and the European culture’s diversity.
Information Fairs and open-air concerts will be held in Gyumri, Vanadzor, Dilijan, Kapan, Goris and Yeghegnadzor. The events in Yerevan will be more diverse.
In Yerevan, the Europe Day Information Fair will take place on 27 May, at 15:00, at the Northern Avenue. The Head of EU Delegation to Armenia, Ambassador Piotr Ĺšwitalski and the EU Member States Ambassadors will attend the Fair.
This year the Europe Day celebrations are entitled ‘The European Union for Armenia’. The EU-funded projects which focus on the balanced development of all the Armenian regions in many areas such as human rights, justice, agriculture, culture, education, environment, tourism, business support, civil society, migration, health will be presented during the Information Fair. Visitors will have an opportunity to tour the outdoor booths, learn about the programmes and later become participants, as well as participate in cultural events, various competitions, enjoy the music and dancing.
Europe Day celebrations will be concluded in Yerevan with an open-air concert at the Northern Avenue. Artists from Armenia and Poland will perform; famous Polish singers Adryjan Jan feat Cesko will be the special guests of the evening.
Artsvik of Armenia has been voted best female soloist of 2017 Eurovision Song Contest. She received 16.82% of the 16,225 votes cast in a poll announced by
Coming in for the silver medal is Kasia Mos from Poland.
Rounding out the talented top three was Blanche from Belgium.
Artsvik represents Armenia at 2017 Eurovision Song Contest 2017 with the song Fly With Me and will perform 5th in the Grand Final on Saturday.
Today, the newly appointed Ambassador Extraordinary and Plenipotentiary of the Republic of Peru to the Republic of Armenia Luis Benjamin Chimoy Arteaga (residence in Moscow) presented his credentials to Serzh Sargsyan, President’s Press Office reports.
The President of Armenia congratulated the Ambassador on the commencement of his diplomatic mission in Armenia, wished him success and expressed hope that through his active work the mutually beneficial cooperation between the two countries in coming years will receive a new boost. The President underscored that despite geographical distance, Armenia has formed very warm and strong relations with a number of Latin-American countries, including Peru, which was promoted also by the hospitable attitude of these countries towards a segment of the Armenian people which in at the beginning of the previous century had managed to escape the Genocide and find refuge in Latin America.
Ambassador Arteaga thanked the President of Armenia for the reception and assured that he would do his best to improve and deepen the bilateral relations between Armenia and Peru.
The parties concurred that the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between the two countries is an important milestone for the re-evaluation and strengthening of the friendly ties between Armenia and Peru.
At the meeting, discussed were the opportunities and prospects for the expansion of the Armenian-Peruvian cooperation in different areas.
The parties also discussed regional issues and developments.
“Armenia is the only CIS country that is of increasing interest to Lithuanian businessmen,” noted Aleksandr Izgorodin, the economic analyst at Confederation of Industrialists of Lithuania and Lithuanian Innovation Center, in his latest presentation about Lithuanian trade tendencies and perspectives during the Competitiveness Forum.
Lithuanian businessmen consider Armenia the most effective platform through which to enter the EEU market. “This opens new corridors in the development of trade and attracting investments from the Baltic States to Armenia, as it is the gateway to the major CIS and six Arab markets. Despite the geographical distance, Armenia and Lithuania have a lot in common; both are small economies, place an emphasis on human capital, have a lack of natural resources and a similar country positioning,” added Izgorodin.
According to the representative of DFA in the Baltic States, Rena Saribekian, economic ties between Lithuania and Armenia in different sectors have been developing constantly since 2014. “Today, the Lithuanian textile industry is looking for opportunities to outsource services; we believe that Armenia’s progress in the field could meet these expectations, making it a good regional hub,” claims Saribekian.
Lithuanian businessmen are also interested in developing bilateral relationships in the IT, start-up, innovation and renewable energy, food and processing sectors. Furthermore, the IT, textile, science and technology sectors have already attracted potential investors and a business delegation representing the pharmaceutical and food industry distributors will visit Armenia this fall.
Statistics. According to the Lithuanian Department of Statistics, trade turnover between Armenia and Lithuania comprised almost €23.7 million and increased by 28.8% between 2015 and 2016. Lithuanian exports to Armenia increased by 30.2%, while Armenian exports to Lithuania increased by 16.2%, to a total of €2.1 million. Armenia mainly exports brandy, cigarettes, wine, and medicine.
Asbarez – Senator Anthony J. Portantino (D – La Cañada Flintridge) on Thursday said he is very pleased with one significant aspect of Governor Brown’s May revision of the California State Budget, the restoration of funding for the Pasadena Playhouse and the Armenian American Museum in Glendale.
“While others were declaring defeat, I got to work and advocated in favor of the budget allocations for these two laudable projects.  I’m very pleased and grateful that the Governor responded to these requests and restored the funding for two outstanding projects in the 25th State Senate District,” commented Portantino.
The Pasadena Playhouse is the State Theatre of California. It is a showcase for world class theatrical productions and educational programs targeted to California’s diverse population.  The Armenian American Museum, proposed to be built in Glendale, is a new facility slated to bring Genocide awareness and educational programming to our region. Both facilities were set to receive $1 million dollars from last year’s budget but had that funding initially suspended by the Governor in his January budget proposal.
Upon seeing the budget draft, Senator Portantino impressed upon the Governor’s office, the Department of Finance and the Senate Budget staff on the importance of these projects. The Governor agreed by restoring the funding for both.
Photo:Â Reuters/Mian Khurshee
A bomb exploded next to a convoy of the deputy chairman of the Pakistan Senate on Friday in the violence-plagued province of Baluchistan, killing at least 25 people, officials said, Reuters reports.
At least 35 people were wounded in the blast near the town of Mastung, 50 km (30 miles) from the provincial capital of Quetta. Television footage showed a vehicle mangled by the blast.
Senator Abdul Ghafoor Haideri, the deputy chairman of the upper house of parliament, told Reuters minutes after the explosion he believed he was the target and he had sustained minor injuries.
“There are many casualties as there were many people in the convoy,” he said by telephone.
There was no immediate claim of responsibility for the attack from the many militant groups operating in Baluchistan.
Haideri is a member of Jamiat e Ulema Islam, a right-wing Sunni Islamist political party that is part of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s coalition government.
District health official Sher Ahmed Satakzai said the death toll had risen to 25 and 10 were in critical condition in hospital.