ARMENIAN NEWS: BREAKING NEWS 24.01.2018

PRESIDENT AT PACE

Azerbaijan is obviously not ready for a joint and concerted effort to resolve the Karabakh conflict, President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan said when addressing PACE delegates in Strasbourg. The aggression that Azerbaijan unleashed against Artsakh in April 2016 struck a heavy blow upon the negotiation process by reawakening dreadful memories of the Sumgait massacres.

Speaking about Armenia-Turkey relations, President Sargsyan said Armenia would not accept Turkey’s language of preconditions. Turkey is a powerful state and Armenia’s potential cannot be compared, but this does not mean that Turkey can speak with us a language of preconditions, he added.

In his speech President Sargsyan emphasized that some PACE delegates have acted contrary to the core mission of the Council of Europe and inflicted heavy damage upon the organization’s reputation.

“Since 2014, a number of politically biased and egregious reports and resolutions triggered a sharp change in the attitudes of Armenian society towards this Assembly,” he said.

MACRON

French President Emmanuel Macron will pay a state visit to Armenia in October, French president told reporters on Tuesday after the meeting with his Armenian counterpart. He will participate in the summit of the Francophonie.

During a joint news conference with President Sargsyan in Paris, Macron said Karabakh conflict settlement is of high importance and reaffirmed that France remains committed to contributing to the settlement process along with its American and Russian partners.

EU ASSISTANCE

The EU did its utmost to support Armenia in holding parliamentary elections at the highest European level, head of the EU delegation, Ambassador Piotr Świtalski said.

The European official recalled that they have invested more than seven million Euros in the organization of these elections.

He also assured that the EU is ready to continue cooperation in this area for the promotion and further development of democratic criteria and electoral processes.

KARABAKH ARMY

In 2017, no action by the Azerbaijani armed forces has gone unnoticed, Minister of Defense and Defense Army Commander Levon Mnatsakanyan said.

The Artsakh Defense Army took appropriate steps, which still will ensure the pacific lives of the people of Artsakh, he assured, adding that the Artsakh Defense Army took appropriate steps, which still will ensure the pacific lives of the people of Artsakh.

AMBASSADOR INJURED

Armenia’s ambassador to Kuwait was among those injured in a car accident in Yerevan on Wednesday.

Manvel Badeyan has been taken to hospital together with the drivers of two collided vehicles.

The Armenian Foreign Minister said Badeyan did not have critical injuries.

EU-ARMENIA MEETING

The second high-level Armenian-EU meeting on mobility was held in Brussels on January 23.

The parties discussed programs within the partnership on mobility, noted the priorities for further work and recognized successful implementation of projects over border management, integration, migration and development. The Armenian side noted the readiness to ensure the continuation of reforms.

OPERATION IN AFRIN

Turkey’s operation in Afrin continued as the Turkish army announced the third victim of the Olive Branch operation. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said they would not be limited by Afrin operation and would clear their border with Syria from “terrorist”.

“We will fight until the last terrorist is eliminated,” Erdogan said.

UEFA NATIONS LEAGUE

The national football team of Armenia will play against Macedonia, Liechtenstein, and Gibraltar at the UEFA Nations League group stages.

The draw for the group phase of this new tournament was held Wednesday in Lausanne, Switzerland.

Armenia, which are in the last League D comprising UEFA’s lowest-ranking national squads, will be on Group 4.