Author: Set Galoustyan

Malaysia, South Sudan, Israel: with the promotion of 21 clergymen on Saturday, Pope Francis is expanding the number of countries represented in the College of Cardinals. In the future, the body that elects the pope — meaning all cardinals who are not yet 80 years old — will comprise men from 71 nations, more countries than ever before. Since his first consistory, which is what a pope’s appointment of new cardinals is called in church jargon, Pope Francis has remained true to his course: making the group of cardinals who will someday choose his successor more international. Many more countries are now represented in…

The flood of refugees from Nagorno-Karabakh dwindled to a trickle Saturday as Armenia said nearly the entire population of the breakaway territory had already fled after Azerbaijan seized back control. An AFP journalist at the Kornidzor crossing into Armenia saw only several ambulances arrive as border guards said they were waiting for a final few buses. In the nearest town of Goris, hundreds of exhausted refugees waited amongst their baggage in the central square for the government to offer accommodation. Azerbaijan’s lightning military takeover of the ethnic Armenian enclave last week sparked a sudden exodus that has rewritten the centuries-old ethnic makeup…

The aid was supplied by the Russian Red Cross via the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam. But the Lachin road, connecting Nagorno-Karabakh with Armenia, remains closed. A Russian Red Cross truck carrying humanitarian aid entered Nagorno-Karabakh from the Azerbaijani city of Aghdam on September 12. It was the first delivery of supplies to the territory in nearly three months, since Azerbaijan shut down all traffic on the Lachin corridor, the only road connecting the Armenian-populated region to the Republic of Armenia. It was also the first use in some three decades of the road connecting Aghdam with Karabakh’s de facto capital Stepanakert. Baku had been pushing since…

Copenhagen (17/08 – 78) Kidnapping, intimidation, and blackmail are just some of the means used to hit enlistment quotas in Tajikistan. When conscription season comes around in Tajikistan, military recruiters begin resorting to desperate measures. Scooping young men off the streets in actions tantamount to kidnapping is standard. But that is just for starters. To pressure communities into giving up their sons, recruiters will disconnect the electricity, detain relatives, and shut down mosques. Eligible levees draw lots to decide who will be the one to hand themselves over. The hunting season for men of draft age, which applies to people…

Since last year, a key transit road in the Karabakh region has been at the center of growing tensions between Azerbaijan and Armenia, two countries struggling to strike a peace deal after their last major conflict in the fall of 2020 ended with a cease-fire brokered by Russia. The Lachin road, which passes through its namesake district on the Azerbaijani side of the border, is Armenia’s only land route to Karabakh. It is being monitored by a Russian peacekeeping contingent under the Nov. 10, 2020 truce, known as the Tripartite Declaration, and its control has been a major snag in relations between the two…

In this latest episode of the Global Conversation, Euronews speaks with Azerbaijan’s President Ilham Aliyev and Armenia’s Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan Nagorno-Karabakh has been the stage of some of the most violent episodes in the south Caucasus’ recent history. Despite a ceasefire deal brokered by Russia in 2020, tensions are far from over. The United States and the European Union have been playing a bigger role in mediating the crisis – since the vacuum left by Russia (a more traditional regional power broker, now bogged down in Ukraine). And the talks have been filling people with hope of lasting peace. But…

The Armenian government will allocate about $6 million for the Yerevan concert of the world famous hip-hop artist Snoop Dogg. This decision is included in the government’s non-reportable matters. The decision states that the purpose of this project is to revitalize the cultural life of Armenia, increase its recognition in the international arena, and develop cultural tourism in the country. Also, it is planned to ensure the attendance of disadvantaged and target groups to this concert. The Armenian government plans that 20-25 thousand fans will attend this concert, and several thousand of them will be tourists who are expected to…

Armen Valerii Grigoryan made the remarks on Tuesday in a meeting with Mahdi Sobhani, Iran’s ambassador to Yerevan. Grigoryan emphasized the readiness of Armenia to advance comprehensive ties with Iran. The continuation of political consultations, routine meetings of security officials, the importance of economic cooperation in fostering peace and stability in the region, as well as collaborative projects, were topics of discussion between the two parties. For his part, Ambassador Sobhani said that mutual respect and trust are the cornerstones of ties between Iran and Armenia. He also reaffirmed Iran’s will to improve ties with Armenia and contribute to regional…

Countries in the Asia-Pacific region need to drastically increase their investments in disaster warning systems and other tools to counter rising risks from climate change, a United Nations report said Tuesday. The report by the Economic and Social Commission for Asia and the Pacific, or ESCAP, says nearly $145 billion is needed to set up systems to minimize deaths and damage from floods, earthquakes, drought and other disasters. Artificial intelligence, satellites, remote sensing and other technologies would help with forecasting, notifying the public during emergencies and providing other services, but telecommunications systems must be fortified to ensure that vulnerable communities get…

Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan warned Friday of the risk of a new war with Azerbaijan, accusing Baku of genocide in the breakaway Armenian-populated region of Nagorno-Karabakh. Baku and Yerevan have fought two wars over the mountainous enclave and a peace treaty remains a distant prospect. Talks under the mediation of the European Union, United States, and separately Russia have brought about little progress. “So long as a peace treaty has not been signed and such a treaty has not been ratified by the parliaments of the two countries, of course, a [new] war [with Azerbaijan] is very likely,” Pashinyan…