Weekly update
October 11
The international conference “Cooperation for Justice and Peace” is taking place in Stepanakert. The conference is attended by over 150 representatives from 30 countries. “Obviously, the fate of Artsakh cannot be decided without its participation,” President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Bako Sahakyan, stated at the opening of the “Cooperation for Justice and Peace” Forum of Artsakh Friends.
The Artsakh President said that this is the pioneering pro-Artsakh forum, which has brought together political, public, cultural figures, human rights advocates, scientists, analysts, and journalists from various countries, and who support Artsakh. In his words, the discussion points on the forum agenda touch upon virtually all the domains of Artsakh’s activities and, in this context, it is crucial to present once again the vision of Artsakh’s state-building process.
Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan noted that the people of Artsakh have flawlessly exercised their right to self-determination. “It’s the duty of us all to support and be guided by the clearly stated right of Artsakh people to self-determination,” said Kocharyan.
The Prime Minister of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, attended the regular meeting of the Council of Heads of States of the Commonwealth of Independent States (CIS) countries. “We discussed with Turkmenistan President Gurbanguly Berdimuhamedov numerous matters on the bilateral and multilateral agenda,” Pashinyan wrote on his Facebook page.
On the sidelines of the CIS summit in Ashgabat, a meeting was held between the Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and the President of Uzbekistan Shavkat Mirziyoyev, UZA reported. According to the source, the meeting highlighted the importance of further developing mutually beneficial cooperation in the trade, economic, cultural and humanitarian spheres. An agreement was reached on the organization of mutual exchanges at the intergovernmental and interdepartmental levels. Topical issues of the international agenda and interaction within the multilateral organizations were also discussed.
October 10
Armenia condemns the military invasion by Turkey in northeast Syria, which would lead to deterioration of regional security, losses among civilians, mass displacement and eventually to a new humanitarian crisis. The plight of ethnic and religious minorities is of particular concern. The Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MFA) has noted this in a statement.
The military operations that Turkey launched in the Syrian Arab Republic on October 9 are not only unlawful and condemnable as the crudest violation of international law, but are also putting the safety of the Armenians of several settlements in Syria at risk. This is the statement that High Commissioner for Diaspora Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Zareh Sinanyan issued in regard to the safety of the Armenian community of Syria.
The Turkish army’s military operation in northern Syria could have dangerous consequences for Syrian unity and adversely affect the course of the war with terrorists in the Arab Republic, Lebanese President Michel Aoun said at a meeting with UN Assistant Secretary General for Political Affairs on Thursday. According to Lebanese President’s press service, President Aoun drew the attention of the UN Advisor to the fact that recent events that take place on the Syrian-Turkish border can have dangerous consequences for the course of the war in Syria, and Lebanon is following the development in the hope that the encroachments on Syrian unity and the realities associated with it will not be refugees.
Upon the proposal of the Council of Europe, Human Rights Defender of Armenia Arman Tatoyan has joined an awareness-raising campaign ahead of the World Day Against the Death Penalty as a remarkable person in the field of human rights protection in Europe. In his message, Arman Tatoyan stressed that strong societies never kill, but help with resocialization and the restoration of justice.
October 9
Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan announced the start of the military operation “Source of Peace” in Syria, CNN reported. “Our aim is to destroy the terror corridor which is trying to be established on our southern border and to bring peace and peace to the region,” Erdogan tweeted. He added that Turkey “will preserve Syria's territorial integrity and liberate local communities from terrorists.”
The European Union has urged Turkey to end the military operation in northern Syria, rejecting any Turkish plans for a refugee security zone, saying it would not provide assistance there, Reuters reported. The EU calls on Turkey to end unilateral military operations, the 28 EU member states said in a joint statement adding that it is unlikely that the so-called security zone in northeast Syria, as stipulated by Turkey, will meet international criteria for the return of refugees.
U.S. President Donald Trump has threatened to destroy Turkey’s economy if the country goes “off limits” following his surprise decision to pull US forces out of north-eastern Syria, the BBC reports. The US does not support Turkey’s military attack on Syria, said US President Donald Trump, adding that the operation is “a bad idea.” Trump’s written statement was published several hours after Turkey launched an offensive against Kurdish militants in Syria, who helped the United States fight the Islamic State, Reuters reported.
Armenia has improved its competitiveness index by 1.4 points in the Global Competitiveness Report 2019 released by the World Economic Forum. As a result, Armenia is ranked 69th in the list of 141 countries. Last year the country was ranked 70th in this list. Armenia has recorded the highest figure in the pillar of the Labor Market, capturing the 32nd place in the list of 141 countries. At the same time, among the pillars the greatest progress was registered in the Macroeconomic Stability where Armenia is ranked 64th, which means that the country has improved its positions by 25 points against the previous report. In the Financial System pillar, Armenia again improved its positions, capturing the 69th place. According to the report, regress has been registered in the Product Market pillar, where Armenia’s positions have declined by 5 points.
October 8
President of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Bako Sahakyan received US Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Judy Chu. US-Artsakh relations, avenues for the settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict, and regional developments were on the discussion agenda, Central Information Department of the Office of the Republic of Artsakh President informed Armenian News. Sahakyan noted that the development of relations with the US is among the priorities of the Artsakh foreign policy, and acknowledged the role of the US in achieving a pacific settlement of the Azerbaijani-Karabakh conflict and maintaining stability in the region.
Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Masis Mayilian and President of the National Assembly (NA) of the Republic of Artsakh (Nagorno-Karabakh Republic), Ashot Ghoulyan also received US Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Judy Chu. Ghoulyan lauded Judy Chu’s activities in the US Congress, noting that her initiative on national defense in the US law is important in terms of maintaining security and peace in the region, and which is decisive in shaping the future of the peoples of the region. US Congresswomen Jackie Speier and Judy Chu are members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues.
October 7
The 2019 World Congress on Information Technologies (WCIT) has officially kicked off in Yerevan. WCIT is the signature event of the World Information Technology & Services Alliance (WITSA), a consortium of ICT associations from 83 countries, representing 90% of the industry. The Congress was held in Yerevan, Armenia from October 6 to 9 and included sessions on topics ranging from artificial intelligence, virtual reality, smart cities to cybersecurity, climate change, and more. The congress featured speeches by Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan; President of WITSA Yvonne Chiu; US National Security expert Richard Clarke, as well as President of VaynerX and VaynerMedia Gary Vaynerchuk, founder of GIPHY Alex Chung, TV star Kim Kardashian West, co-founder of Reddit and Initialized Capital Alexis Ohanian, rock musician Serj Tankian, founder of Acer Stan Shih and other reputable IT experts.
October 6
The opening ceremony of DigiTec Expo 2019, the largest and most anticipated event in the IT field, took place at Mergelyan Institute’s Yerevan Expo Center. DigiTec brings together and reflects Armenia’s technological potential, achievements and future. The Executive Director of the Union of Advanced Technology Enterprises (UATE) Karen Vardanyan and the Co-Founder and General Director of Ucom, the Platinum Sponsor of the event, Hayk Yesayan, state officials, representatives of local and international organizations, diplomats and other guests were also present at the opening ceremony of DigiTec. Here visitors get acquainted with the global trends of technology development, industry representatives showcase their innovative solutions, look for business contacts and new opportunities, and simply celebrate industry success. The opening ceremony also launched the countdown to the World Congress on Information Technology (WCIT) 2019, scheduled to take place in Yerevan on October 6-9.
Credits: https://haydzayn.com; https://news.am/eng/; https://armenpress.am; https://artsakh.news/en; https://www.reuters.com; https://edition.cnn.com.