Armenieninfo.net

A ceasefire 18 years ago this month brought a halt to the war in Nagorno-Karabakh. But with the battle over the disputed territory’s fate dragging on, residents must contend with a persistent enemy in their midst – uncertainty. These images, taken by photographer Timo Vogt, illustrate the struggle for Karabakh residents, who are trying to retain a sense of hope and find a measure of prosperity, while banishing feelings of insecurity.  >>eurasianet.org

Russland will außenpolitisch enger mit seinen Verbündeten in der Organisation des Vertrags über Kollektive Sicherheit (OVKS) kooperieren, deren 20-jähriges Jubiläum gestern in Moskau begangen wurde, schreibt die Zeitung „Nesawissimaja Gaseta“ am Mittwoch. Die OVKS will vor allem ihre militärischen Aktivitäten ausbauen, insbesondere in möglichen Konfliktgebieten in Zentralasien und im Kaukasus, wo im Herbst ein großangelegtes Manöver des Militärbündnisses geplant ist.  >>ria.ru

On May 11 – 14 OSCE Minsk Group visited the Karabakh conflict zone during which mediators met with the presidents of Armenia and Azerbaijan. The co-chairs made a statement on the results of their visit and expressed their concerns over the incidents happening along the frontline; they urged the sides to exercise restraint and refrain from retaliation. By a separate special proposal the mediators welcomed the fact that the sides – Armenia and Azerbaijan – reaffirmed their commitment to peaceful settlement of the issue.

While Japan is now trying to run its economy without nuclear energy for the first time since 1970, the post-Fukushima world's continued dependence on atomic power is probably best illustrated on the other side of Asia. Armenia is vowing to keep its one nuclear reactor running, despite international pressure to close the 32-year-old Soviet-designed plant, which sits in a broad seismiczone that stretches from Turkey to the Arabian Sea. One of the world's last remaining nuclear reactors without a primary containment structure, Metsamor is now slated to continue operating for as long as four years beyond its original 2016 retirement date. Armenia has postponed shutdown until a delayed new reactor comes online, no earlier than 2019 or 2020.  >>hetq.am