Author: Kalantarian Kevo

HENRIKH MKHITARYAN, LIVERPOOL’S NEXT SUPERSTAR?

Sport, UK
June 6 2013

By Armen Bedakian (columnist) 06 Jun 2013 09:17:57

The Armenian international and Shakhtar Donetsk star is set to make
his big move at last with English Premier League outfit Liverpool FC.

In Mkhitaryan, Liverpool gain a player with tremendous talent and
output, and fans at Anfield have every reason to be excited for a
player whose name may be hard to pronounce but may soon be making
headlines across the country. Simply put, Mkhitaryan is a classic
talent. He consistently makes the list for top young players to watch
in the Champions League, and has been linked to Manchester City,
Chelsea and Juventus, to Liverpool and Tottenham. Well, the transfer
saga looks to be coming to a close, with Liverpool FC declaring their
interest weeks ago and now looking to wrap up the signing for roughly
£22 million.

At 24 years old, Mkhitaryan is already an accomplished player. An
Armenian international since 2006, when he started at the under 17
level, Mkhitaryan enjoyed a stellar 2012/2013 season in Ukraine,
scoring 25 goals and recording 10 assists for Shakhtar Donetsk, one
of the highest goalscoring margins in Europe for a midfielder. He’s
an attacking player, with great vision and an ability to spot the
goal from outside the box, a la Frank Lampard, and his free-kick
ability is strong, too. It doesn’t hurt that he’s a trophy winner,
potentially joining a Liverpool side that is hungry for silverware.

Mkhitaryan has won 14 trophies throughout his career with both
FC Pyunik and Shakhtar, and Liverpool is in desperate need for
trophy-winning players. His desire to join a big club was evident
for a long time, with his recent agent change seeing him sign up with
Mino Raiola specifically to get him to a big-name outfit. What you get
is what you see with Mkhitaryan. He is not a player whose quality is
shadowed by buzzwords like “potential;” he is a performer, perhaps a
clutch performer, at every level he has played in. His acclimatization
to English football may not see him explode onto the scene, but once
he picks up steam, Mkhitaryan is exactly the kind of player who can
perform when relied upon.

His style of play, however, is more in-tune with the Italian game,
where defenders are slower and the build up is steadier. In the
fast-paced English league, Mkhitaryan’s influence will be reliant on
his pace and his ability to beat physically capable defenders, an area
Mkhitaryan is adept at, too. In fact, while Shakhtar remained in the
competition, Mkhitaryan covered more recorded ground than any other
player, beating out workhorses like Andrea Pirlo and Xavi in midfield.

For Armenia, he has been used as a central attacking midfielder, but
also as a central midfielder and as a left-winger, swapping the role
with Yura Movsisyan, formerly ofReal Salt Lake in Major League Soccer.

The two have heralded a new generation of Armenian talent and are
largely responsible for the national team’s rise in the FIFA rankings
as well as their recent string of competent performances against
superior opposition. It’s these types of performances that have made
him Armenia’s player of the year in 2011 and 2012, a feat he is set
to repeat for 2013, too.

At Liverpool, Mkhitaryan would need to slot in behind a forward to
be most effective, or be used alongside Steven Gerrard in a sort of
compacted 4-3-3. At Shakhtar, Mkhitaryan’s best displays came from
playing right behind a centre forward, most often Luiz Adriano. He
also had a lot of support from Fernandinho in midfield, in a 4-2-3-1
formation that saw him play wedged between the two. Mkhitaryan’s
success this season is due, in large part, to the strong play from
the Brazilian duo surrounding him, and Liverpool need to provide
similar options up top and right behind to utilize Mkhitaryan’s full
capabilities. He’ll be playing against Fernandinho, who has just
signed for Manchester City.

That’s not to say that Liverpool needs to splash more cash to justify
Mkhitaryan’s place in the starting line up; he is a starter through and
through and has been able to adapt to different teams with relative
ease. His tendency to pop into the game at the most opportune time
makes him a worry for defenders, too. However, it would be a keen
signing for Liverpool to link Mkhitaryan up with Luiz Adriano, since
Luis Suarez is set to depart from Anfield for a large figure. The
only concern with Mkhitaryan is how he will adjust to a Liverpool
line up that has, for the most part, relied on Steven Gerrard behind
a forward for a long, long time.

Though Gerrard has been used in almost every position in midfield over
his 15+ years at Liverpool, he has been most effective as a second
striker, the position that Mkhitaryan also excels at. It would be
difficult to replace the Liverpool legend, but Mkhitaryan is not a
bench player, either; he is a player who has the skill and ability to
warrant a starting spot and his work ethic has made him a favourite
of Shakhtar head coach Mircea Lucescu. Still, it is not impossible,
and as Gerrard isn’t getting any younger, the signing of Mkhitaryan
could very well be a long-term solution for the Reds. The signing,
it seems, is hung up on the sale of Luis Suarez.

Until the Uruguayan has departed, it looks like Mkhitaryan’s signature
will have to wait. However, if Mkhitaryan does sign for Liverpool,
one thing is certain, besides the numerous mispronunciations and
misspellings of his name: He’ll be a treat to watch!

BERZINS OFFERS COOPERATION TO ARMENIA ON ITS PATH TOWARDS EU

The Baltic Course
June 6 2013

BC, Riga, 06.06.2013.Print version

During a meeting between Latvian President Andris Berzins and the
Speaker of the Armenian Parliament Hovik Abrahamyan on Thursday, the
two sides discussed bilateral relations, cooperation between Armenia
and the European Union, as well as Latvia’s experience in joining
the EU, and what Latvia can do to help Armenia in this process,
informs LETA.

Hovik Abrahamyan and Andris Berzins. Riga, 6.06.2013.

The president pointed out that Armenia is an important partner for
Latvia in the South Caucasus region, and that Latvia is satisfied with
the development of bilateral relations, as well as the constructive
dialogue between the two countries.

Abrahamyan expressed gratitude for the warm welcome he has received
during his visit to Latvia, saying that he “truly feels like a
friend.” He also pointed to the active exchange of visits, which has
helped improve relations and has given the opportunity of becoming
better acquainted with one another.

The parliamentary speaker said that one of Armenia’s priorities is
the development of cooperation with the European Union, thus Latvia’s
experience is very important. Berzins confirmed that Latvia is ready
to share its experience, as well as the benefits of being a EU member –
and the mistakes made along the way.

Abrahamyan pointed out that he sees cooperation potential in such
areas as pharmaceuticals, information technology, as well as tourism.

He also called for the renewal of direct flights between the two
countries.

Both officials said that it is important to consider opening
embassies in their respective capitals. Berzins said that this would
be additional incentive in expanding contacts between residents of both
countries and allow them to become better acquainted with one another.

Berzins invited Abrahamyan to visit Riga in 2014, when the Latvian
capital will become Europe’s Capital of Culture, and urged not only
Armenian officials to visit, but also any Armenian, so that they
could personally acquaint themselves with Latvia.

The speaker of the Armenian Parliament has arrived on an official
visit to Latvia.

ABOLTINA MEETS WITH ARMENIAN NATIONAL ASSEMBLY SPEAKER

LETA (Latvia National News Agency)
June 5 2013

LENGTH: 247 words

Latvia has accumulated valuable experience of euro-integration and
reforms, and is ready to share this experience with Armenia, Saeima
Chairwoman Solvita Aboltina said during a meeting with Speaker of
the National Assembly of Armenia Hovik Abrahamyan yesterday.

“Latvia and Armenia enjoy excellent bilateral relations, and both
countries are interested to further develop these relations on not
only political, but also economic, cultural and education levels,”
said Aboltina, as Saeima Press Service informed LETA.

Latvia considers Armenia an important cooperation partner in the South
Caucasus and both countries have developed successful cooperation
on the parliamentary level, said Aboltina, noting that this was once
again proven by Abrahamyan’s visit to Latvia.

Discussing opportunities to foster economic cooperation between both
countries, Aboltina said Latvia was interested in the development of
the relations, adding that Latvian-Armenian trade volumes had been
growing the past few years. Both countries have signed agreements on
the protection of investments and avoidance of double taxation. Latvia
supports the signing of Armenia’s association treaty with the European
Union that will take place in Vilnius later this year, said Aboltina.

Closing the meeting, Aboltina said that Latvia had always emphasized
the need for closer relations between the EU and neighbor countries
in the south, and wished Abrahamyan every success at the Eastern
Partnership Summit due this fall.

COUNCIL OF EUROPE, OSCE AND EU CONCERNED AT FURTHER RESTRICTIONS TO FREE EXPRESSION IN AZERBAIJAN

Mediamax, Armenia
June 6 2013

Yerevan, June 6. /Mediamax/. Council of Europe, OSCE and EU concerned
at further restrictions to free expression in Azerbaijan.

The Council of Europe Commissioner for Human Rights, Nils Muiznieks,
the OSCE Representative on Freedom of the Media, Dunja Mijatovic,
EU High Representative Catherine Ashton and Commissioner Stefan Fule
expressed serious concern today at the promulgation by the Azerbaijani
president Ilham Aliyev of amendments extending the application of
criminal defamation provisions to online expression on 4 June 2013.

Muiznieks and Mijatovic, both of whom had explicitly called on the
President not to sign these amendments into law following their
adoption by Parliament on 14 May 2013, regretted this step, which
clearly contradicts Azerbaijan’s commitments and obligations relating
to the decriminalization of defamation and freedom of expression
in general.

The representatives of European structures “expressed concern that
the new changes will further erode the already limited space for free
expression in the country”.

DEFENDANT STATES THAT ARMENIAN EX-PRESIDENTIAL CANDIDATE HAS NO CONNECTION WITH ASSASSINATION ATTEMPT AGAINST FELLOW CONTENDER

June 07, 2013 | 15:03

YEREVAN. – The court hearing into the case on the assassination
attempt against Paruyr Hayrikyan reconvened on Friday.

The defendants in the case are former presidential contender Vardan
Sedrakyan as well as Khachatur Poghosyan and Samvel Harutyunyan.

Taxi driver Karen Zakaryan, who allegedly drove Khachatur Poghosyan
away after he shot Hayrikyan, testified that he does not remember
Poghosyan, the Sirunyan Law Office told Armenian News-NEWS.am.

Defendant Samvel Harutyunyan, on the other hand, announced that
Sedrakyan has no connection with the assassination attempt, and that
they had given false testimony against him.

In his turn, Sedrakyan’s attorney, Aleksandr Sirunyan, stated that the
prosecution has not yet submitted the grounds for the charges that are
laid against his client. In Sirunyan’s view, Sedrakyan’s connection to
the assassination attempt against Hayrikyan is not only disputable,
but there is no indirect evidence in this respect, either. In this
case, as per the attorney, the trial cannot continue in this way.

As Armenian News-NEWS.am informed earlier, opposition National
Self-Determination Union Chairman, ex-presidential candidate Paruyr
Hayrikyan was wounded as a result of an assassination attempt that
was staged against him on January 31 at around 11:20pm in downtown
Yerevan, in front of his home, and during the campaign season for
the presidential election that was held on February 18. First, he was
transferred to capital city Yerevan’s Surb Grigor Lusavorich (Saint
Gregory the Illuminator) Medical Center, where he was operated on.

Subsequently, he was taken to the rehabilitation center of the Armenian
Red Cross Society. Next, Hayrikyan headed to Belgium for treatment,
and he underwent a surgery there.

In the criminal case that was launched into this assassination
attempt, ex-presidential candidate, non-party affiliate, and epic
poetry specialist Vardan Sedrakyan-who is imprisoned-is charged with
organizing the attempted murder of a state, political, or a public
figure. Also, Khachatur Poghosyan is charged with attempted murder of
a state, political, or a public figure and with illegal acquiring,
possession and use of a weapon; and Samvel Harutyunyan is charged
with attempted murder of a state, political, or a public figure.

News from Armenia – NEWS.am

ARMENIAN DIOCESE IN GEORGIA OFFERS CONDOLENCES ON THE DEATH OF SEVEN GEORGIAN SOLDIERS

Diocese of Armenian Apostolic
Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia
7 June 2013

The clergymen and parishioners of the Diocese of the Armenian
Apostolic Orthodox Holy Church in Georgia express deepest condolences
on the terroristic act took place in Afghanistan, resulting in death
of 7 and wounding of 9 Georgian soldiers. Today, in all churches of
the Armenian Diocese in Georgia the requiem service will be served for
souls of the dead Georgian soldiers.

Press service of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia
18, Armazi Street, 0103, Tbilisi, Georgia
Phone: +995322546411
Cell: +995593397170
Fax: +995322751790
Email: [email protected]
Website:

ARMENIAN-AMERICANS URGE US LEADERSHIP TO CALL ON STATE DEPARTMENT TO ASSIST SYRIA’S VULNERABLE CHRISTIANS

12:53, 7 June, 2013

YEREVAN, JUNE 7, ARMENPRESS: Armenian-Americans urge U. S. Secretary
John Kerry to call on State Department to assist Syria’s vulnerable
christians. As reports Armenpress, the Armenian Committee of America’s
organized online petitions to Secretary Kerry urging the State
Department to publicly and prominently reaffirm America’s defense
of religious tolerance, and add the full force of U.S. diplomacy
to our calls upon all parties in Syria to refrain from acts of
terror and intimidation against faith-based minorities. As well
as, act now to meaningfully upgrade relief efforts for faith-based
minorities”For our part, as Armenian Americans, we are gratified that
the U.S. House Appropriations Committee, in its FY13 State-Foreign
Operations Bill, calls upon the State Department to prioritize
humanitarian and resettlement assistance for minority communities,
including Armenians and other Christian populations in Syria and
elsewhere in the Middle East. We look forward to the inclusion of
this provision in the final bill, and urge the Administration to act
now in the spirit of this measure to meaningfully upgrade its relief
efforts for these populations,” reads the petition.

ALL THE LIGHT THERE WAS – A STORY OF ARMENIAN-RUN RESISTANCE MOVEMENT IN NAZI FRANCE

11:04 07.06.2013

Nancy Kricorian’s novel shines light on a little-known Armenian-run
resistance movement in Nazi France.

Several years ago, novelist Nancy Kricorian happened upon a 29-year-old
documentary film called Terrorists in Retirement by French filmmaker
Mosco Boucault. The movie chronicled the work of a World War II-era
anti-Nazi resistance network in France that was made up of Armenian,
Italian, Spanish and Jewish immigrants and led by Missak Manouchian,
a survivor of the Armenian genocide who had escaped to France in 1925
as a teenager, In These Times reports.

The film fired Kricorian’s imagination and sent her searching for
more information about the men and women who formed this largely
unheralded anti-fascist effort. The result was All The Light There
Was, a novel that beautifully conjures both the Manouchian resistance
and the Armenian refugee community of the 1940s. Readers are brought
into the Rue de Belleville in working-class Paris to experience the
terror of falling bombs, the misery of food shortages and the horror
of watching Jews, Communists and other “undesirables” suddenly removed
from a tight-knit community.

The story is told in the voice of the fictional Maral Pegorian, 16,
a hard-working girl who wants nothing more than to help her family and
excel in her studies. Her older brother, Missak, is less academically
inclined and as the Nazis-who are called by the derogatory name Boche,
or cabbage heads, by most Belleville residents-take claim to France,
he becomes part of a well-oiled underground forgery operation. What’s
more, while the family fears for its own health and safety, all of them
risk their lives to help save a Jewish child who might otherwise have
perished in a concentration camp. They shroud this deed in secrecy
lest a pro-Nazi neighbor report them.

The story is given additional heft by the fact that Maral and Missak’s
parents and adult circle are survivors of the Armenian genocide,
a three-year atrocity that began in April 1915. Under the government
of a group called the Young Turks, between 1 million and 1.5 million
people were killed. As the characters’ emotional scars are opened by
Hitler’s incursion into their adopted homeland, the novel showcases
the post-traumatic stress that lingers long after a particular conflict
finally grinds to a halt.

Kricorian’s touch is light, but the residual impact of war is
nonetheless palpable. Maral and Missak’s Aunt Shakeh, for example,
malnourished and physically ill, goes into a deep depression-and
literally takes to her bed-once the war begins. For her, violence
and death trigger nightmares and negative memories: “We saw it all,”
she tells her niece. “Our parents dead before our eyes. Bodies in
the dirt. Children with big bellies and heads, arms and legs skinny
as spiders. It is the same thing again, the way they sent us to die
in the desert.” To Shakeh, it seems obvious that Hitler used the
anti-Armenian campaign as a prototype for his own brand of murderous
destruction, a hideous replay of a hideous history.

If this makes All the Light There Was sound unbearably heavy, rest
assured that Kricorian weaves in enough romance and coming-of-age
sexuality to keep the pages turning. Maral’s main love interest is
Zaven, a boy whose parents also fled to France to escape the Turks.

But several other eager male suitors appear. One, a Soviet Armenian
named Andon, enlisted and served in the German Army, and Maral is
quick to rebuke him for this decision. Later, she learns that the
issue is complicated by his status as a former prisoner of war in
what was then the USSR.

“Why did you join the German Army?” Maral asks.

“General Dro came to the POW camp,” Andon explains. “He was a hero
of the Russian Caucasus Army during the First World War, and he saved
many Armenian lives during the deportations. He was the first defense
minister of the Armenian Republic. When he came to the POW camp, he
said, ‘Men, we do not know how this war will end, but when it does
Hayastan [Armenia] will need you, so put on the German uniform.'”
Dro’s rationale was based on a promise made by Germany: If they
defeated the Soviets, an independent Armenia would be established.

Although Andon now feels that he was duped, he also believes that
what is done is done, and he hopes to be forgiven by Maral. She,
however, is conflicted. She knows that her brother Missak and his
comrades will be furious that she is keeping company with someone
they’ll dub a collaborator, but in her heart of hearts, she believes
that Andon was naïve and simply made a terrible mistake. Whether or
not she can get past her reservations, however, is one of the book’s
ethical conundrums and is the kind of question that makes a war fought
more than half a century ago relevant to today’s readers.

The dilemmas that Maral, Andon and Missak face-besides having
lived through a world war, questions arise about gender roles,
sexual politics and the quest for personal autonomy-are believable
and well-rendered. Maral, a dutiful and obedient girl-turned-woman,
struggles with what she believes is an either/or proposition-to be a
wife and mother, as expected, or to pursue her education and a career.

Similarly, Missak has to decide between loyalty to family and loyalty
to self, a fraught choice that crops up in every generation and among
all populations.

As the personal and political bump heads in All the Light There Was, a
host of possibilities for individual fulfillment are laid bare. What’s
more, the possibility of multi-ethnic solidarity-the Manouchian-like
coalition against a common Nazi enemy-is also writ large. Still,
the book ends with many open questions-about the future of organizing
in peacetime as well about choosing a meaningful life path-questions
that cannot be easily answered, either in fiction or in life.

BAKOU REGARDE AVEC INTERET LES MANIFESTATIONS EN TURQUIE

Alors que les manifestations anti-gouvernementales continuent a
destabiliser la Turquie, les spectateurs en Azerbaïdjan regardent
cela avec un melange de solidarite, d’envie et de deni.

Une partie des interets est familiale : l’Azerbaïdjan partage des
liens linguistiques et culturels forts avec son grand-frère de l’ouest.

Mais pour de nombreux Azerbaïdjanais qui ont lutte pour faire vivre
leur mouvement de protestation dans un froid climat d’annee electorale,
les protestations turques ont une importance accrue.

” Je suis tellement desole pour l’Azerbaïdjan “, a ecrit une jeune
journaliste azerbaïdjanais qui suit avidement la suite des evenements
en Turquie sur Facebook. ” En raison de notre propre vie politique
passive, et une societe qui n’avance pas, les jeunes vivent a travers
la vie de leurs voisins “.

De nombreux Azerbaïdjanais ont partage des photos qui mettent l’accent
sur la passion des manifestants.

De nombreuses images – y compris celles d’acteurs celèbres se joignant
aux protestations – sont actuellement inimaginable en Azerbaïdjan,
où meme les petites manifestations sont regulièrement brisees et
leurs participants emprisonnes.

Mais d’autres ont mis l’accent sur la brutalite de la police turque,
qui a utilise des gaz lacrymogènes, des canons a eau et des barres
avec peu de retenue afin de riposter aux manifestations a Istanbul,
Ankara, Izmir, et ailleurs.

Ankara a cherche pendant des annees a se positionner comme une
puissance regionale a cheval sur les mondes occidental et musulman,
en depit d’un bilan en matière de droits qui partage un bon nombre
des memes defauts evidents en Azerbaïdjan – en particulier quand il
s’agit de prisonniers politiques et de la detention de journalistes.

Reporters sans frontières cette annee a vise la Turquie comme ” la plus
grande prison du monde pour les journalistes”, avec 72 journalistes a
majorite kurde en detention. Le meme rapport a fait pour l’Azerbaïdjan
un rapport cinglant.

Mais c’est l’Azerbaïdjan et son president autocratique, Ilham Aliyev,
qui ont toujours attire le plus de critiques pour leurs politiques
gouvernementales d’enfermement notamment a la suite d’arrestations
de protestataires a Bakou et Ismayili plus tôt cette annee.

Les autorites azerbaïdjanaises, qui ont utilise des gaz lacrymogènes
et des canons a eau pour empecher les manifestations du cru, ont deja
cherche a capitaliser sur la repression de la protestation turque
comme une occasion de jeter leurs propres tactiques sous un jour
moins contestable.

Aydin Mirzazade, un depute azerbaïdjanais, ce week-end a exprime
sa surprise de l’usage de la violence dans les pays democratiques
tels qu’ils se decrivent eux-meme, et a declare que la societe
azerbaïdjanaise a regrette que la Turquie n’avait pas trouve de
meilleure facon de communiquer avec les manifestants que par ” le
langage de la police “.

” Il est inacceptable que les incidents en Azerbaïdjan deviennent
l’objet d’une condamnation alors qu’eux-memes recours a la force dans
leur pays sous une forme plus sevère “, a-t-il dit.

vendredi 7 juin 2013, Stephane ©armenews.com

ARMENIAN MINISTER CONCERNED OVER DROP IN FOREIGN INVESTMENTS

June 5, 2013 – 15:20 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – Armenian minister of economy Vahram Avanesyan has
expressed concern over the drop in foreign investments.

Minister Avanesyan expressed hope that no such drop will occur in 2013,
slamming the lack of investments in communication and construction
sectors.

He further conditioned the volume of investments by several factors,
including the promotion of free trade deal with the European community
and balanced policy in markets.

It’s noteworthy that 3.7% drop in international investments was
reported in late December 2012 as compared with September 2012.