09:34,
YEREVAN, APRIL 20, ARMENPRESS. Inter star Henrikh Mkhitaryan became the first Armenian player ever to enter the UEFA Champions League semi-finals after the Inter vs. Benfica quarter-final match ended 3:3.
Champions League semi-finals:
Tuesday 9 May
Real Madrid vs Man City
Wednesday 10 May
AC Milan vs Inter
Tuesday 16 May
Inter vs AC Milan
Wednesday 17 May
Man City vs Real Madrid
After two days of heated comments from the authorities and media in Azerbaijan, Armenia has condemned the burning of Azerbaijan’s flag at the Opening Ceremony of the European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan, the Armenian capital.
Aram Nikolyan, a fashion designer who worked on the Opening Ceremony, grabbed the flag from a young woman during the parade of nations on Friday (April 14) and set it alight before being caught and detained by police.
He was released without charge early on Saturday (April 15) but the incident – described as “barbaric” by the Azerbaijan Government – is now being investigated by police, an Armenian Government official told insidethegames today.
Azerbaijan’s team received a heroes’ welcome at Baku airport on their return after withdrawing from the Championships before the first lift was made.
Its Government said it would be unsafe to stay, despite guarantees of enhanced security from Armenian authorities.
“The incident at the Opening Ceremony was hideous, and the Republic of Armenia Government condemns that act,” said Karen Giloyan, deputy minister at the Armenian Ministry of Education, Science, Culture and Sport.
Speaking at the Karen Demirchyan Complex where the Opening Ceremony was held the night before the Championships began, Giloyan said: “It occurred not in sports but rather at the Opening Ceremony.
“No one was physically injured, and no one’s safety was threatened.
“Now, an investigation is underway (into the flag-burning incident).
“Naturally, all circumstances must be taken into account.
“Armenia is a democratic country, and all the decisions are based on law.
“The progress in the investigation will give answers to all the questions.”
In an earlier statement released by the Ministry, Giloyan said: “We regret the decision of the Azerbaijani team to leave the championship… the Government of the Republic of Armenia initially provided and continues to provide all security standards for delegations participating in the Championship.
“We will spare no efforts so that the leaving participants wish to return to Armenia again.”
Armenia and Azerbaijan are neighbours without diplomatic relations, having fought two wars over the disputed Nagorno-Karabakh region.
Armenia also has no diplomatic relations with Turkey, another neighbour which has close ties with Azerbaijan.
Among complaints raised in the Azerbaijan media was one that the flags of Azerbaijan and Turkey had been torn and were left hanging in the arena while damaged.
This “provocation” did not happen – no flags are damaged at this venue, and Azerbaijan’s was removed along with those of Kosovo and San Marino because they entered but withdrew.
The poor-quality photos used as evidence of damage actually showed shadows or overhanging lights.
Azerbaijan’s President and first lady have thanked Turkish weightlifters for dedicating their medals to the country over the weekend.
Cansu Bektas, Gamze Altun and Muammer Sahin were on the podium in Yerevan and said they dedicated their medals to their “friends and brothers” in Azerbaijan.
In an official statement, President Ilham Aliyev and first lady Mehriban Aliyeva congratulated the Turkish lifters and said the waving of their flag on the global stage while the Turkish anthem was played made “all the people of Azerbaijan happy”.
He said the medal dedications “proved once again that where Azerbaijan is not, Turkey always represents us… This is another manifestation of the unbreakable Azerbaijan-Turkey brotherhood”.
A large crowd cheered loudly when Turkish lifters failed to make lifts tonight in the men’s 67kg category.
They cheered even louder when Gor Sahakyan gave Armenia its first win of the Championships.
“As you can see, the competitions are taking place in vivid colours, and the safety of all the participants is ensured,” Giloyan had said earlier.
He highlighted the fact that a Turkish winner had been applauded and the Turkish anthem played without incident on Saturday in the “Olympic level” Karen Demirchyan arena.
“No issues would have arisen with the Azerbaijani team either,” Giloyan added.
“If we didn’t want them to participate, we would not have agreed to meet and would not have ensured the strict security conditions they set.
“You can ask the participants, including those from Turkey, to share their opinion and you will see that everyone is pleased.
“We have done everything and will do everything for this Championship to be considered the best one in the history of European weightlifting.”
When asked if there would be a formal apology over the flag incident Giloyan did not give a yes-no answer but mentioned incidents in Azerbaijan when Armenian delegations were attacked or disrespected.
When an Armenian won gold at the 2007 Wrestling World Championships in Baku the host broadcasters showed the flags of the silver and bronze medallists but blocked out Armenia’s flag, Giloyan said.
“How is it better than this incident?” he asked.
“And at the 2011 World Boxing Championship in Baku, Azerbaijani fans attacked the Armenian athletes with stones.
“Was this how they ensured security?
“We have clarified that the (flag) incident has nothing to do with the sporting event.
“And we are currently discussing with the International Weightlifting Federation the issue of holding the 2024 World Championship in Yerevan.”
Armenia is one of five nations bidding to host next year’s World Championships – the others are Peru, Venezuela, Albania and Bahrain.
https://www.insidethegames.biz/articles/1136035/armenia-condemns-flag-burning
09:48,
YEREVAN, APRIL 18, ARMENPRESS. Day 4 at the 2023 EWF European Weightlifting Championships in Yerevan will see competition in women’s 64kg category and men’s 73kg category.
Below is the Day 4 schedule.
Alexis Ohanian without a question holds the true nature and aspect of someone who, despite not coming from a well-off family, can establish themselves in the prominent personalities figures chart of the globe.
The 39-year-old whose accomplishments exceed his reputation has provided the digital community with decades of advancement and accessibility to various outlets that no other individuals succeeded to glorify the public with. This notably includes his co-founding media aggression website Reddit.
Apart from an incredible domain of portfolios under his supervision, Ohanian hasn’t missed achieving a mark in his personal life as well. He is happily married to tennis superstar and acclaimed GOAT Serena Williams.
Alexis Ohanian with his wife Serena Williams (Credit: Parade)
Alexis has certainly given a lot back to the community as well and made a significant impact in 2020 when he gave up his executive chairman seat at Reddit in support of ‘Black Lives Matter‘ following the tragic events surrounding police brutality and the murder of George Floyd.
The internet personality, however, does not have his roots based in the US. He was born to a first-generation Armenian-American father, Chris Ohanian. After the Armenian genocide, his parents left the country and moved to the United States of America as refugees to escape the salvation of what was left behind in their country.
In connection to the same, Alexis’ birthplace was Brooklyn, where he went on to live his life and with his determination and hard work, made it so that he moved up the ranks and earned himself a tremendous amount of recognition.
Despite having faced a rough childhood, a childhood where he did not always have the privilege of having the best of everything. He has achieved a lot in life.
American personality Alexis Ohanian is one of the few Armenians who has made a big name for themselves in the industry and is notably categorized as the fourth most famous Armenian ever in history.In connection to the same, Alexis’ birthplace was Brooklyn, where he went on to live his life and with his determination and hard work, made it so that he moved up the ranks and earned himself a tremendous amount of recognition.
Despite having faced a rough childhood, a childhood where he did not always have the privilege of having the best of everything. He has achieved a lot in life.
10:15,
YEREVAN, APRIL 13, ARMENPRESS. On April 12, Minister of Foreign Affairs of the Republic of Armenia Ararat Mirzoyan had a telephone conversation with US acting Assistant Secretary of State for European and Eurasian Affairs Derek Hogan.
Mirzoyan and Hogan discussed regional security issues, the foreign ministry said in a readout.
“Minister Mirzoyan presented the details on the provocation carried out by the Azerbaijani armed forces in the area of Tegh village of the Syunik region of the Republic of Armenia on April 11, noting that it was another manifestation of the general aggressive policy of Azerbaijan, also aimed at disrupting the efforts to continue the peace negotiations. Views were exchanged on the humanitarian crisis in Nagorno-Karabakh and on issues of normalization of relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan. Ararat Mirzoyan reaffirmed Armenia’s commitment to the peace process and presented the approaches of the Armenian side to the settlement of existing problems,” the foreign ministry said.
On April 11, Armenian troops carrying out engineering works near the village of Tegh close to the border with Azerbaijan came under heavy gunfire in an unprovoked attack. Four Armenian soldiers were killed and six wounded.
South Caucasus rivals Armenia and Azerbaijan have accused each other of opening fire around the contested Nagorno-Karabkah region in a clash that killed a total of seven soldiers.
The two neighbours – both formerly part of the Soviet Union – have fought repeatedly over the last 35 years for control of Nagorno-Karabakh, which is internationally recognised as part of Azerbaijan but home to a mainly ethnic Armenian population.
The Azeri defence ministry said three troops had died in a clash close to the contested Lachin Corridor, a key road into Nagorno-Karabakh from Armenia that crosses through Azeri territory.
The Armenian defence ministry said four of its soldiers had died and another six had been wounded.
Armenia had earlier accused Azerbaijan of opening fire on Armenian troops performing engineering work near the village of Tegh in Armenia’s southern Syunik province.
It said its forces had taken “countermeasures,” without providing details.
Tegh is the last village on the Lachin Corridor in Armenia before it enters Azeri territory.
Azerbaijan said its troops came under “intense fire” from Armenian troops stationed in Syunik province.
Russia dispatched a thousands-strong peacekeeping contingent to the region in 2020 as part of a deal to end weeks of fighting that killed thousands and resulted in Azerbaijan making significant territorial gains.
Russia is an ally of Armenia through a mutual self-defence pact but also strives for good relations with Azerbaijan.
The latest stand-off between the two bitter rivals has come over control of the Lachin Corridor – the only road route linking Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh.
Azerbaijanis claiming to be environmental protesters have been blocking the route since the end of last year, resulting in what Armenia has called a humanitarian crisis as food and medicine have been unable to be transported into the region.
Azerbaijan denies those claims, saying essential supplies can get into the territory and has defended the protesters as rallying against legitimate environmental concerns.
Armenia has called them government-backed agitators.
Australian Associated Press
https://www.goulburnpost.com.au/story/8155496/soldiers-killed-in-armenia-azerbaijan-firefight/
Armenia’s Ministry of Defense has published a video footage that shows how Azerbaijani soldiers approach and then open fire at the soldiers of the Armed Forces of Armenia who were carrying out engineering works in the vicinities of Tegh village in Syunik province.
Earlier the ministry said that four Armenian soldiers were killed and six others wounded because of the Azerbaijani provocation on Tuesday. The ministry also said the Azerbaijani side in turn had many casualties and wounded.
According to Armenia’s Ministry of Defense, the units of the Azerbaijani Armed Forces also used mortars.
As of 8:30 p.m., the situation on the frontline is relatively stable.
https://news.am/eng/news/754293.html
Watch the video at the link above.
On March 27, the Office of the President of the Republic of Azerbaijan proposed once again to hold a meeting in Baku in the first week of April for the purpose of reintegration of the representatives of the Armenian public of Karabakh Economic Region (KER) as well as to discuss the implementation of infrastructure projects in Karabakh. In the last two years after the Second Karabakh war, the Republic of Azerbaijan has spoken about the intention to reintegrate Karabakh’s Armenian, however, the first official meeting between the parties was held in the headquarter of Russian peacekeeping forces in Khojaly in Karabakh on March 1 2023. After the first meeting, the Azerbaijan President’s Office issued another invitation on March 13 for the Karabakh Armenians to visit Baku but left unanswered.
Azerbaijan announced earlier in 2021 that the process of Karabakh Armenian reintegration is internal matter. However, within the international negotiations some discussion held such as on 27 September in Washington between assistant to the President of Azerbaijan Hikmet Hajiyev and Secretary of the Security Council of Armenia Armen Grigoryan. According to the document leaked to the press later Azerbaijan will nominate a representative to work with a similar representative designated by the Armenian ethnic community in Karabakh to conduct discussions and the process will not prejudice to Azerbaijan’s sovereignty.
Ruben Vardanyan, Russian oligarkh of Armenian origin, who was exported to Karabakh from Russia before the Washington meeting, settled in Karabakh to sabotage the process of dialogue. The Azerbaijani side declared that it was ready to hold a dialogue with the indiginous representatives who have the right to represent the Armenian residents, and declined to receive outsiders. On Azerbaijan’s insistence after five monthes Ruben Vardanyan, has been removed from his duties by local Armenians. Shortly after that Azerbaijan appointed a special reptesentative – Ramin Mammadov, Member of Parliament, to meet with the Armenians public of KER, and on March 1, a meeting was held in Khojaly between the parties.
Official Baku, however, want to have direct talk without a mediator in negotiations with the Karabakh Armenians, whom it considers its own citizens. For this reason, the Presidential Administration invited the Karabakh Armenians to Baku two times for the continuation of the next talks. But Karabakh separatists declared that they are ready to meet only with the mediation of the command of the Russian Peacekeeping Contingent. The insistent of the separatists to have the mediation of the Russian peacekeepers stems from influence from Moscow – to control the situation in Karabakh, and the whole process. During his meeting with Ararat Mirzoyan in Moscow, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov gave the example of Donbas and Kosovo models for the Armenians of Karabakh. Moscow wanted the Karabakh issue to be excluded from the peace agreement to be signed between Armenia and Azerbaijan. In short, Moscow favors the preservation of the status quo in the region.
Besides, Moscow tries to solidify the continued presence of illegal Armenian armed forces in the KER in violation of the terms of the 10 November 2020 Tripartite Declaration and facilitates or connives the transportation of weapons and military personnel from Armenia to KER. On 5 March two Azerbaijani soldiers killed by illegal Armenian gunmen while the Azerbaijan Army Units attempted to stop and inspect the vehicle of the Armenian military formations transporting illegal military supplies thorugh Khankendi-Khalfali-Turshsu dirt road. After that, the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan announced several times that Armenians were using dirt roads for illegal purposes. These statements were actually a call to the international community to react the illegal use of this road. After the Azerbaijan`s MOD statements Russian peacekeeping forces started to accompany illegal Armenian formation to use dirt roads for military purposes. On 11 March the presented video footages by Azerbaijani MOD clearly demonstrated that the movement of military vehicles of the Armenian armed forces units and illegal Armenian armed detachments along the above-mentioned route was accompanied by a BTR-82A fighting vehicle belonging to the Russian peacekeeping contingent. At the same times military aircraft belonging to Iran made a non-stop flight along the Azerbaijan-Iran state border at a distance of 3-5 km from the state border, and in some cases over the state border.
Furthermore, ignoring the warnings of the Ministry of Defense of Azerbaijan, the Russian peacekeeping forces started to accompany the Armenian armed forces for the expansion of dirt roads – Azerbaijan defense ministry released a related video on March 24. Although the Armenian side claimed that these roads were used for humanitarian purposes the video footage circulated clearly revealed that the vehicles here were military ones. With this development, the Azerbaijani side voiced again the opinion about the necessity to put a checkpoint on the Lachin road. While there is such a checkpoint at the entrance from the Armenian side, the absence of such a checkpoint from Azerbaijan makes situation non-transparent. It shlould be noted further that the installation of checkpoints at the border is inherent rights of the states, according to international law.
As a result, on March 25, the Azerbaijani army was deployed at some heights, preventing the use of dirt roads for military purposes by Armenian illegal military forces. But in parallel, all roads are open to meet the humanitarian needs of Karabakh Armenians.
To summarize, despite the efforts to reach peace agreement after the Second Karabakh War and calls for the launch of the Karabakh Armenians reintegration process, as per the agreement reached in Washington on September 27 2022, the transportation of weapons from Armenia to the KER and the misuse of the roads leading to Karabakh, in violation of the Tripartite Declaration of 10 November 2020, increases the military tension in the region.
https://moderndiplomacy.eu/2023/04/07/obstacles-to-the-reintegration-of-karabakh-armenians-into-azerbaijan/
11:19, 6 April 2023
YEREVAN, APRIL 6, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan on Thursday called for continued diplomatic efforts to achieve compliance with the ICJ ruling by Azerbaijan on opening the Lachin Corridor.
Speaking at the Cabinet meeting, PM Pashinyan said that the humanitarian situation in Nagorno Karabakh is still tense due to the closure of the Lachin Corridor. He added that gas and electricity supply to Nagorno Karabakh remains blocked as well.
The Prime Minister also spoke about the April 5 incident when a group of citizens en route from Goris to Stepanakert were barred from returning to their homes in Nagorno Karabakh.
“This documented incident once again highlights our previous assessments, and these assessments are further highlighted on the backdrop of the February 22 ruling by the International Court of Justice, according to which Azerbaijan must take all actions to fully restore the functioning of the Lachin Corridor. The incident once again recorded that the international court’s ruling remains unfulfilled and we must continue our corresponding international diplomatic efforts,” the Prime Minister said.
The United Nations’ highest court – the International Court of Justice (ICJ) – ordered Azerbaijan on February 22 to “take all steps at its disposal” to ensure unimpeded movement of persons, vehicles and cargo along the Lachin Corridor in both directions. The Lachin Corridor has been blocked by Azerbaijan since 12 December 2022.
Lens have this afternoon unveiled a new partnership with Armenian outfit Sardarapat FC, with the Sang et Or to help the the third division club develop its youth academy, as well as setting up a men’s and women’s professional team.
The Ligue 1 side – who are currently second in Ligue 1 – organised a press conference this morning, with academy director Eric Assadourian, a former Armenian international himself, introducing the project alongside Sardarapat’s founder Sevan Karian. The former notably explained that the “mentality” and “philosophy” he sees in young Armenians correspond with those Lens look for.
Sardarapat, based in the western city of Armavir, had been in contact with Assadourian but also Lens owner Joseph Oughourlian, another French of Armenian descent.
Lens will ostensibly be hoping to bear the fruits of the partnership by being first to any emerging local talents, with Assadourian explaining that the Caucasus region is emerging as a hotbed of talent, as evenidence by Georgia’s Khvicha Kvaratskhelia as well as Armenia’s own Henrikh Mkhitaryan.
GFFN | Raphaël Jucobin