News

A delegation from the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs office will take part in the 21st meeting of Black Sea Economic Cooperation (BSEC) Foreign Ministers Council, taking place in the Azerbaijani capital of Baku on October 22, 2009.

Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Arman Kirakosyan will head the Armenian delegation to the meeting, reports the press and information department of the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

An unbelievable incident happened during the 31st Intercontinental Istanbul Eurasia Marathon yesterday, reports Turkish new source Vatan.

43-year-old Yasar Olmez came to Bogazici Bridge, the starting point of the marathon, took off his raincoat, and put aside his umbrella soon after the marathon started. Then, before thousands of people, he jumped off the bridge into the Bosphorous strait below.

His body was found near Dolmabahce Palace, on the European side of the Bosphorous.

/Tert.am/

Armenian team took first place in the men’s team competition in the European weightlifting championship under 23, which was held in Poland. Six out of eight Armenian athletes won medals.

The Armenian team under 23 years old won 7 gold (3 big, 4 small), six silver (2 big, 4 small) and three bronze (1 big, 2 small) medals. This was the best result in the championship.

All the eight athletes representing Armenia demonstrated good results. None of them reached anything below sixth place in any exercise.

Armenia scored 587, followed by teams from Russia, Poland, Turkey, Italy, and Spain. In total, teams from 32 countries were taking part in the European championship.

... Read more »

A new bronze Sayat Nova statue was placed at the intersection of Sayat-Nova and Khanjyan streets on October 16.

Sculptor Toros Raskelyan has been creating Sayat Nova’s bronze bust for over 45 years. The sculptor intended to present the work to the homeland. As announced by the information and public relations department of Yerevan City Hall, the Republic of Armenia Ministry of Diaspora and Yerevan City Hall assisted Raskelyan in realizing his dream.

Thanking the author of the sculpture, Yerevan’s Mayor Gagik Beglaryan expressed hope that Toros Raskelyan will keep his promise and present more works to the city of Yerevan.

Born in Aleppo, Syria, and now working in France, Raskelyan’s roots go back to the town of Urfa in Western Armenia (within present-day Turkey’s borders). He is the creator of 30 sculptures which among collections in the world’s prestigious a ... Read more »

A meeting between European Union representatives and the foreign ministries of Armenia, Georgia and Azerbaijan is set to take place in the western European country of Luxembourg on October 26, 2009.

Republic of Armenia Ministry of Foreign Affairs spokesperson Tigran Balayan, upon Tert.am’s request, commented on the news, which was circulated by Georgian media. Balayan noted that those are not going to be joint meetings with the European Union, but rather, advisory sessions between the EU and each of the country’s foreign ministers separately; that is, EU-Armenia, EU-Azerbaijan and EU-Georgia meetings.

/Tert.am/

If only the world matched U.S. President Obama’s rosy image of it. Perhaps then pre-emptive concessions to other nations, in the hope of prompting reciprocation, might make sense, reports an editorial from The New York Post.

Last month, the president unilaterally scrapped plans to deploy an Eastern European missile-defense shield meant to take out incoming Iranian missiles.

Obama’s administration said the gesture was meant to improve relations with Russia, though the decision broke a Bush administration pledge to U.S. allies in Poland and the Czech Republic.

Earlier, Washington seemed to be eyeing a deal: Russia’s cooperation with efforts to contain Iran in exchange for America’s ditching ... Read more »

US President Barack Obama and Turkish President Abdullah Gul Saturday discussed a range of regional issues in a telephone conversation, including the evolving relations between Turkey and Armenia, the White House said. Theу discussed "the historic progress that is being made on normalization of relations between Turkey and Armenia, and the importance of maintaining the momentum in this important effort," the White House said in a statement.

Turkey and Armenia signed two protocols a week ago aimed at opening up diplomatic relations, bilateral ties and their common border after years of hostility.

On Friday, Armenia backed Turkey's efforts to join the European Union, saying it would serve its own interests in pursuing closer relations with the EU.

OSCE Minsk Group Co-Chairs on Nagorno-Karabakh conflict resolution intend to visit the region approximately in the October end or November beginning 2009, Azerbaijani Foreign Minister Elmar Mammadyarov told Trend News, October 16, 2009. According to Mammadyarov, the mediators should realize what they heard in Chisinau and think over upholding of the actual dynamics.

Meanwhile, commenting on Mammadyarov’s statement, RA Foreign Office Spokesman Tigran Balayan confirmed neither the fact of forthcoming visit, nor its possible date.

OSCE Minsk Group CO-Chairs Yuri Merzlyakov (Russia), Bernard Fassier (France) and Robert Bradtke (U.S) paid a regional visit on September 30, 2009. The Ambassadors visited Yerevan, Stepanakert (October 2-3) and Baku (October 4-6).

October 16, “Im Tirtzu” Israeli movement held protest action near the Turkish Embassy in Israel. The movement activists organized an improvised display of photographs on Armenian Genocide and called on Turkish government to recognize the fact of “Armenian Holocaust” in Ottoman Empire. Im Tirtzu movement was founded by Israeli Universities’ students after the Second Lebanese war. The movement is aimed at enforcement and restoration of Zionist values in Israeli society.

The protest was held in the context of Israeli-Turkish relations’ deterioration.

/News from Armenia - NEWS.am/

A suicide bomber killed at least two senior commanders of Iran's Revolutionary Guards in the country's southeast Sunday during an attack in which 60 people died or were wounded, Iranian media reported.

State television suggested that a Sunni rebel group called Jundollah (God's soldiers) -- linked by some analysts to the Taliban -- was the likely suspect for the most severe attack on the Revolutionary Guards in recent years.

"Attacker detonated explosives strapped to his body during gathering of tribal heads," state Press TV said in a headline, adding that civilians and tribal leaders were also among the victims.

The Revolutionary Guards blamed "foreign elements" linked to the United States ... Read more »