Author: Aram Torosian

Sports: Aussie’s Armenian adventure ends

Aram Torosian
FTBL Australia
July 2 2019
 
 
Aussie’s Armenian adventure ends
 
By John Davidson
 
 
Australian midfielder Anthony Trajkoski has no regrets about departing Armenian club Ararat Yerevan and is on the hunt for a new club.
 
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The former Richmond Soccer Club playmaker joined Ararat Yerevan in February 2018 and made 30 appearances for the club, scoring three goals.
 
But upheaval at the Armenian Premier League club, which has churned through four coaches in the past season, saw Trajkoski mutually agree to end his contract last month and leave.
 
Now the 21-year-old, who has also had a spell at Dutch second division side FC Emmen, is searching for a new home.
 
“I was there for a year and a half, it was good,” Trajkoski told FTBL.
 
“This season I signed an extension to my contract, it was an up and down season to be honest. For the first half of the season I played a lot of games, pretty much all of them, then the second half of the season things just went down.
 
“The directors changed, the club had a big change and it didn’t work out quite as I would have like. So I’ve decided to finish my time up there. Even though I extended my contact we mutually agreed that it was time to move on.
 
“I thought it was enough time in Armenia and I’m looking for a new challenge.”
 
Trajkoski admitted life in the European league is particularly cutthroat. But the Melbournian has no regrets about his time in Armenia.
 
He added: “If they want to get rid of someone, or someone’s not happy then they just go.”
 
“It is difficult because if they don’t want you, or if you’re not performing, then you’re out the door. So it is very cut-throat. A whole new board came in at Ararat Yerevan and we had four changes of coach this year.
 
“A new director, new staff and it was a complete turnaround. For me it was important that I was playing. And if I’m not playing I’m not too concerned about my contract, if I’m not playing then I’d prefer to go.
 
“[But] I definitely wouldn’t take it back – it was fantastic. I don’t regret anything. I got my first professional minutes in Europe. I made my debut at 19 in the Armenian league, so overall it was a success. I think it gives me a good stepping stone for looking for somewhere else.”
 
Trajkoski played as a central midfielder in Armenia but is primarily a number 10 or winger.
 
The attacker has returned home to Australia in the off-season and is considering his next move.
 
“I’m open to anything,” he admitted.
 
“I’d love to stay in Europe, hopefully at a high level. But I’m open to the A-League, I’d love to play at home.”
 
 

Armenia’s sustainable energy development under spotlight of CSOs coalition: 4th session held in Yerevan

Aram Torosian

Armenia’s sustainable energy development under spotlight of CSOs coalition: 4th session held in Yerevan

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15:44, 28 June, 2019

YEREVAN, JUNE 28, ARMENPRESS. The 4th session of the Coalition of Civil Society Organizations (CSOs) for sustainable and transparent energy development in Armenia was held within the framework of the “Civil Society Organizations for Sustainable and Transparent Energy Development” (EU4STED) project implemented in the scope of the “Commitment to Constructive Dialogue” project funded by the European Union.

The session was attended by various member organizations of the coalition and guests.

Chairman of the “Armenian Lawyers’ Association” NGO Karen Zadoyan said he attaches great importance to the activities of the coalition in the past period. “After formation we expect two results from the coalition. The first one is aimed at monitoring and improving the public policies in energy field, and the next one is directed for internal capacity development of the coalition so that it will become one of the major role players in its activity field and the government’s partner”, Zadoyan said.

Karen Zadoyan told ARMENPRESS that they highlight the development of internal documents. “These are vital documents and are very important for the development of the coalition. I am confident that the coalition has a great impact on the further development of energy sector in Armenia”, he said, adding that their NGO has provided a grant for public policy development, reforms and capacity development of the coalition.

Director of the Energy Saving Foundation NGO Astghine Pasoyan stated that from now on they should not be a group of organizations only, but a structure that has a common goal, tools and vision. “Program ends, but actions start”, she said.

The session aimed at introducing the works of the CSOs coalition, in particular those relating to the introduction of energy efficiency procurement and regulations of operation of sustainable energy stations in communities, the creation and launch of a “smart” monitoring platform for sustainable energy development in communities and etc.

ARMENPRESS is the information partner of the coalition.

 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Sports: In One Shot: Happy Ararat with the USSR Cup

Aram Torosian
MediaMax, Armenia
June 17 2019

1973 was a year of football and success for the Armenian nation: FC Ararat had a mad season, winning game after game and crowning the achievements with a domestic double – the USSR Championship and Cup.

The win over Dynamo Kyiv in the cup final was one of the best examples of unity and the resolution to fight until the end.

This edition of Mediamax Sport’s In One Shot columns recalls the final and takes us back to the photo, made in 1973, which depicts happy Ararat players posing with the USSR cup.

On October 10, 1973, Lenin Stadium in Moscow gathered 60,000 fans for the cup final. Dynamo Kyiv was to face Ararat.

In the 61st minute of the match, Dynamo’s Viktor Kolotov put the Ukrainian team ahead with a flawless penalty. One minute before the end of the game, Levon Ishtonyan equalized. He proceeded to score the winner in the 103rd minute, helping Ararat win the club’s first USSR Cup.

“We were greeted by a huge crowd in the airport in Yerevan. It took us four hours to get to the city. People would have carried the bus if they could. I had never seen anything like and I don’t think I ever will again. We won over the hearts of the people. We made history,” said Eduard Markarov, who played for Ararat as forward.

The players were back, but they had no time to celebrate: they were still fighting in the championship. Nevertheless, the team found time to make a photo.

Wearing white kits and wide smiles, the first USSR Cup winners in the Caucasus shone in front of the camera as much as on the pitch.

Unfortunately, many of the players depicted on the picture are no longer with us: the legendary captain Hovhannes Zanazanyan, goalkeeper Alyosha Abrahamyan, Alexander Kovalenko… But as long as the fans of Ararat ’73 are around and people remember the achievements of that team, they will live on.


Azerbaijani Press: Supporters of Samvel Babayan intensified in Karabakh

Aram Torosian
Turan, Azerbaijani Opposition Press

Supporters of Samvel Babayan intensified in Karabakh



Baku/18.06.19/Turan: In Nagorno-Karabakh, supporters of the former commander of the armed forces of Karabakh, Samvel Babayan, began collecting signatures to make “constitutional” amendments.

Samvel Babayan intends to run for the post of “president” of Karabakh in 2020, but it is hampered by the fact that he does not have a 10-year permanent residence in Karabakh.

The activity of Babayan”s supporters is taking place against the backdrop of the desire of official Yerevan to promote Karabakh Araik Harutyunyan, the former “vice-premier” of the government and a person considered loyal to Nikol Pashinyan.

Samvel Babayan enjoys great prestige in Karabakh, but he is not welcomed in Yerevan and in Karabakh because of his criminal past. His potential rival is another military man – the former head of the local Security Council, Vitaly Balasanyan.

Babayan and Balasanyan openly criticize Yerevan, which has already caused some sanctions regarding Karabakh, after which Balasanyan resigned.

According to experts, the further aggravation of relations between Yerevan and Karabakh is inevitable and can lead to a serious political crisis and even violent confrontation.

Radical political forces in the face of Sasna Tsrer and Dashnaktsutyun add fuerl to the fire, demanding to announce the reunification of Armenia and Karabakh, contrary to the opinion of not only Yerevan, but also the international community. -02B-

Armenian President pays working visit to France

Aram Torosian

Armenian President pays working visit to France

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17:47,

YEREVAN, JUNE 18, ARMENPRESS. President of Armenia Armen sarkissian has paid a working visit to France, where he will attend the International Paris Air Show at Le Bourget.

As ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the President’s Office, it’s the largest exibition of aerospace industry that gasthers the largest players of the firled under one roof one in two years.

In the sidelines of the Internatonal Paris Air Show President Sarkissian will visit the pavillions of the major companies, particularly the Italian ”Leonardo” and ”Elettronica Group”, French ”Dassault Group” and ”THALES Group”, and will meet with their leaderships.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan




ACNIS reView

Aram Torosian
  Free chair  

JUNE 7, 2019   
When politics is meaningless

The recent events seem somewhat chaotic, as a number of figures who have nothing to do in the newly created situation are trying to show signs of life in the political field and fill the field with fictitious topics. However, the artificial attempts of their “revival” are a consequence of the fact that the post-revolutionary political field has so far failed to outline a clear model of the state’s development and present guidelines by which the country’s authorities will be guided in creating a new state-legal system.

And when the exemplary government itself is not the generator of political processes, it is natural that adventurers of all kinds will try to take the initiative into their own hands, all of whose activities will be aimed only at destabilizing the situation and raising fabricated agendas. In order to counteract it, to formulate a comprehensive vision of state building and to be guided by it, the authorities must first of all be able to overcome the empty and non-ideological vacuum, which gives the opportunity to manifest some unreasonable aspirations of various close political forces.

The point is that neither the current, nor the opposition, nor the extra-parliamentary forces managed to give a qualitatively new content to the political processes, and they still continue to unfold in the old logic, destructive and purely self-serving, as a result of which we are witnessing a series of senseless events leading nowhere.

Apparently, so far there is no fertile ground for the formation of a truly meaningful political field, because the mental patterns created as a result of three decades of imitation of politics and the profanation of political processes do not allow the mind to move to another level of consciousness, and everyone continues to fall into the same hole.

All this is also a consequence of the simple fact that the previous system was not dissolved until the end. pillars were demolished, but the old one is still standing with some minor cosmetic changes. It is anti-democratic in its nature and nature and cannot be adapted to the democratically governed new one. Moreover, that system is well protected by the existing Constitution, which itself is the biggest obstacle to the establishment of truly viable democratic institutions.

The revolution cannot be completed if mutually acceptable values ​​are not proclaimed, which will not be forgotten due to various expediencies, and the legal system of the state that will come to replace the old one, with its rigid structure, logic, tools and, especially, the new Constitution fixing all of that, is not drawn up. Otherwise, it is only a matter of time before the mechanisms of reconstruction of the various former “pyramids” will be set in motion at the behest of the well-preserved old system.

Marina Muradyan


  

Sports: Karen Khachanov advances to Grand Slam quarterfinals for first time

Aram Torosian
 
News.am, Armenia
June 4 2019
 
 
Karen Khachanov advances to Grand Slam quarterfinals for first time
 
 
Karen Khachanov (Russia) has booked his spot in the quarterfinals of the French Open.
 
The Russian Armenian tennis star defeated Juan Martín del Potro (Argentina) in four sets in the Round of 16 of this Grand Slam tournament. In so doing, Khachanov also scored his first victory over Del Potro.
 
In addition, Karen Khachanov, 23, advanced to a Grand Slam quarterfinal for the first time in his professional tennis career.
 
His opponent in the French Open quarterfinals will be Dominic Thiem (Austria).

Russian PM congratulates Armenian counterpart on birthday

Aram Torosian

Russian PM congratulates Armenian counterpart on birthday

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12:19, 1 June, 2019

YEREVAN, JUNE 1, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Russia Dmitry Medvedev sent a congratulatory letter to Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on the latter’s birthday, the Armenian PM’s Office told Armenpress.

The letter says:

“Dear Mr. Pashinyan,

On behalf of the Russian government and personally myself, I congratulate you on your birthday.

I would like to highlight your constant attention to the issues on developing the friendship, partnership and allied relations between Russia and Armenia. The commercial and investment cooperation is being strengthened, the joint projects in energy, industry, infrastructures, science and culture are being successfully implemented. The integration partnership within the Eurasian Economic Union is being deepened.

I am confident that the active inter-governmental work will contribute to further expanding the practical cooperation and promoting new mutually beneficial initiatives in various areas. This is in full accordance with the long-term interests of our countries.

Dear Mr. Prime Minister, I wish you good health, welfare and success in your responsible activities”.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




Armenia highlights need to implement agreements aimed at creating investigation mechanism for ceasefire violations

Aram Torosian

Armenia highlights need to implement agreements aimed at creating investigation mechanism for ceasefire violations

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16:34,

YEREVAN, MAY 31, ARMENPRESS. The proposal to form a respective environment for the negotiations over the settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict belongs to Armenia. The Armenian side cannot reject what exactly it has proposed, Armenian foreign ministry spokeswoman Anna Naghdalyan said, commenting on the statement of the Azerbaijani foreign ministry.

Armenpress presents the text of Naghdalyan’s comment:

Question: The Azerbaijani foreign ministry issued a statement where it accuses the Armenian side in the murder of its soldier, concluding that the calls of the Armenian side on forming peace environment are fake and in reality Armenia wants to disrupt the negotiations. How would you comment on this?

Anna Naghdalyan: The proposal to form a respective environment for negotiations belongs to Armenia. The Armenian side cannot reject what it has proposed. The agreements reached in Dushanbe were directed for creating this environment and which are mainly maintained. Armenia and Artsakh adhere to their commitments.

As you know, Artsakh completely denied the Azerbaijani information about the killing of soldier, and before making accusations it would be right for the Azerbaijani side to carry out an internal investigation on the alleged incident to reveal the truth.  

In case of the existence of investigative mechanism for the ceasefire violations it wouldn’t be possible to spread disinformation about the ceasefire violations. It’s worth nothing that this mechanism doesn’t exist yet due to being rejected by the Azerbaijani side. In such circumstances we highlight the importance of strengthening the ceasefire and implementing the agreements reached at the 2016 Vienna and St. Petersburg summits aimed at creating an investigative mechanism.

It’s worth mentioning that Baku is releasing reports accusing the Armenian side in the murder of soldier during the visit of the Co-Chairs to the region. This is an attempt to distort the negotiation process and disrupt the upcoming meeting mentioned by the Co-Chairs.

By spreading such fake news Baku is trying to put the guilt of its unconstructive policy on the remaining parties of negotiations – Armenia and Artsakh.

This shows to what extent Baku is ready to respond to the mediation efforts aimed at solving the conflict, to what extent it is ready to continue and move forward the negotiations.

Armenia adheres to the commitment of its positive engagement in the peace process and will continue making efforts to create a respective environment through the implementation of the agreements reached.

Question: In line with the accusations addressed to Armenia, the Azerbaijani foreign ministry also mentioned about Armenians living there, about Azerbaijan being as a country of tolerance, as well as Armenia’s domestic political issues.

Anna Naghdalyan: It’s interesting that a representative of a country mentions about Armenians living its territory where the existence of not only Armenians, but also their surnames on the shirts of football fans of different nations is banned.

The intolerance existing today in Azerbaijan is a consequence of impunity of anti-Armenian massacres committed in Sumgait, Baku and other settlements and the policy of sowing hatred against Armenians, the culmination of which was declaring Safarov a hero and the Azerbaijani 2016 April aggression against Artsakh which was accompanied by terrible atrocities.

As for Armenia’s “domestic political problems”, we do not waste time to explain the elementary rules of the functioning of a democratic society.

 

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




YSU students plant 9600 trees in Qashatagh

Aram Torosian
Panorama, Armenia
April 6 2019
Society 12:31 06/04/2019 NKR

The three-day visit of the students of the Yerevan State University (YSU) has started on Friday to Artsakh. The first day of the trip was marked by an opening of park in Berdzor town of Qashatagh region. As YSU press office reported, the event was devoted to the 100th anniversary of the University.

The opening of the park was attended by the Rector at YSU Aram Simonyan, the head of Qashatagh administration, members of YSU faculty, staff, and students.

Simonyan stressed that the university students have planted some 9600 trees in the area.

“This is a very beautiful tradition that was initiated by Gurgen Melikyan. We are proud to have our trees here that decorate the road and our fellow citizens living in Berdzor benefit from it. Planting a tree is a great kindness, happiness,” Simonyan said.