Gagrule.net

Gagrule.net News, Views, Interviews worldwide

Blogger Alexander Lapshin’s wife appeals to Israel PM

By

Israeli Russian blogger Alexander Lapshin’s wife, Ekaterina, has petitioned to Prime Minister of Israel Benjamin Netanyahu, with the request to urge the Azerbaijan leadership to release her spouse.

“Dear Mr. Prime Minister, as the head of the state, you have a big international influence, and thus, you can and must help the citizen of Israel who served in TZAHAL [i.e. the Israel Defense Forces], and now is in a difficult situation.

“You have released Gilad Shalit by paying a high price for him. Your brother fell while saving the Israelis and Jews in Entebbe.

“Now, the time has come to help a blogger and a reporter who got involved in the conflict between Armenia and Azerbaijan while carrying out his journalistic duties, and as a result, found himself in an Azerbaijani prison.

“Taking into account the good relations between Azerbaijan and Israel, the joint military and economic programs, you have an opportunity to petition to [Azerbaijan] President [Ilham] Aliyev with a request and help the Israeli to be in freedom.

“This is a very dangerous precedent because if a blind eye is turned on this, later many Israelis can appear in such a situation, due to visiting disputed territories and for visiting our territories in Jerusalem or the Golan Heights, which the international community does not recognize as Israeli.

We realize that you are focused on global issues, such as the Iranian threat. But rendering assistance to your citizens is no less an important commitment, since we do not abandon our own, not solely in the battlefield, but anywhere.

“We expect your intervention, since you can and you must [intervene],” specifically reads the petition by Lapshin’s wife.

After his visits to Nagorno-Karabakh (Artsakh) in 2011 and 2012, blogger Alexander Lapshin was “blacklisted” by Azerbaijan.

In June 2016, however, he paid a visit to Azerbaijan–but with a Ukrainian passport–and, subsequently, he published several articles criticizing the Azerbaijani authorities.

Afterward, Azerbaijan issued an international search for this famous blogger. On December 15, 2016, Lapshin was detained in the Belarusian capital city of Minsk, and based on this search.

On January 26 of the current year, the Minsk city court dismissed the blogger’s appeal of the Belarusian General Prosecutor’s Office decision to extradite him to Azerbaijan.

On February 7, the Supreme Court of Belarus dismissed the appeals that were filed into this case, and upheld the aforesaid decision by the General Prosecutor’s Office.

On the evening of the same day, the famous blogger was extradited to the Azerbaijani capital city of Baku, where he was taken into custody.

According to analysts and human rights defenders, however, Alexander Lapshin’s case may become an appalling precedent that curtails the freedom of speech of foreigners and the freedom of movement of Armenian citizens.

Armenia premier elected ruling RPA’s first vice chairman

By

A council session of Armenia‘s ruling Republican Party (RPA) on Thursday, January 26 evening elected a new RPA board with 35 fresh members. Prime Minister Karen Karapetyan was elected the party’s first vice chairman, deputy parliament speaker Eduard Sharmazanov told reporters.

Karapetyan thus replaced former premier Hovik Abrahamyan who resigned as the country’s PM in September, and announced about leaving the party just several days ago.

Public and political figure Mushegh Lalayan, parliament speaker Galust Sahakyan and former education minister Armen Ashotyan were also elected as vice chairmen of the party, Panorama.am reports.

Read also:President Sargsyan says doesn’t mind changing elections date

Armenia PM congratulates Gladys Berejiklian on becoming PM of Australia’s largest state

By

YEREVAN. – Prime Minister of Armenia Karen Karapetyan on Monday sent a congratulatory letter to Ms Gladys Berejiklian on assuming the office of the premier of New South Wales (NSW), the largest state of Australia.

The letter reads as follows:

“Dear Ms Berejiklian,

I congratulate you most warmly both on my behalf and on behalf of the Government of the Republic of Armenia on assuming the post of the New South Wales (NSW) state of Australia.

It is praiseworthy that being actively engaged in the social and political life of the country, the Armenian community of Australia uniquely contributes to the development of Australia in different spheres, your fruitful activity being indicative of this.

I hope that during your office new impetus will be given to the development of relations between Armenia and Australia, in particular to the decentralized cooperation between our provinces and cities.

Taking advantage of the occasion, I would like to wish you success and new achievements in favor of the prosperity of the friendly people of Australia and strengthening of Armenian-Australian friendship.”

Romanian president rejects Muslim Turk candidate for prime minister

By

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis has rejected the leftist Social Democrat Party’s (PSD) proposal to name Sevil Shhaideh as prime minister-designate. She would have been the country’s first female and Muslim premier.

Romanian President Klaus Iohannis told reporters on Tuesday that having “carefully weighed up the pro and cons,” he had decided to not appoint Sevil Shhaideh (pictured above) as prime minister.

“As a result, I am asking the Social Democrat Party (PSD) and [its coalition partner] ALDE to make a new proposal,” Iohannis said. The president did not disclose any more details regarding his decision.

Were Shhaideh to have been appointed prime minister, she would have been Romania’s first Muslim and female premier. Her nomination last week came as a shock to the nation, however, as she is still relatively unknown.

Having only briefly served as regional development minister in 2015, Shhaideh has been criticized for a lack of political experience.

Insufficient experience

PSD chairman Liviu Dragnea is barred from becoming prime minister, however, due to a conviction of election fraud. He is currently serving a two-year suspended prison sentence.

Dragnea’s personal closeness to Shhaideh has also been scrutinized by opponents. They claim that proposing Shhaideh for the premiership was simply Dragnea’s way for her to become his puppet. In 2011, he was a witness at Shhaideh’s wedding.

Having won 45 percent of the vote in Romania’s parliamentary election earlier this month, the Social Democrats now share a majority coalition its long-time ally, the ALDE. With 250 members in the 465-seat two-house assembly, the PSD can easily give their government a vote of confidence and pass legislation.

ksb/sms (AFP, AP, Reuters)

Iraqi Kurdistan Dictatorship PM Barzani want to help Erdogan by crashing PKK

By

Military force may be an option to fight the presence of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers’ Party (PKK) in the Sinjar district near Mosul in northern Iraq, Kurdistan Regional Government (KRG) Prime Minister Nechirvan Barzani has said, state-run Anadolu Agency has reported on Dec. 24.

It was PKK and PYD “During the calamity that befell the Yazidi people in Sinjar, obviously the Rojava forces — meaning the PYD [Democratic Unity Party] — played a valuable role in helping to protect them and shepherd them to safety, now KRG want to destroy PKK to please Turkish Dictator 

Barzani said under the present circumstances, the presence of PKK forces in Sinjar will only add to instability in the area and nothing more. The PKK presence is preventing people from returning to their homes. They are hesitating to return for fear of renewed conflict, out of concern as to what uncertain future awaits them and not because, as some allege, that we are the ones stopping them from reclaiming their lives, their homes. We share their concerns, and this is why we strongly believe that the PKK must leave Sinjar,” he told internet news site Al-Monitor in a special interview.

Barzani said they were in touch with Baghdad and Washington over the issue.

“We have been engaging with both Baghdad and Washington on this issue. The ongoing talks have not resulted in any concrete progress, no practical measures so far in terms of getting the PKK to withdraw. The real problem lies within the mentality and the behavior of the PKK. The local Yazidi population does not want the PKK to remain. People want stability,” he said.

Upon a question on whether Barzani would resort to military force to push the PKK out of Sinjar, he said he would.

The KRG has concerns over the possibility that Sinjar could serve as a second headquarters for the PKK in northern Iraq. The Peshmarga forces have been in efforts to get the upper hand in the area. The region is home to around 4,000 Yazidis.

Turkey previously vowed to take precautionary measures by deploying Turkish soldiers to prevent PKK militants from securing a base in Sinjar.

Armenia’s citizens consider new premier’s 100 days satisfactory

By

The Transparency International Anticorruption Center (TIAC) has organized a discussion on “100 days of the premier.”

Sona Ayvazyan, TIAC Executive Director, said that 34.5% of Armenia’s citizens consider the new premier’s activities satisfactory, and 29.4% made a poor assessment. The survey involved 653 respondents.

In response to a question concerning the premier’s steps to raise the effectiveness of government spending, 31% of the respondents called them satisfactory, 33.8% poor, 16.7% were contented and 6.9% called them excellent. On the other hand 12.4% of the respondents consider the premier’s work very poor.

As to their assessment of the premier’s steps to improve Armenia’s business environment, 30.6% consider the steps poor, and 28% satisfactory.

Nelly Lazaryan

Romanian’s thought they liberated themselves from the Turks, not realizing electing Turkish Prime minister

By

Muslim, Turkish Sevil Shhaideh set to be Romania’s first female prime minister.

Romania could be headed for its first female prime minister, an economist who is a member of Romania’s small Muslim and Turkish community.

Liviu Dragnea, chairman of Romania’s Social Democratic party, which won the parliamentary election, proposed Wednesday that Sevil Shhaideh take the post of prime minister. The announcement was a surprise because her name is not widely known in Romania.

Shhaideh, 52, is a member of the Social Democratic Party but did not run in the Dec. 1 elections. She was minister for regional development for six months in 2015, and is currently a senior official in the regional development ministry.

President Klaus Iohannis is consulting with political leaders before nominating a prime minister, who Parliament needs to approve. If approved by lawmakers, she would also become the country’s first Muslim prime minister.

Dragnea is banned from being premier because he has a conviction for election fraud.

NKR Prime Minister: Damages caused to Artsakh make up over $ 20 million

By

karabakg-pmSome 10.000 civilians, who make up over 7 percent of Artaskh population, were forced to leave their settlements near the frontline. Prime Minister of Nagorno Karabakh Arayik Harutyunyan noted in his speech delivered during the ceremony dedicated to the 25th anniversary of the NKR’s Independent which was held in the US Congress.

“The regular lifestyle of Talish village was distorted as a result of the Azerbaijan atrocities, as the inhabitants have not yet returned to their native village due to security concerns. However, we are making efforts to renovate Talish. The war also had direct and indirect negative effects on the economy as well. The direct damage is estimated to over $ 20 million and the indirect damages will be felt for a long time,” NKR MP noted.

Harutyunyan reminded the congressmen that the Azerbaijan side mobilized thousands of special force servicemen, more than 10 helicopters, hundreds of tanks and artillery, rocket launch systems including forbidden weapons.

“Our army managed to resist the sudden aggression unleased by Azerbaijan defending our population from massacre and relocation. However the Azerbaijani forces managed to commit war crimes and other crimes against humanity. Particularly in Talish village they brutally tortured and killed three civilians including a 90-yaer old woman. Using the ISIS methods they beheaded three of our soldiers and tortured and mutilated the bodies of over 20 Armenian servicemen both alive and dead,” A. Harutyunan presented the atrocities committed by the adversary.

He underscored that a few days following the crimes the Azerbaijani president gave awards and glorified the criminals.

“Moreover, the Azerbaijani artillery was intentionally targeting the civil settlements of Karabakh, which resulted to the death of a child who was on his way to school. The continuation of that policy was the statement released by the Azerbaijani Defence Ministry claiming that they were going to shell Karabakh’s capital city Stepanakert. Baku’s aggression in April was a terrorism committed and praised on the state level, which, unfortunately, again was not condemned properly by the international community,” NKR PM noted in his speech.

He noted that four days after the Azerbaijani aggression, the official Baku requested a ceasefire from the Armenian side due to the painful retaliatory actions by our army, as well as the Azerbaijani failures and suffered losses. “However we also suffered significant human and material losses as well.”

Turning to the conflict resolution efforts, he welcomed the efforts made by the OSCE Minsk Group Co-chairs directed towards the stabilization of the situation and the settlement of the conflict.

He expressed his gratitude to the seven US states, namely Rhode Island, Massachusetts, Maine, Louisiana, California, Georgia and Hawaii, for the protection of the rights of Karabakh people and the independence of the Nagorno Karabakh Republic.

Once more he underscored the conflict must be resolved through peaceful means without use of force or threat. Meanwhile it is unacceptable and impossible to reach a peaceful settlement of the conflict without the equal and full participation of the main side of the conflict_ Nagorno Karabakh.

“It must be stated that our inclination to settle the conflict exclusively through peaceful means does not mean that we are weak or are not ready for a new war. No, friends, the army of Artsakh has enough capacity and combat readiness to confront any attack towards our people which is our sacred duty and responsibility. We simply value human life and like the entire civilised society, we think that it is possible and obligatory to settle the conflict peacefully. I believe you realize that this stance of the NKR is not only in our favour, but also in favour of the Azerbaijani people. Moreover, due to our commitment to peace we can confidently state that Artsakh is a reliable partner for the international community ensuring peace and stability in the region,” he said.

 

 

Source Panorama.am

New Zealand’s prime minister announces sudden resignation

By

resignNew Zealand’s Prime Minister John Key says he is resigning after some eight years in office, taking the country by surprise with the abrupt announcement.

55-year-old Key cited family matters as the reason for his sudden resignation.

Speaking at a weekly media conference in Wellington on Monday, he said it had been “the hardest decision” he had ever made.

He was first elected prime minister in 2008 and has led the National Party since ten years ago.

“It’s been a decade of a lot of long, lonely nights for her,” he said in reference to his wife, adding, “And it’s the right time for me to come home… On a family basis, I don’t think I could commit much longer.”

Key, who is a wealthy former stock broker, said he would stay in the parliament so the National Party would not need to go through by-elections.

The National Party is set to hold a meeting on December 12 to choose Key’s successor. Key said he would vote for his deputy and finance minister, Bill English, to take over if his name is put forward.

English told reporters at a press conference that he had not yet decided whether to stand for leadership but did not rule it out.

He praised the prime minister’s “intelligence, optimism and integrity” and said he would be “judged by history as one of New Zealand’s greatest leaders.”

If English becomes prime minister, he would likely continue with many of Key’s core policies, analysts say.

Winston Peters, the leader of the rival New Zealand First Party, hinted that the country needed a change in policy. He said Key had consistently misled the public about the state of the economy, and his resignation showed he was “unable to muddy the waters anymore.”

European leaders call for calm as Italy’s Renzi resigns

By

pm-resignFollowing a referendum defeat, Italian PM Matteo Renzi has said he will step down without delay. Italians overwhelmingly voted against the premier’s proposed constitutional reforms.

“My government ends today,” said Italian Prime Minister Matteo Renzi just after midnight on Monday, in a televised address from the Palazzo Chigi. “I take full responsibility for this defeat.”

Renzi said he could not refute the “extraordinarily clear” results of Sunday’s referendum on constitutional reforms, and called on his rivals to provide clear proposals for ending the continuous cycle of political deadlock in Rome. He offered his condolences to those in his “Yes” camp, congratulating them on a hard-fought campaign.

“Good luck to us all,” said the prime minister of two-and-a-half years, saying he would give his letter of resignation to President Sergio Mattarella later on Monday.

Europe calls for fast solution

Following Renzi’s referendum defeat, German Foreign Minister Frank-Walter Steinmeier said he hoped the government crisis in Italy will resolve quickly.

“We are watching the result in Italy with concern,” Steinmeier, who is visiting Greece, said in televised remarks on Monday.

“This is not of course a state crisis, but it’s a government crisis that needs to be resolved… it’s not a positive message to Europe at a difficult time,” he added.

Manfried Weber, a senior conservative European Parliament lawmaker from Germany, echoed Steinmeier’s concerns.

“Initially, a phase of instability now lies ahead of us – how will one of the biggest countries in the European Union now stabilize itself?” Weber told German public broadcaster ZDF. He added that the referendum outcome is a setback for those who want reforms in Europe.

German Finance Minister Wolfgang Schäuble urged Italy to continue with Renzi’s economic reforms during a call with his Italian counterpart on Monday.

France and Luxembourg, on the other hand, viewed the result as a domestic issue that did not signify a defeat for Europe. French Finance Minister Michel Sapin said the result poses no systemic risk to the euro zone.

Likewise, Luxembourg’s foreign minister, Jean Asselborn, called the referendum a “domestic political argument,” in comments to news agency DPA. He said the issue should not be extended to the European level, but added that a drawn-out government crisis would be bad for the euro.

‘No’ constitutional change in Rome

With all votes counted, results showed 59 percent of Italians voting against Renzi’s proposed reforms, with just under 41 percent in favor, the Interior Ministry said on Monday.

Turnout for the election was high, with 65 percent of the 47 million registered voters in Italy casting ballots.