Armenia, Germany keen to strengthen relations: Pashinyan, Merkel meet in Berlin
Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan had a meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in
Berlin.
Welcoming
the visit of the Armenian Prime Minister, Mrs. Merkel said it provides an
opportunity to discuss issues on the agenda of bilateral relations.
The Chancellor
noted that her country’s government would continue to support the Armenian side
in various ways to promote democratic reform effectively.
Prime
Minister Pashinyan touched upon the economic developments in Armenia, noting
that high growth rates were recorded in different sectors of the economy. The
Prime Minister emphasized that the Government of Armenia is interested in
expanding the German business and capital market presence in the Armenian
market and inviting German companies to participate in different investment
projects.
During the
meeting the sides discussed various issues, including cooperation in the fields
of industry, infrastructure, tourism, information technologies, education.
Prime
Minister Pashinyan also referred to the constitutional referendum in Armenia on
April 5 and its circumstances, noting that the Armenian government is going to
invite international observers to observe the referendum.
Angela
Merkel expressed support to the German government for judicial reforms in
Armenia and highlighted the steps taken by the Armenian government to develop
democratic institutions.
In a
statement to the press prior to the meeting, Chancellor Merkel said she still fondly
remembers the trip to Yerevan 2018.
“Since then
we have actually had a very close exchange, and German-Armenian relations have
also intensified,” she said.
“I was very
happy that we recently signed contracts to set up a TUMO center in Germany.
During my visit to Armenia, in Yerevan, I was very enthusiastic about this
center, in which young people are taught IT skills and learn a lot. We will
inaugurate the first German TUMO center in Berlin this autumn,” Merkel said.
She thanked Armenia for the participation in the Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan.
PM Pashinyan
said, in turn, that “Germany is a close partner of Armenia, and we feel the
strength of this partnership in both the theoretical and practical areas. “
“Our
connection to Germany is one of the bridges that connect Armenia with European
culture and science. Today I can underline that our friendship is based on
common values and that these common values serve as the basis for any
cooperation. I would also like to state that we have common interests in
various projects today. We are ready to do our best to strengthen these
relationships,” the Prime Minister said.
Armenia hails Syrian Parliament Resolution recognizing the Genocide
Armenia has
highly appreciated the adoption of the Resolution on the recognition and
condemnation of the Armenian people by the People’s Council of the Arab
Republic of Syria.
“The
genocide unleashed by the Young Turk government, a significant part of which
took place in the territory of Syria under the Ottoman Empire at the time,
forms part of the general historic memory of the Armenian and Syrian peoples,”
the Armenian Foreign Ministry said in a statement.
“The Syrian
people, who witnessed the atrocities against the Armenian people, were among
the first to extend a helping hand to the victims of the genocide. Thousands of
survivors reclaimed their new homeland in Syria by forming one of the richest Armenian
communities and contributing to the development of the country,” the statement continued.
The Foreign Ministry
said “the resolution is a vivid testimony to the centuries-old friendship and
mutual sympathy of the Armenian and Syrian peoples.
“It is a significant contribution to restoring historical justice and preventing genocides,” it concluded.
The Syrian legislative body voted unanimously today to pass a resolution recognizing and condemning the Armenian Genocide.
Germany supportive of Armenia’s judicial reform – PM Pashinyan meets with Bundestag President
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan met with German Bundestag President Wolfgang Schäuble in Berlin on the sidelines of his working visit to Germany.
Welcoming the Armenian Premier to his country, the Bundestag President was pleased to state that the pledge made exactly a year ago was fulfilled: The Bundestag has ratified the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement (CEPA). Wolfgang Schäuble expressed confidence that Nikol Pashinyan’s visit to Berlin will impart fresh impetus to the furtherance of Armenian-German relations.
Thankful for CEPA ratification, Prime Minister Pashinyan said it will facilitate the reform process in Armenia. “Armenia has recorded tangible progress in its international ratings as regards democracy. Our government sets another important goal in developing relationships with Germany. We are interested in your country’s experience as a long-established and well-organized parliamentary state, given the fact Armenia embraced the semi-presidential system of governance in 2018,” the Prime Minister said, highlighting the importance of German know-how from the perspective of building a more functional system of governance in our country.
Nikol Pashinyan underscored that his government’s ultimate goal is to ensure that democracy is irreversible in Armenia, supported by an independent and reliable judicial system. The Prime Minister gave details of the decision to hold a referendum on constitutional reforms this April 5. Nikol Pashinyan invited German Bundestag to send observers to monitor the upcoming referendum.
The Bundestag President voiced support for the judicial reform and the democratic process underway in our country. He advised that they are closely following Armenia’s domestic developments.
Taking the opportunity, the interlocutors touched upon the development of cooperation between the Eurasian Economic Union (EAEU) and the European Union. Wolfgang Schäuble expressed hope that Armenia and Prime Minister Pashinyan personally will continue to promote interactions between the two Unions.
The Head of the Armenian Government stressed the need to look for new partnership formulas between the EAEU and the European Union, noting that the issue is being discussed within the EAEU.
Syrian Parliament recognizes the Armenian Genocide
The Syrian Parliament voted unanimously today to adopt a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide, SANA reports.
The Parliament’s Secretary Rami Saleh was earlier quoted by Ahval News as saying that “the history of the Ottoman Empire is full of massacres of various components of the Armenian, Syrian peoples and others.”
The website quoted the head of the Council’s Arab and Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, MP Boutros Morjana as saying: “There is no doubt that the massacre certainly occurred and there was a genocide of the Armenian, Assyrian and Syriac peoples. It is time to recognize this genocide.”
The resolution was presented by the Syria-Armenia parliamentary friendship group.
Syrian Parliament to vote on a resolution recognizing the Armenian Genocide
The Syrian Parliament will vote today on a resolution on recognition and condemnation of the Armenian Genocide, the Parliament’s Secretary Rami Saleh has declared, Ahval News reports.
He has said the history of the Ottoman Empire is full of massacres of various components of, Armenians, Syrians and others.
The newspaper quoted the head of the Council’s Arab and Foreign Affairs and Expatriates Committee, MP Boutros Morjana as saying: “There is no doubt that the massacre certainly occurred and there was a genocide of the Armenian, Assyrian and Syriac peoples. It is time to recognize this genocide.”
The resolution has been presented by the Syria-Armenia parliamentary friendship group.
Today’s vote by the Syrian Parliament comes amid escalating tensions between Turkish and Syrian forces in Idlib governorate, eastern Syria.
Azerbaijan "using Karabakh conflict to cover up its failure in democracy"
February 13, 2020 – 12:57 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Azerbaijan is trying to use the Nagorno Karabakh conflict as a cover-up for its failure in democracy, spokeswoman for the Armenian Foreign Ministry Anna Naghdalyan said Thursday, February 13.
Naghdalyan made the comments after Azerbaijan’s Foreign Ministry issued a statement claiming that voters from Karabakh participated in recent parliamentary elections as well, while some newly elected parliamentarians were also elected representatives of Karabakh.
“On a number of occasions, we have stated that the establishment and enhancement of democratic societies in the region are in the interests of regional stability, development and prosperity,” Naghdalyan said.
“We are aware of the assessment of those elections by the international observers. As it was assessed by the preliminary report of the international observation mission and the heads of the observation mission, the elections were marred by systematic and gross violations.
The spokeswoman said Azerbaijan is once again trying to use the conflict as a cover-up for its failure in democracy and extremely low level of legitimacy of the elections.
“The false and empty claims of Azerbaijan pretending that representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh have been elected in those elections vividly illustrate Azerbaijan’s distorted perception of democracy,” the diplomat said.
“The people of Artsakh have never participated in the elections of Azerbaijan either now, or throughout the entire history of the Republic of Azerbaijan.”
Naghdalyan reminded that the people of Artsakh will exercise their right to vote in the upcoming nationwide elections to be held in the country on March 31 and elect their representatives – the President and the members of the National Assembly – through free expression of will.
People of Artsakh never participated in Azerbaijani elections – Armenian MFA
The people of Artsakh have never participated in the elections of
Azerbaijan either now, or throughout the entire history of the Republic of
Azerbaijan, Spokesperson for the Armenian Ministry of Foreign Affairs Anna
Naghdalyan has stated.
“The people of Artsakh will exercise their right to vote in the upcoming nationwide elections to be held in their Homeland on March 31, in which the people of Artsakh will elect their representatives – the President and the members of the National Assembly through free expression of will,” she added.
The comments come after the Azerbaijani Foreign Ministry issued a
statement, claiming that voters from Nagorno-Karabakh participated in the
recent parliamentary elections highly criticized by international observers.
Naghdalyan reiterated Armenia’s stance that “establishment and
enhancement of democratic societies in the region are in the interests of
regional stability, development and prosperity.”
“We are aware of the assessment
of those elections by the international observers. As it was assessed by the
preliminary report of the international observation mission and the heads of
the observation mission, the elections were marred by systematic and gross
violations,” she stated.
“Once again Azerbaijan is trying to use the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict as a cover up of its failure in democracy and extremely low level of legitimacy of the elections. The false and empty claims of Azerbaijan claiming that representatives of Nagorno-Karabakh have been elected in those elections vividly illustrate Azerbaijan’s distorted perception of democracy,” the Spokesperson stated.
Armenia PM details top court developments to OSCE envoys
February 12, 2020 – 17:38 AMT
PanARMENIAN.Net – Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Wednesday, February 12 hosted ambassadors of Armenia-accredited OSCE countries, his office reveals.
“Pashinyan addressed in detail the situation around the Constitutional Court, the referendum on Constitutional amendments and the circumstances that led to the decision to hold a referendum,” the statement from the government reads.
“The Prime Minister on his government’s comprehensive reform agenda, the ongoing democratic transformations and the government’s anti-corruption policy.”
In conclusion, Pashinyan answered questions by the ambassadors.
IAEA hails Armenia’s efforts towards enhancing nuclear security
On a working visit to
Austria, Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met with Rafael Gross, Director
General of the International Atomic Energy Agency (IAEA). Deputy Minister of
Territorial Administration and Infrastructure Hakob Vardanyan was also present
at the meeting.
Minister Mnatsakanyan
noted that Armenia, being a proponent of peaceful use of nuclear energy,
attaches great importance to the cooperation with the IAEA. The sides highly
appreciated the effective cooperation existing between Armenia and the IAEA and
expressed their readiness to make joint efforts to point out new horizons of
cooperation and make full use of the existing potential.
The parties touched
upon a number of issues on the agenda of the Armenia-IAEA interaction, in
particular the terms of operation and safe operation of the Metsamor Nuclear
Power Plant, the development of nuclear energy and nuclear security. The IAEA
Director General highly appreciated Armenia’s ongoing reforms aimed at
enhancing security in the field of nuclear energy.
The Minister
emphasized the importance of peaceful use of nuclear energy in the economic
development and energy security of Armenia. In this context, the two sides
underscored the effective cooperation between Armenia and the Agency in the
field of peaceful use of nuclear energy.
Armenian PM to attend Munich Security Conference
Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinyan will pay a working visit to the Federal Republic of
Germany on February 13-15.
During
the visit, the Prime Minister will meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel in
Berlin. The leaders of the two countries will make statements for the press.
Nikol Pashinyan will also meet with the President of the Bundestag Wolfgang
Schauble.
The
head of government will meet with the German scientific and expert circles at the
Friedrich Ebert Stiftung of the Social Democratic Party.
On
February 14, PM Pashinyan will leave for Munich to attend the official opening
ceremony of the Munich Security Conference. He is expected to hold a number of
bilateral meetings on the sidelines of the event.
Today on Twitter
These are several tweets about Armenia. Contact us via Twitter if you want to be part of this Twitter list. We retweet occasionally.
No, not finished yet… Greco-Roman #wrestlers
Karen #Aslanyan (67 kg) & Karapet #Chalyan (77 kg) ensured the presence of the Armenian flag
on pedestal by taking the #bronze medals
during #EuropeanChampionship. Congrats to our heroes! #wretslerome
Useful dialogue w/ @GhadaFathiWaly of @UNODC. Discussed broad national reforms in anti-corruption, law enforcement & judicial systems. Reaffirmed that transnational level of crime and illicit trafficking requires robust intl coop, as no single nation can address challenges alone.
At the #UNSC open debate, PR of #Armeniastresses the importance of transitional justice for strengthening #RuleOfLaw, highlights the role of @theICTJ and legal analysis on #ArmenianGenocide. Condemnation of past atrocities is vital for upholding #HumanRights & #sustainablepeace
#Azerbaijanis accounted for a little less than a third of all citizens #deport|ed from #Georgia last year.
Delegation led by Deputy Defense Minister of #Armenia #GabrielBalayan attends @NATO #DefMin in #RSM format. Continued contribution of Armenia and other partners to peace and stability in #Afghanistan highly appreciated by #NATO Allies.
32 years ago, these days, the #Karabakhmovement began. With mass demonstration the people of #Artsakh demanded from the Soviet Union the withdrawal of Nagorno-Karabakh Autonomous Oblast (NKAO) from the #Azerbaijan SSR and its reunion with the Soviet #Armenia.
#selfdetermination
A productive meeting w/ #President of #Armenia, H.E. Armen Sarkissian today. We discussed our mutual cooperation as #constitutional institutions; projects of the Human Rights Defender (@OmbudsArmenia ); #humanrights issues; #reforms of the #Constitution & #judicial-#legal system.
I looked at composition of Nagorno Karabakh Republic’s first elected parliament (1991-95). Some things stood out: of 81 seats, 6 were set aside for NKR’s Azerbaijani minority (3 in Shushi, 1 in Khojali, 1 in Karadagli & 1 in Umudlu); they remained vacant. https://twitter.com/ArmenianStudies/status/1227282593516621824
Leading up to #elections in #Karabakh scheduled for March 31, here is a look back at electing #Artsakh’s Parliament in 1991 by @emil_sanamyan for #FocusOnKarabakh https://armenian.usc.edu/electing-artsakhs-first-parliament-conditions-and-composition/
More than 2 billion envisaged by the #housing #program for #construction works
https://artsakhpress.am/eng/news/121129/more-than-2-billion-envisaged-by-the-housing-program-for-construction-works.html
#Artsakh #NagornoKarabakh
On Feb 13, 1988 tens of thousands of people participated in first major demonstration in #Stepanakert, demanding reunification with #Armenia. Since then mass demonstrations were held in #Stepanakert, #Hadrut, #Martuni, #Askeran & #Yerevan.
#Karabakh
http://www.nkr.am/en/karabakh-national-liberation-movement
Today on Facebook
These are some of the Facebook posts about Armenia from some of the Facebook pages we follow. Reach out to us on Facebook if you want to be part of this list. We share posts occasionally.
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Armenia in the News 