Category: 2018
Junior Eurovision: It’s L.E.V.O.N to Minsk for Armenia!
Sports: Artur Vanetsyan elected chairman of Armenian Football Federation
Sports: Azerbaijani Judo Federation claim Armenia lied after pull out of World Championships in Baku over security concerns
- Saturday,
The Azerbaijan Judo Federation (AJF) has accused Armenia of lying over the reason for their decision not to attend the 2018 International Judo Federation (IJF) World Championships here, having cited security concerns.
As reported by JAMnews, the question of the team’s safety was discussed not between Governments, but between the AJF and European Judo Union (EJU).
Fears were mainly expressed for the team’s trainer Armen Nazaryan and star athlete Ferdinand Karapetyan, who beat Azerbaijan’s Hidayat Heydarov to the men’s under-73 kilograms title at this year’s European Championships in Tel Aviv.
The Armenians claimed they feared he would not be properly protected.
Commenting on the situation, the AJF told 1news.az: “This is yet another Armenian lie.
“Azerbaijan has always provided security measures at Government level.
“This is how it was during the first European Games [in 2015] and during other international competitions.
“Moreover, we presented the [Armenian] Ministry of Sport with an official letter which confirms that Azerbaijan guarantees the security of all participants on a State level.”
Nazaryan claimed Azerbaijan did not provide any guarantees relating to security.
“We were told that the guarantee of security given to all other athletes would be enough for us, and that there was no need to take separate, ‘personal’ measures,” he said.
“This leaves room for doubt.
“Thus, the Azerbaijani side, not having presented a guarantee of security, used the opportunity to deprive Ferdinand Karapetyan, who had a real shot at the medal, of participating in the World Championship.
“In 2018, he was the European champion, having won against an Azerbaijani athlete.”
JAMnews reported that Nazaryan and Karapetyan were in Georgia’s capital Tbilisi while negotiations between the AJF and EJU were taking place.
They waited for news about a guarantee of security in order to leave for Baku, but ultimately returned home to Yerevan.
Tension has existed between Azerbaijan and Armenia ever since the two countries received independence in 1991 following the break-up of the Soviet Union over ownership of Nagorno-Karabakh, a landlocked region in the South Caucasus which lies within Azerbaijan’s internationally recognised borders.
More than 30,000 people were killed and 1.2 million displaced before Russia brokered a cease-fire in 1994.
Armenian athletes have participated in several sports events in Azerbaijan, including the European Games three years ago.
In the months leading up to the Games, Nagorno-Karabakh, inhabited predominantly by ethnic Armenians, provoked more tension after Azerbaijan shot down what it claimed was an Armenian military helicopter on their territory east of the mountainous region, killing three crew members.
It took much mediation to find a solution to allow Armenian participation at Baku 2015.
The 2018 World Judo Championships are scheduled to run until September 27.
Had Armenia been represented at the event, Karapetyan would have been competing today in the men’s under-73kg category.
Home favourite Heydarov was beaten in the semi-finals by Japan’s Soichi Hashimoto before going onto defeat Mongolia’s Tsogtbaatar Tsend-Ochir in their bronze medal match.
Turkish Press: Turkey’s parliament speaker hails ties with Azerbaijan
Sports: Head of Armenia’s intelligence elected president of football federation
By Lusine Shahbazyan
Head of Armenia’s National Security Service Artur Vanetsyan has been unanimously elected the president of the Football Federation of Armenia (FFA) during an extraordinary session of FFA.
Former FFA president Ruben Hayrapetyan who has been heading the federation since 2002 was not present at the meeting. During the last 16 years fans and experts demanded Hayrapetyan’s resignation on numerous occasions.
Hayrapetyan, in turn, promised that he would leave this position putting forward different preconditions, for example claiming he would resign in case of failure in the European and Word Cup qualifying rounds. However, he never kept his promise.
Photo: Arsen Sargsyan
168: Tbilisi TV Tower illuminated in Armenian flag colors as homage to Independence Day
The Georgian capital has honored the Armenian Independence Day by illuminating the Tbilisi TV tower in the colors of the Armenian flag – red, blue and orange.
“On the 27th anniversary of Armenia’s independence, the Tbilisi TV tower has been illuminated by the Armenian Tricolor colors at the initiative of the Embassy of Armenia in Georgia,” the Armenian Embassy said on Facebook.
168: Border situation is relatively stable, says defense chief
Defense minister of Armenia Davit Tonoyan says that the situation at the Armenia-Azerbaijan border is currently relatively stable.
“As result of actions which have been taken, the situation is currently stable at the border. But we might take certain steps too,” he said today at the Yerablur pantheon in Yerevan.
Asked about the circumstances surrounding the most recent killing of an Armenian serviceman, Tonoyan said it was a targeted shooting.
Asked if the involvement of police troops is associated with border tension, Tonoyan said it’s not, and that it is standard procedure.
PM Nikol Pashinyan expresses support to mayoral candidate Naira Zohrabyan over online insults
Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan is highlighting the fact that all political forces running for the Yerevan City Council have remained within the law during their campaigning events.
Speaking to reporters today after visiting the Union of Veterans, the PM said that debates and high passions are normal things during campaigns. “Passions get high during campaigns and debates happen in any democratic country. What matters is that we all remained within the limits of the law,” the PM said.
He added that he is aware that the mayoral candidate from the Prosperous Armenia party had expressed concern over online insults. “I would like to express full support to her and say that indeed it is inadmissible for any citizen of Armenia to interact with another citizen with insults. Certainly, it happens sometimes when you lose nerves, it too can be understood, but, overall, we must do our best to maintain the atmosphere of mutual respect. At this moment I would like to express my support to Naira Zohrabyan,” the PM said.
Naira Zohrabyan, the MP who is running in the Yerevan elections from the Prosperous Armenia party, had earlier expressed concern about online insults targeting her. She applied to the Ombudsman of Armenia about the insults and threats. The materials were forwarded to the general prosecution for studies and proceedings.
Artsakh says line of contact situation is ‘stable-calm’
Artsakh’s defense minister Levon Mnatsakanyan says the situation in the Karabakh-Azerbaijan line of contact is “stable-calm”.
Speaking to reports at the Presidential residence in Yerevan, he said that certain ceasefire violations take place by Azerbaijan, but these breaches are mostly small arms fire.
“It can be said that there are no violations from large caliber weapons. We are working to give responses to these violations if required. We don’t respond to every single shot. In this regard, whenever we see a necessity that’s only when we respond,” he said.
He said that they have sufficient arsenal to give adequate response to the adversary. “We have all necessary means for various actions and solution of different tasks. Our arsenal is always supplemented with new types in terms of both quantity and quality,” he said.