Henrikh Mkhitaryan has insisted there is still plenty more he can offer Jose Mourinho at Manchester United following his opening campaign at Old Trafford.
The Armenian, signed for £27m last summer, suffered a difficult opening to his Man United career, spending almost three months on the sidelines.
He was slowly immersed back into the fold and produced a number of breathtaking moments during the second half of the season – culminating, of course, in the killer goal against Ajax in the Europa League final.
But the 28-year-old has made it clear that there remains plenty of room for improvement ahead of the 2017/18 campaign.
“In these kind of moments, if you are giving up you are going to lose the meaning of the life. I mean you have to stay positive, you have to stay strong and work very hard because in one click everything can change and that’s what happened.
“I think there is always a place to improve. I am expecting something good because I know that you can always do better and better, there is no limit. I will try, I will try my best.
“It doesn’t matter how you did last year. It has been a good year for us, for me as well, because we won three titles. But I know for this upcoming season I can do better and better. I’m trying, I’m working hard on myself and I know that I will achieve more.
“I’m not saying just goals or assists. As well the playing style, the understanding between my team-mates, I mean everything.
“The manager in general is saying that we need to do more. Everyone understands that because we know this season is going to be a little bit harder because we are not going to play in Europa League we are going to play in Champions League, which is different. We are working very hard on it and we are sure we can have good results.
“I am ready to play wherever he wants me to play. I don’t have a preference in a position. I like to play and if I’m playing and will try my best if I’m in the middle, on the wing, on the side or up front. It doesn’t matter.
“Manchester United is always playing for high places. We’re always playing for titles. This year as well we’re going to try to win some titles. This is the main goal for Manchester United. I will try to do everything to help the team.”
Mkhitaryan’s time at Old Trafford so far aligns quite accurately with the frustrating promise of United under Mourinho last season: unquestionably capable of brilliance but for whatever reason unable to make it count on a regular basis.
The Armenian is a unique talent. He can heap pressure on opponents with his rapid, direct, close control approach, and there have been times – that 3-0 win over Leicester serves as an example off the top of my head – where his mazy brilliance has just been too much for defenders.
With the ice breaking process over with and Romelu Lukaku offering an option in behind next year, supporters can be hopeful of seeing Mkhitaryan continue to imprint his style on Mourinho’s set-up.
No Armenians have suffered in the strong earthquake on the Greek island of Kos, Armenia’s Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan wrote on Twitter, citing preliminary data of Armenia’s Embassy to Greece.
The 6.7-magnitude quake hit 12km (seven miles) north-east of Kos, near the Turkish coast, with a depth of 10km, the US Geological Survey said, according to BBC report.
A t least two people on the Greek island of Kos, while 100 others were injured at the popular tourist destination.
Some buildings were damaged. In the Turkish city of Bodrum, several people were injured as they tried to flee the quake. The army is supporting the emergency services with the rescue operation, he added.
“Armenia cannot compete with Azerbaijan in terms of economic, demographic and military potential,” said Azerbaijani Minister of Defense Zakir Hasanov in an interview with RIA Novosti news agency.
Hasanov emphasized that Azerbaijan strengthens every year from economic, demographic and military points of view. He said that despite global economic and financial crisis, Azerbaijan increases its military budget on a yearly basis.
“This year the growth is about 20 per cent. President of the Republic of Azerbaijan, Commander-in-Chief Ilham Aliyev attaches great importance to strengthening the army and supplying it with state-of-the-art weapons. We have reached a qualitatively new level in army building. We are now challenged to further modernize and strengthen our army,” Minister Hasanov added.
Economist: Armenia integrates into Eurasian Union to protect its economy
20:48, 15.07.2017
YEREVAN. – Integration processes are intended to ensure growth of welfare, as well as growth of GDP, export, employment, and economic security, professor in Economics Ashot Tavadyan told reporters on Thursday.
In the spring of 2013, corresponding researches have been conducted at the suggestion of the governments of Armenia and Russia.
“Armenia’s membership in the Eurasian Union has given a lot. We have received 30% reduction in price of gas. This saves about AMD 1 billion (about $2.1 million) in five years. We have received a push for development of diamond production. We also received a loan of $ 270 million to repair our nuclear power plant,” the professor explained, adding that about 750 kinds of products will be exempted from tax duties in the next five years.
Tigranakert continues to be one of main touristic centers of Artsakh’s
During this period of the year, an unprecedented growth in the number of tourists visiting Tigranakert has been recorded. According to the latest data, as compared to the previous year, the growth has amounted to 220% and as compared to 2015 – 70%, informed the Deputy Minister of Economy of the Republic of Artsakh Sergey Shahverdyan. “The total number of tourists visited Artsakh has also increased compared to the previous year by 40%, and to 2015 – by 20%. The mainstream of the foreign tourists comes from Russia, USA, and European countries”, he noted.
As stated by him, there is no question of tourist infrastructures in Artsakh and the current conditions are sufficient for the existing flow of the tourists. Referring to such activation of tourism, Sergey Shahverdyan has conditioned the situation by the following factors: “The increase of the visiting tourists is primarily conditioned by the factor of the efforts made by the National Committee of Tourism of Armenia, which is directed at involving Artsakh in tourist directions actively. In parallel with it, in the case of the Russian tourists, the opportunity to enter Armenia via domestic passport has served as a stimulation”, reported the deputy minister and added that throughout the season, a continual flow of tourists is to be expected.
If you are like most first time visitors to Armenia, you are sure to tour the ancient monasteries, explore the national museums and visit the historic brandy factories. But there are many amazing things to do in Armenia beyond the usual guidebook highlights. This past summer, I had a chance to visit Hayastan, the Armenian name for the country of Armenia, and step off the beaten path. I found myself soaring above alpine lakes, forming ceramics with local artisans and wandering through dusty shafts of light in an abandoned Soviet textile factory. Here are a dozen extraordinary ways to experience Armenia to the fullest.
(V. Grigoryan)
Soar through the skies paragliding above the mountains by Lake Sevan, the largest lake in the Caucasus. Gardman Tour arranges expert guides, many of whom have competed internationally, to provide equipment and tandem instruction for novices. It’s a thrilling and unique way to get to know the Armenian landscape.
Float through the comfortable sunshine (the region averages 256 days of sun per year) and over rocky hills dotted with patches of wildflowers. In the distance, you can see the town of Sevan and the village of Lchashen. Farther off, high above the lake, spot Sevanavank Monastery, founded in the 9th century by Princess Mariam, and beyond that the mountain peaks of the Lesser Caucasus.
(C. Rapkievian)
Surrounding a small sparkling glacial lake at about 10,500 feet above sea level near the top of Mount Ughtasar, prehistoric petroglyphs, dated 2,000 BCE to – 12,000 BCE, are carved onto the flat surfaces of manganese boulders left behind by an extinct volcano.
The petroglyphs were initially studied in the 1960’s, and archaeological research is still ongoing. Due to the site’s high elevation, the remarkable carvings are covered with snow nearly nine months of the year making them accessible only in summer months. Off-road vehicles take visitors through rocky fields full of flowers and butterflies that flit through the crisp mountain air. Celestial symbols, animals, hunters and even these dragons (pictured above) are evidence of the lives and imaginations of ancient ancestors.
(H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)
Visit the ceramics factory of Antonio Montalto. Master artists may even teach you the extraordinary technique of making a decorative egg. The clay is attracted to the porcelain mold creating the hollow form. After the first firing, the egg is decorated with glaze and then fired a second time to create a beautiful ornament.
(C. Rapkievian)
Explore the mystery of Karahunj, an ancient site with a circle of placed stones. Astronomers theorize that this 7,500-year-old archeological site is a celestial observatory pre-dating England’s Stonehenge by more than 4,500 years. Two hundred lichen-covered basalt stones stand tall and approximately 80 of them have small holes that align with bright stars in the night sky. A desolate, windswept site off the main road near the village a Sissian, visit Karahunge (literally translated as “speaking stones”) at dawn or dusk to experience its powerful beauty.
(H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)
In the artistic city of Gyumri, visit the Irankyuni Forgeto learn to create a wrought-iron souvenir with the expert guidance of a master blacksmith. Heat the iron in the hot fire and then hammer, with sparks flying, to gradually bend the metal. Historic blacksmithing tools can be seen in the Dzitoghtsyan Mansion Museum of National Architecture and Urban Life, and ironwork can still be found with the black and red tuff stone architecture around this centuries-old “city of arts and crafts.” Top off your visit to the forge with a delicious dinner next door at the blacksmith’s family-owned restaurant.
(H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)
Discover flowstone, stalactites, stalagmites, pristine rock “popcorn,” “soda straws,” “bacon-rind” and “draperies” while exploring Mozrov Cave, one of Armenia’s most decorated. The karst cave was discovered in 1965 during road construction. The entrance partially collapsed due to heavy snowfall in 2012, but the 300 meter cave is still accessible.
The cave is ideal for intermediate-level recreational cavers on their own and novice cavers with a guide. Discover Armenia Tours organizes excursions and provides hard-hats, head-lamps, flashlights and transportation to explore this wild and well-preserved cave located in Vayots Dzor province.
(C. Rapkievian)
Explore an abandoned Soviet textile factory in the Vayots Dzor Province deserted in 1991 after the fall of the Soviet Union. The site sits frozen in time with yarn still threaded in machines, lockers filled with photos and tools and folktale murals on the wall of the factory-workers’ children’s day-care. The now-silent rooms can be toured with the local owner in arrangement with Discover Armenia Tours.
(C. Rapkievian)
Sing along at a public song workshop at the new Komitas Museum-Institute in Yerevan. The “Lullabies” workshops (held every-other month on selected Saturdays) recently won the “Best Practice Award in Museum Education” from the International Council of Museums. On other Saturdays, the workshops feature seasonal songs that Komitas, a celebrated ethnomusicologist who is considered the founder of the Armenian national school of music, collected and arranged. Knowledgeable staff teach each line of the song and visitors of all ages are encouraged to lift up their voices in Komitas’s sometimes spiritual, sometimes playful folk songs.
(H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)
Cook delicious gata and other Armenian treats with TV-cooking-show star Zara Karapetyan, director of Tasty Tour. Under the trees, next to her herb garden and orchard, stir-up the ingredients, roll out the dough and cook the sweet bread in a tonier, a traditional oven usually buried in the ground. Then dig in to a delicious lunch of local Ushi village favorites!
(H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)
An extraordinary number of species of birds – over 350 – can be found in Armenia because even though the country is small, there is a great range in elevation and diversity of landscape. Luba Balyan, a noted ornithologist, forest ecologist and founder of a bird conservation organization in Armenia, is one of several field researchers who lead exciting bird-watching tours aimed at both devoted birders and the casual tourist.
One particularly rich site to visit is Lake Arpi National Park in the northwestern corner of Armenia. Over 190 species of birds have been recorded in the park, including the globally threatened Dalmatian pelican, Egyptian vulture and European roller. Other birds include greater spotted and imperial eagles, red-footed and saker falcons, great snipes and semi-collared flycatchers. Plus, the park hosts one of the world’s largest colonies of Armenian gulls.
(H. Tadevosyan, AMAP)
Listen to sacred chants in the ancient monastery of Geghard, located in the Upper Azat Valley. The Unesco-recognized site is partially carved out of the colorful rock cliffs and hosts a healing spring in the oldest chamber. The Garni Ensemble is one of the incredible a capella groups that performs by special request. In the near-darkness inside the tomb of Prince Papak, the acoustics are extraordinary – nearly a 90-second reverberation. The haunting harmonies of the 5-member ensemble sound as if you are hearing a 100-member choir.
(C. Rapkievian)
Celebrate with a visit to Trinity Canyon Vineyards in the Vayots Dzor highlands. The region’s high altitude, sunny skies and volcanic soils create a unique terroir that the vineyard founders say allows for the cultivation of several wine styles.
“Trinity’s main focus,” the founders say, “is to reveal the potential of Armenian indigenous grape varieties by drawing on the best organic viticulture practices.” Using the Areni grape, the winery produces a wine that has been described as “silky, powerful, with refreshing acidity.”
The Voskehat, another prominent grape endemic to Armenia, is used for their ancestral line of wines made in karases (ancient Armenian terracotta vessels). The resulting varieties range in style – from light and crisp to “bold, skin-macerated orange wines.”
Their tasting area is a pleasant patio of rustic picnic tables near a garden set up for music and other special events with a demonstration vineyard on the hillside. Raise a glass to toast executive director-poet-musician, Hovakim Saghatelyan, enthusiastic winemaker Artem Parseghyan and the rest of the staff as you reflect on the winery’s deep connection to the land and its gifts.
With such marvelous and unique opportunities in Armenia, you will hope to return as soon as possible!
Friday,
Dissenters Defy Armenian Opposition Party
. Anush Muradian
Armenia - Zaruhi Postanjian, an opposition mayoral candidate,
campaigns in Yerevan, 8May2017.
Two members of Yerevan's municipal assembly representing a radical
opposition party made clear on Wednesday that they will not resign
their seats after being accused by the party leadership of "treason."
The Yerkir Tsirani party headed by Zaurhi Postanjian, an outspoken
opposition politician, won 5 seats in the 65-member city elected on
May 14. It decided to take up those seats despite accusing the ruling
Republican Party of Armenia (HHK) of rigging the municipal elections.
Postanjian and two other Yerkir Tsirani councilors clashed with
Yerevan's Republican Mayor Taron Markarian and his allies at a June 16
session of the council. The two other councilors, Hayk Petrosian and
Mnatsakan Parakshiev, kept a low profile during the heated debate.
The party's leadership accused the two men of "treason" and demanded
that they give up their council seats the following day. In a
statement, it charged that Petrosian and Parakshiev "deviated from the
party line, failed to fulfill their obligations, undermined teamwork,
and betrayed the party and the people of Yerevan."
Another Yerkir Tsirani statement released on Friday condemned their
"inactivity" during the June 16 meeting of the council.
The dissenters rejected the accusations at a news conference held
earlier in the day. They said they simply favor a different style of
political activity.
Armenia - Mnatsakan Parakshiev and Hayk Petrosian, members of
Yerevan's municipal council at a news conference, .
"We fight against vicious phenomena such as cynicism, arrogance,
intolerance and complete absence of a sense of realism," said
Petrosian. "It's very important that we ourselves do not become like
that and that we stay open to pluralism and healthy criticism."
"Our primary task should have been the implementation of Yerevan's
[development] program," he added. "But our colleagues sought to add
emotional elements to every issue, something which we believe is not
productive."
"In my view, work in the municipality must not be turned into a
theatrical performance," Parakshiev said for his part, referring to
his colleagues' behavior at the council session.
Accordingly, both men said that they will continue to serve in the
municipal council as independent members. They also said they have no
plans to join another faction or set up their own party.
The ruling HHK holds 46 seats in the council. The remaining 15 seats
are controlled by the mainstream opposition Yelk alliance.
Postanjian lambasted Yelk last week, saying that it was created by the
Armenian authorities to weaken their genuine political
opponents. Davit Khazhakian, the young leader of the Yelk faction in
the Yerevan council, shrugged off the allegation.
Minister Claims Rising Investments In Armenia
. Nane Sahakian
Armenia - Prime Minister Karen Karapetian (C) and Economic Development
Minister Suren Karayan (R) visit a textile factory in Yerevan, 19
June, 2017.
The Armenian government has already secured more than a third of
around $850 million in investments which it promised to attract into
the domestic economy this year, Minister for Economic Development
Suren Karayan claimed on Friday.
Prime Minister Karen Karapetian repeatedly gave such promises during
campaigning for last April's parliamentary elections. He said the sum
equivalent to over 7 percent of Armenia's Gross Domestic Product will
come from foreign and local private investors as well as the state
budget and foreign loans extended to his government.
Karayan insisted that "approximately 37-40 percent" of the promised
investments are already in progress. But he declined to specify their
sources.
"We can't publicize names, it's a commercial secret," he told
reporters. "I can only specify the sectors where those investments
have been made."
The minister stated earlier that at least 10,000 new jobs will be
created in Armenia, mostly in the manufacturing sector, in the course
of this year.
The government's political opponents and other critics are skeptical
about these pledges.Speaking in the Armenian parliament earlier this
week, Edmon Marukian, a leader of the opposition Yelk alliance,
pointed out that Karapetian has not visited any western European
country since he became prime minister in September.
"What is being done to attract those investments?" Marukian
asked. "Who is supposed to go [to Europe,] meet those people and bring
the investments?"
Karayan dismissed that argument, saying that "many" potential European
investors have visited Armenia in recent months. "Just a few days ago,
French partners were visiting," he said. "They are going to invest in
our light industry and place production orders. And on Monday our
partners from Denmark will arrive."
The Armenian economy was essentially stagnant last year amid a
continuing recession in Russia, Armenia's leading trading
partner. Karapetian's cabinet expects that it will grow by at least
3.2 percent in 2017. The World Bank and the International Monetary
Fund have forecast slightly lower growth rates.
Hovannisian Seeks Opposition Consolidation
. Astghik Bedevian
Armenia -- Opposition leaders Raffi Hovannisian (C), Vartan Oskanian
(L) and Seyran Ohanian lead a pre-election march in Yerevan,
28Mar2017.
Opposition leader Raffi Hovannisian will again call on Armenia's
opposition groups to join forces during Sunday's congress of his
Zharangutyun (Heritage) party, which is no longer represented in the
national parliament.
A senior Zharangutyun member, Susanna Muradian, said on Friday that
the appeal will be addressed to both "parliamentary and
extraparliamentary" forces opposed to President Serzh
Sarkisian. Hovannisian's party is already negotiating with some of
them, she said.
"Zharangutyun does not expect them to rally around it," Muradian told
RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). "If it turns out as a result
of discussions that it's better to rally around someone else # we will
be ready to rally around someone else who will come up with a better
action plan."
Zharangutyun already teamed up with former Defense Minister Seyran
Ohanian and former Foreign Minister Vartan Oskanian's Consolidation
party to run in the April 2 parliamentary elections. Their ORO
alliance polled only 2 percent of the vote, falling well short of a 7
percent threshold for having seats in Armenia's new parliament.
The ORO leaders rejected the official vote results as fraudulent but
refrained from staging post-election street protests. But they have
kept a low profile since then.
So far Hovannisian's proposal has not met with a positive response
from other opposition forces, including those that won seats in the
National Assembly.
Earlier this month, Ohanian did not rule out the possibility of ORO's
transformation into a single political party. He also said that the
Armenian opposition must be prepared for "a force majeure situation"
that would require anti-government protests.
Zharangutyun's Muradian similarly said that street protests could be
the only realistic way for the opposition to challenge the
government. "If the so-called constitutional reforms [enacted in 2015]
were supposed to lead to such `elections' then we will have to opt for
other methods and ways of struggle," he said.
In a separate development, Hovannisian met on Friday with the
U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills. "Mills and Hovannisian
discussed a broad array of matters relating to American-Armenian
relations, regional security, and pressing global developments," read
a short statement released by the U.S.-born opposition leader's
office.
Press Review
"The Republicans no longer deny that Serzh Sarkisian will remain at
the helm of power after his presidential term expires in April 2018,"
writes "Zhoghovurd." "They hinted at that during the parliamentary
debates on the government program." The paper speculates that senior
representatives of the ruling HHK thus responded to Prime Minister
Karen Karapetian's latest statement that he is "prepared" to retain
his post next year.
"Aravot" disapproves of the fact that the government formulated its
policies for the next five years. "Five governments may change within
the next five years," argues the paper. "And given that every new
government is not held answerable for what the previous one did or did
not do, we won't know what to demand from whom. For example, the
former government promised to raise the minimum national wage to
65,000 drams ($135) by 2017, which did not happen. The current
government is promising to do the same by 2022. A new government that
may be installed tomorrow will give a different number or won't give
any numbers at all. All this does not contribute to the emergence of
an atmosphere of public trust, to say the least."
"Armenia badly needs this government to succeed because we have
reached the final point of a bad situation," writes "Azg." "There is
no longer room for any deterioration. On top of that, there is an
unfavorable regional environment # We need to get out of this vicious
circle more than ever before: to break up the state of economic gloom,
inject blood into the economy and, by extension, the Armenian state
and statehood. Everyone -- and the government in particular --
realizes this."
"Haykakan Zhamanak" reports that the Russian ruble is again
depreciating due to falling oil prices, threatening to slash the value
of dollar-denominated remittances from Armenian migrant workers in
Russia. "A large part of Armenia's population lives off the
remittances," the paper says.
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
YEREVAN, June 9. /ARKA/. Arpimed, an Armenian company, intends to invest AMD 400 million in pharmaceutical industry, Suren Karayan, Armenian economic development and investments minister, said Thursday at a regular Cabinet meeting.
At this session, the government decided to exempt the company form paying duties for importing technical equipment and raw materials and also provided a VAT payment adjournment.
“The company is also planning to create 12 new jobs with the average salary of AMD 200,000,” Karayan said.
The output is expected to amount to AMD 800 million, where products worth AMD 500 million will be sold in Armenia’s territory, AMD 200 million in the Eurasian Economic Union’s space and AMD 100 million in other countries.
Arpimed pharmaceutical company was established in 2001. This is a new-generation company which uses advanced trends in pharmaceutical industry development. ($1 – AMD 482.57). -0—
In which cases do Armenian rural women consider beating by their husbands justifiable?
22:30, 03.06.2017
The attitude of women and men towards spousal abuse is an important indicator in assessing the social status of rural women, says the report of the Food and Agriculture Organization of the United Nations entitled “Gender, agriculture and rural development in Armenia.”
According to the authors of the report, “women from the lowest wealth quintile, with the lowest educational levels and from rural areas are the most likely to accept this subordination in the form of domestic violence.” In particular, the respondents were asked if it was justifiable that a husband beats his wife in the following cases: 1) burning the food; 2) arguing with the husband; 3) going out without telling the husband; 4) neglecting the children; and 5) refusing to have intercourse.
18.2 percent of women with lower educational levels considered spousal abuse to be justified in at least one of these situations, a figure that is almost four times lower in case of women with higher education.
13.9 percent of women from the lowest wealth quintiles, and 25.1 percent of women with five children or more also consider it justifiable in one of the abovementioned situations, a figure that is three times lower in the case of women with no children or women from the highest wealth quintiles (20 percent of the population).
“Women in rural areas are more permissive of spousal abuse: 11.8 percent of women from rural areas consider this aggression to be justifiable, compared with 8 percent of women from urban areas. Moreover, in the Region of Tavush, 23 percent of women accept this type of spousal abuse.
The figures are much higher among men. 28 percent of men living in rural areas consider it justifiable, compared with 14.8 percent of men from urban areas. The percentages are also higher among men with basic or secondary education and from the lowest wealth quintiles, with more than 25 percent and 31 percent of men respectively considering this type of violence to be justifiable. 56 percent of men from the Region of Lori see this kind of behaviour as acceptable and justifiable,” the report reads.