Month: June 2022

Putin says "interested" in stabilization of situation in Armenia

Kalashian Nyrie
PanARMENIAN
Armenia –
– 12:15 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Russian President Vladimir Putin said at a meeting with Armenian President Vahagn Khachaturian on Friday, June 17 that Russia understands everything that is happening in Armenia and what the situation in the country to be stable.

“We understand everything that is happening today in Armenia, around Armenia. We are determined to develop our partnership relations. We are interested in the situation in the country being stable and guaranteeing progressive development,” Putin said, according to RIA Novosti.

He noted that Armenia is a strategic ally of Russia: “We appreciate that.”

The two Presidents met on the sidelines of the St. Petersburg International Economic Forum.

Yerevan moves closer to new metro station

Kanayan Tamar
PanARMENIAN
Armenia –
– 13:37 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Yerevan Mayor Hrachya Sargsyan and Chairman of the Board of Directors of Metrogiprotrans Valery Abramson have signed a contract for the design of a new metro station in the Ajapnyak district of the Armenian capital.

During a meeting in Yerevan on Saturday, June 18, Sargsyan said the development of the metro is of special importance within reforms in the city’s transport system.

The Yerevan City Council had earlier approved AMD 554 million for the design of a new metro station in the city.

Sports: Armenian triple jumper wins bronze at World Athletics Continental Tour

Hambik Zargarian
PanARMENIAN
Armenia –
– 13:09 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Member of Armenia’s athletics team, triple jumper Levon Aghasyan has won a bronze medal at the World Athletics Continental Tour held in Marseille, France.

During his 4th attempt, however, Aghasyan sustained an injury to his right heel and could not continue with the jump.

“In any event, I’m moving forward. I will come back stronger,” he said following the event.

The Armenian athletics team earlier won 2 gold, 1 silver and 1 bronze medals at the European Junior Championships held in Malta.

Sports: IFA President attends Football Federation of Armenia anniversary celebration

Jagharian Tania

June 15 2022


Wednesday, 15 June 2022, 22:00 (local time)

  • The FFA was commemorating its 30th anniversary with a series of events in Yerevan

  • Mr Infantino addressed dignitaries and delegates attending the gala dinner

  • The FIFA President also participated in a small-sided match, which took place at a pitch built through the FIFA Forward Programme

FIFA President Gianni Infantino has personally congratulated the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA), as it gathered in Yerevan to celebrate its 30th anniversary.

Speaking at a gala dinner attended by dignitaries including Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan, UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin and FFA President Armen Melikbeyan, the FIFA President praised the FFA for the football development work it has championed since its establishment in 1992.

Mr Infantino singled the expansive development work carried out by the FFA to reinvest in grassroots football facilities across the country, via the FIFA Forward Programme.

“I would like to congratulate Armen and the whole Federation in Armenia for the fantastic work they are doing for our children in particular,” the FIFA President said. “The project we put together with the mini-fields in the different villages of the country is a project that looks into the future, that gives emotions, smiles and hope to thousands and thousands of children all over Armenia.”

“I would like to thank you dear Prime Minister – as well as the President of Armenia who was also with us earlier – and all of the municipalities of Armenia for helping us, along with the Federation, to mobilise the fans and to promote football.”

Earlier in the day, in the presence of President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan, President Infantino joined local and international legends for a game of football at Tsovagyugh Village – on one the pitches built through the FIFA Forward Programme.

At the evening event, the FIFA President also took the opportunity to look ahead to what promises to be a bright future for football in Armenia – from grassroots to national team level, and the prospect of a new national stadium on the horizon.

“Football brings people together, creates the team spirit that is needed – not only in Armenia but all over the world – and has this magic that makes our hearts beat,” President Infantino continued. “I’m very happy dear Prime Minister and dear friends that the next big project in Armenia is the building of a big brand new state-of-the-art national stadium.”

“FIFA will be on your side in this exciting project, which will be much more than just a stadium – it will be a landmark of the country, it will be a place that shows to the entire world how beautiful, how modern, how future-orientated Armenia is. A project to be proud of.”


Sports: Staying in their lane: Junior Olympics, Armenian Youth Olympics bringing events to Clinton

Arpi Talalian
Jan Gottesman

The Item

CLINTON – How attractive are the Clinton track and field facilities across from Clinton High School on Route 110?

Two large events – the Junior Olympics of the U.S. Track and Field of New England and the Armenian Youth Olympics – will be taking place there this summer.

The USTF event is Saturday, June 18, and the Armenian Youth Olympics is Sunday, Sept. 4.

“Both of these all-day events will be held at our prestigious Veterans Athletic Complex and we anticipate 1,000 competitors and 3,000 spectators throughout the day for The Junior Olympics,” according to the Clinton Athletics Facebook post. “The track and the surrounding parking lots will be in extreme use on those days.”

“These organizations reached out to me because of hardships that have occurred for scheduling events as some college venues are still not prepared to host these types of events,” Clinton Athletic Director John Smith said. “I spoke to David Vanasse about it since we all know Dave is a highly respected track enthusiast throughout Central Mass. and he took the ball and got it rolling.”

In addition to coach Clinton High track, Vanasse is also the district’s food service director.

Vanasse said the USTF thought Clinton was a good location because of its central location in New England.

“I brought the director here and he loved it. The facility had everything he wanted,” Vanasse said. That includes an eight-lane track. “There are not any at a high school level that has eight lanes all around, and not just the straight away. “He fell in love with the facility.”

Part of the requirements were parking, and the three lots – between the Veterans Complex, the middle and high schools – met their need. So did facilities like bathroom and concession stand. Vanasse said the agreement includes that the concessions will be run locally and benefit the Clinton Track program.

The concession stand is a “state-of-the-art concession stand” that was updated and used during the COVID-19 pandemic, when the food services department used all facilities available to run its program and deliver meals to students working remotely.

“It was another area we could prepare food and work out of,” Vanasse said.

The person organizing the Armenian Youth Olympics was also impressed by the facilities and decided to hold that event in Clinton.

The USTF program will be the larger of the two. In 2019, they had 800 elite athletes compete, ages 8 to 18, so they are geared up to handle 1,000 to 2,000 spectators.

The Armenian event should have 100 to 150 competitors.

For the June 18 competition, there will be police officers to help pedestrians cross Route 110 and an EMT on site. Vanasse will be there as the director of the track to make things go smoothly. The competition is scheduled for 9 a.m. to about 6 or 7 p.m.

“I was thinking outside the box and how phenomenal it will be for the town and Clinton track,” Vanasse said. “People will ride by and see thousands of people enjoying the facility and it could bring people to town to shop at businesses in the future. This is the first time we have done something like this and hopefully they will come back.”

Film: 2022 Golden Apricot international film festival to reflect global agenda

Nahapetian Samvel
ARMINFO
Armenia –
Alina Hovhannisyan

ArmInfo. July 10 to 17, Yerevan will be hosting the most significant cultural event, Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival. 

At a news conference on Friday Karen Avetisyan, Artistic Director of  the festival, said that this year’s event “bears post-apocalyptic  symbols” as the global tribulations the year 2020 was marked by are  still continuing. 

“Every year we focus our attention on the fact and recreation and  entertainment is of secondary importance for us in the context of the  festival. We are having our finger on the pulse of the present-day  global agenda.  The festival is not a festive event. Rather. It is  kind of laboratory with debate raging there. So we should not isolate  ourselves. Our goal is becoming part of this agenda,” Mr Khachatryan  said. 

According to tradition, the 2022 festival programme consists of three  components: International Competition, Regional Panorama and Apricot  Stone. Armenian films will participate in all the competitions. 

The festival feature is the films about the Artsakh was shot by both  Armenian and Greek, Egyptian and Argentine directors. The 19th Golden  Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival will kick off with  “Amerikatsi”  (American) by director Michael Goorjian. The film is  dedicated to the Armenian Genocide.  The documentary Invisible  Republic by Garin Hovannisian will be the last in the series  dedicated to the Artsakh war. 

This year, the festival jury will be headed by Terence (Terry)  George, an Irish screenwriter and director, who is known for The  Promise. Among the jury member will be Orwa Nyrabia, Director of  International Documentary Film Festival Amsterdam (IDFA), won the  Vulcan Award of the Technical Artist for Petrov’s Flu, Isaki  Lacuesta, a Spanish film director from Catalonia, and Armenian film  director Nora Martirosyan (director of the film Should the Wind  Drop). 

This year, the Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival  will be sponsored by the RA Ministry of Education, Science, Culture  and Sport and the Yerevan Municipality. 

Sports: ​UEFA President pledges football support for Armenia

Ophelia Vardapetian

UEFA President pledges football support for Armenia

Friday
UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin has visited Armenia, promising UEFA’s continued backing to the country as it strives to develop and strengthen its flourishing football

FFA President Armen Melikbekyan (left) and Aleksander Čeferin cut the ribbon to reopen the renovated Abovyan City StadiumAsatur Yesayants
Mr Čeferin was in Armenia to attend celebrations to mark the 30th anniversary of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA). In addition to talks with senior association officials, he also met the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Nikol Pashinyan, and other government representatives.

The UEFA President joined FFA President Armen Melikbekyan at a ribbon-cutting ceremony to unveil the renovated City Stadium in Abovyan, refurbished with the help of funding from UEFA’s HatTrick development programme. He assured the FFA that UEFA would also provide funds to enable Armenia to fulfil plans to construct a new national football stadium in the capital Yerevan.

Excellent relations

“The relations between UEFA and the Football Federation of Armenia, and specifically, between Armen Melikbekyan and myself, could not be better,” said Mr Čeferin at the stadium event in Abovyan. “I believe that being a small country, you can develop football and increase its popularity thanks to such facilities.”

“UEFA will continue to support the Football Federation of Armenia. We hope that this support will result in the building of a new national stadium in your country.”

“The relations between UEFA and the Football Federation of Armenia could not be better.”

UEFA President Aleksander Čeferin


Stadium plans

Armen Melikbekyan said that the FFA planned to make use of the Abovyan City stadium – an all-seater venue with a maximum capacity of 3,100 seats – and outlined the progress being made to improve other venues across Armenia. “I hope that reconstruction work at Vanadzor City stadium will be finished in July,” he explained. “We are nearly there.”

“The [association] is also planning to install a floodlighting system in Gyumri City stadium, which will give us the opportunity to play football there in the evenings as well. International matches will be played there.”

Setting the development pace

The FFA is working diligently to improve Armenia’s footballing infrastructure, using its resources to improve facilities as it bids to bring more players, men and women, into the game. Armenia is a football country, and the FFA is eager to set the pace and encourage local teams to fulfil their potential at international level.

Armenia launched its new football strategy in 2020, with the aim of increasing participation levels by reinforcing grassroots, amateur and youth football structures. The number of registered players – in football and futsal – continues to increase annually, as the association works hand in hand with local clubs to make widespread improvements.

A significant challenge is finding good places for children to train and play, but with 39 new mini-pitches laid in the 2021/22 season, and various stadiums being refurbished, progress is on the right track.

Football’s prime place in Armenia

At the FFA’s 30th birthday event, Nikol Pashinyan underlined the impact of football in Armenia. “Football is very important for us,” the Prime Minister said. “It has economic, sports, socio-psychological and political significance.

“It has a political significance because team spirit is a phenomenon that has a great [potential] to really develop in the Republic of Armenia,” he added. “[We] need to develop this way of thinking, and football has an exceptional significance on the way to achieving this goal.

“Modern football is an institutional phenomenon, and I hope that through developments in football, institutional thinking will become commonplace in Armenia. I am confident that we will achieve our goals.”

UEFA a ‘reliable partner’

Mr Pashinyan thanked UEFA for its crucial help in taking football forward in Armenia, recognising the European body as “a reliable partner”, on account of its invaluable support to football development through, among others, the HatTrick scheme. “I would like to express my appreciation for the support provided by UEFA”, he said.

Armenia’s national team ahead of a recent match.Getty Images

Armenia is not only Russia’s partner, it is a strategic ally, Putin tells Khachaturyan

Chakhmakhchian Vatche
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –



, 11:31

 1 minute read

Ona working visit to Saint Petersburg, President Vhagn Khachaturyan met with the President of the Russian Federation Vladimir Putin.

“Armenia is not only our partner, it is our strategic ally, we appreciate that,” President Putin said.

“We understand everything that is happening in and around Armenia. We are determined to develop our partnership. We are interested in the establishment of a stable situation in the region that guarantees development,” he continued.

“I hope that our meeting today will also contribute to that,” he said.

President Khachaturyan noted, in turn: “I was in St. Petersburg a long time ago. I visited a lot during the years of the Soviet Union, it was from the 1980s to 1992. This is an opportunity to see how the city has changed, and as a former mayor, I can assess that the city really looks very nice. Even then, I remember those times: there was no such purity, beauty.”

“As for the St. Petersburg conference, I am attending it for the first time, but as an economist I have always followed and highly appreciated it, because there are very interesting discussions in terms of economics. Thank you for the invitation,” President Khachaturyan said.

“The Armenian people appreciate your efforts aimed at the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict. I can say that your efforts to end the war are appreciated not only by me personally, but also by the people of Armenia. It was very important that the war was stopped. It is very important for us that the agreements reached are observed,” he continued.

The Armenian president emphasized the historical friendship, and voiced hope that the fraternal relations will continue in the future.

A wide range of issues on the Armenian-Russian agenda was touched upon during the meeting.

US attaches importance to the expansion of cooperation with Armenia: PM Pashinyan receives Assistant Secretary Donfried

Talar Tumanian
Public Radio of Armenia
Armenia –




Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan received US Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Karen Donfried.

The Prime Minister highlighted the continuous development and expansion of the Armenian-American relations, noting that Mrs. Donfried’s visit is another opportunity to discuss issues on the bilateral agenda. Nikol Pashinyan praised the US assistance in effectively advancing the Armenian government’s democratic reforms, adding that the development of democracy is one of the key priorities of the Government.

According to Karen Donfried, the US administration also attaches importance to the expansion and strengthening of cooperation with Armenia in various areas, therefore, support for the development of Armenia’s democratic institutions will be ongoing.

The interlocutors also referred to the processes taking place in the South Caucasus region, the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the activities of the Commission on Delimitation and Border Security between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

The Prime Minister highlighted the strengthening of stability and peace in the region and stressed the need for an adequate response from the international community to provocative statements and actions undermining regional stability, peace and stability. At the same time, Nikol Pashinyan stressed the key role of the United States as a Co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, emphasizing the need for the process of the comprehensive settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict to take place within the framework of the Minsk Group Co-chairs’ format.

Pashinyan’s ouster a vital necessity, oppositionist says

Markos Nalchajian
Panorama
Armenia –

POLITICS 11:35 18/06/2022 ARMENIA

Opposition figure Edgar Ghazaryan, a former chief of the Armenian Constitutional Court staff and an ex-ambassador to Poland, has posted a photo of the protest against Nikol Pashinyan held in Yerevan on this day last year.

A similar opposition rally is scheduled to be in city center this evening.

“A rally is planned in Yerevan’s France Square on ,” Ghazaryan wrote on Facebook.

“We must unite and kick this nation-destroying scourge out of our public life. It is a vital necessity, which stems from the interests of our country and people,” he said.