Category: 2022

Sports: Kenny insists Ireland need to focus on Armenia despite upcoming Ukraine challenge

Hovhannisian John
June 2 2022
Kenny insists Ireland cannot afford to be distracted by the bigger challenge ahead of Ukraine when they face Armenia on Saturday
JOHN FALLON, YEREVAN

Stephen Kenny insists Ireland cannot afford to be distracted by the bigger challenge ahead of Ukraine when they face Armenia on Saturday in their Uefa Nations League opener.

Ukraine are within 90 minutes of reaching the World Cup following Wednesday’s impressive 3-1 win away to Scotland – ironically another of the B1 group nations.

In a congested end-of-season window, Ukraine meet Wales in Sunday’s World Cup playoff decider before travelling to the Aviva Stadium on Wednesday.

Ireland’s chances of reaching Qatar this November were ended over a year ago and their weekend assignment against the pool’s bottom seeds takes place in the low-key setting of Yerevan.

Stiflingly hot conditions of 30+ degrees greeted the Irish team on their arrival into the Armenia capital on Wednesday but the Ireland boss was playing it cool when it came to the plan of action.

He has already the team a target of topping their group and isn’t deviating from it despite watching Ukraine put months of anguish from the Russian invasion behind them to dominate the Scots. Benfica striker Roman Yaremchuk, whose header put them 2-0 ahead at Hampden Park, particularly impressed the Ireland boss.

“Ukraine were excellent in the game, really impressive,” said Kenny, who watched the game on television from their Yerevan base.

“We knew that as we have watched a lot of their games. They have a lot of really good technical players, easily able to change their midfield three.

“Yaremchuk is a really good centre-forward too and Ukraine deserved to win but Scotland probably didn’t play to their full potential.

“To be honest, we really must just focus on Armenia. Coming away from home, Armenia’s results have been up and down, but they have had some good home wins here against Iceland and Romania, two good teams.

“They won their last Uefa Nations League group over Georgia and North Macedonia to win promotion to League B so you have to respect that. This is the game we are fully focused on and trying to get ourselves ready for.” Meanwhile, Kenny’s latest No 3 coach, John Eustace, will link up with the squad on Thursday night after getting married.

The highly-regarded tutor was recruited by Kenny in time for the March friendlies against Belgium and Lithuania, replacing Anthony Barry who had filled in following the shock resignation of Damien Duff in January 2021.

“When John was appointed, he said the one problem he had was that his wedding was on (this week),” explained the manager.

“He had it all booked for this week in the Cotswolds and I said that was fine.

“John was with us for the first three days of the camp in Dublin and got a couple of days off.” Eustace’s club situation is unclear. He has operated on the backroom staff at QPR since 2018 but they this week lured Steven Gerrard’s assistant Michael Beale to Loftus Road as boss and it remains to be seen if he’ll recruit new assistants.

Sports: Why Scotland must look beyond Ukraine to Armenia and the echoes of Albania in 2018

Karapet Navasardian
June 2 2022
By Alan Pattullo

That question is a very simple one to answer on this occasion. They head back to Hampden Park next Wednesday night for a game against Armenia that, right now, many cannot see far enough. The players will likely fall into this camp too.

Let’s hope the collective hangover following such a bitterly disappointing defeat to Ukraine is of the Andy Robertson variety. Quick to clear.

We will never know what might have happened had the play-off semi-final, rightly delayed due to Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February, been played when originally scheduled in March.

Nathan Patterson may well have been able to play though match fitness might still have been an issue. More significantly, Kieran Tierney, who it’s been proved time and time again is such an important cog in Steve Clarke’s favoured system, would likely have been available.

Even then, there is no guarantee Scotland would have overcome a clearly talented Ukraine team. Defeat, though, might have been easier to stomach in the Spring. The Scotland players would have dispersed back to their clubs after a meaningless friendly against Austria. Life would have gone on. Domestic issues would quickly dominate the agenda again. Semi-finals, finals. Relegation, promotion. It would not have stung so much.

It feels like a form of torture to be locked inside an international window while trying to cope with the realisation that it will be 2026 at the very least until Scotland appear at another World Cup. That’s a gap of almost 30 years. A couple of generations. Those who attended the Morocco game in St Etienne in 1998 while young, free and single could easily be grandparents now.

The next World Cup is being held in Mexico, Canada and the United States. The number of competing teams has been increased to 48, with Europe handed three extra qualifying spots. Whether Clarke will still be around to make up for his exclusion from the squad for Italia ’90 in his playing days – he was included in the original pool – remains to be seen. His current contract extends only to the end of qualifying for Euro 2024.

Whether he likes it or not, the focus has returned to the manager in the aftermath of such a comprehensive defeat to Ukraine. As much as Scotland’s improvement under Clarke is undeniable, Wednesday was the third time in just 12 months that his side have been well beaten on a big occasion at Hampden.

All three games might have been against quality opposition, but they are the type of teams who Scotland need to overcome to make an impact at international level. Czech Republic, Croatia and Ukraine are all ranked higher than Scotland. However, they should not have been allowed to pick off the hosts as easily as they did.

Clarke will have regrets. As against Czech Republic, when he sent on Lyndon Dykes for Ryan Christie with Scotland trailing by a goal, he felt compelled to change things at half-time against Ukraine. This time the switch was reversed – Christie for Dykes. Goals were lost shortly after the interval on both occasions.

He opted for two strikers against Croatia in the last, must-win group fixture and the Scots were never in it.

He did the same on Wednesday – Dykes and Che Adams again – and the game ran away from the hosts once more. There is much for Clarke to ponder in the coming days. The next games in Scotland’s summer programme are against lower quality opponents. A trip to Dublin to face Republic of Ireland is bookended by home and away clashes with Armenia.

There is the prospect of players developing niggles and dropping out. The scrutiny on those such as Andy Robertson and Scott McTominay, the property of Liverpool and Manchester United respectively, will be intense.

Everyone will require some time to process this latest disappointment. A promising campaign that finished on such a high against Denmark unravelled in 90 minutes – or around 48 minutes in truth.

Ukraine’s second goal at Hampden was the ultimate buzzkill. Scotland did show signs of life in the last half an hour and might well have forced extra-time at least had John McGinn not somehow managed to skew his header wide when it seemed easier to score.

Callum McGregor’s goal with 11 minutes left brought Hampden to life. But Ukraine still looked just as likely to score as Scotland and the visitors did help themselves to another goal with the game’s last kick.

The Ukraine tie has dominated the national side’s calendar for the past six months. The play-off draw was made as long ago as November. It’s been difficult to look beyond a match on which so much hinged. But now we must. We must.

The format for Euro 2024 is not yet confirmed. Information detailing how teams might earn play-off spots from the 2022/23 Nations League is still to be announced. Uefa are expected to provide further details in the coming days.

But Scotland are already aware of its possibilities. Last summer’s Euro 2020 adventures were on the back of finishing top of Group C in the inaugural edition of the Nations League. The upcoming games might seem like a chore, but they need to be treated the same as qualifiers. Because that, effectively, is what they are.

Who now remembers a 2-0 win at Hampden Park against Albania in September 2018? Only 17,500 turned up to watch what proved an important stepping stone on the way to Scotland’s first major finals for 23 years.

Next Wednesday’s meeting with Armenia could provide a similar springboard before an always competitive fixture in Dublin against Stephen Kenny’s Republic of Ireland three days later.

Turkish press: Island becomes peninsula as water ebbs in Lake Van

Markos Nalchajian
  • May 29 2022 07:00:00

An 800-meter-long road connecting the famous Çarpanak Island and a peninsula has come to the surface as the water ebbed in Turkey’s largest Lake Van in the last two years.

“The Island of Çarpanak has turned into a peninsula,” İhlas News Agency reported on May 26.

According to the agency, the island was the endpoint of a peninsula for centuries.

But with the raising of the water levels in the lake between 1990 and 1995, the ancient 800-meter-long road submerged and the Çatanak Island was formed.

Calling the island a “natural wonder” and “tourism hub,” a professor from the Van Yüzüncü Yıl University highlighted that “Çatanak was a mysterious island.”

“The island has a connection with the mainland. The road shows that the island was once connected to the mainland,” Faruk Alaeddinoğlu told the agency.

“With the rise of the water level, a corridor of water separated the island from its peninsula.”

When asked about the reasons behind the water ebbing, the professor pointed out global warming and its effects, such as vaporization.

“Lake Van is an inland lake, and the water levels increase and decrease at times in all enclosed lakes,” he said.

Reminding of the old days of the island when it was a part of a peninsula at the beginning of the 1990s, Alaeddinoğlu noted, “In 2020 and 2021, the water ebbed, and the 800-long-road became visible.”

But, “unfortunately,” the water ebbing seems to continue in the coming years, too.

“People used to swim to the island from the mainland. There will come a time when they will walk to today’s Çarpanak Island,” he expressed.

However, according to the professor, whatever happens to the island, Çarpanak is “still a tourism hub to see.”

He recommended visiting the island, especially to nature lovers. “They should visit the island now and take the joy in it,” he added.

The island is now uninhabited but formerly contained an Armenian monastery called “Ktuts.” The ruins of the monastery can still be seen.

According to the tradition, the monastery was founded in the fourth century by St. Gregory the Illuminator after his return from Rome.

The first historical records referring to the monastery date back to the 15th century, when it was known for scriptorium. The monastery was destroyed by an earthquake in 1648, before being rebuilt in the 18th century.

Armenpress: Armenian PM, Iranian President hold phone talk

Eduard Nalbandian

Armenian PM, Iranian President hold phone talk

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 09:30, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Iran Ebrahim Raisi held a telephone conversation, the PM’s Office said.

PM Pashinyan shared his impressions and provided information about the latest meeting held in Brussels.

The sides exchanged ideas particularly about the opening of regional communications, the launch of delimitation works of the Armenia-Azerbaijan state border, the settlement process of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict, the prospects of normalization of the relations between Armenia and Azerbaijan.

Issues relating to the bilateral agenda were also discussed. The sides particularly focused on matters relating to the Armenia-Iran third power transmission line, the construction of North-South highway and energy sector.

Pashinyan and Raisi reaffirmed the mutual invitations on paying an official visit and agreed that mutual visits will take place to the capitals of the two countries.

Greek Deputy Minister of National Defense to visit Armenia

Nahapetian Zhanna

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 10:36, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. The delegation led by Deputy Minister of National Defense of Greece Nikos Chardalias will arrive in Armenia, the Armenian Embassy in Greece said.

“At the invitation of my counterpart Karen Brutyan [deputy defense minister of Armenia], I will be in Armenia on June 2 and 3, which has firm historic cooperation and friendship ties with Greece. During the visit I will have official meetings with Defense Minister of Armenia Suren Papikyan, Minister of High Technological Industry Robert Khachatryan and my counterpart Karen Brutyan”, the Greek Deputy Defense Minister said on social media, adding that meetings are scheduled also with Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II and the representatives of the Greek community in Armenia.

Nikos Chardalias will also visit the Armenian Genocide Memorial to pay tribute to the memory of the victims.

Visits to the Vazgen Sargsyan military college, the National Defense Research Institute are also planned.

Armenian, Georgian PMs agree to meet in near future

Emil Lazarian

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 10:59, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. Georgian Prime Minister Irakli Garibashvili held a telephone conversation with Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan, the Georgian PM’s Office said.

Garibashvili wished a happy birthday, health and success to Nikol Pashinyan, and prosperity and progress to the friendly Armenian people.

During the conversation, Irakli Garibashvili emphasized the friendly and close partnership between Georgia and the Republic of Armenia. The parties expressed commitment to furthering these close relations.

The Prime Ministers of the two countries agreed to meet in near future.

Tunisia’s president sacks 57 judges accusing them of corruption

Emil Lazarian

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 11:21, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. Tunisia’s president sacked 57 judges on Wednesday, accusing them of corruption and protecting terrorists in a purge of the judiciary that comes as he seeks to remake the political system after consolidating one-man rule, Reuters reports.

In a televised address President Kais Saied said he had “given opportunity after opportunity and warning after warning to the judiciary to purify itself”. Hours later the official gazette published a decree announcing the dismissals.

Among those sacked was Youssef Bouzaker, the former head of the Supreme Judicial Council whose members Saied replaced this year as he moved to take control of the judiciary.

Last summer Saied dismissed the government and seized executive power in a move his foes called a coup before setting aside the 2014 constitution to rule by decree and dismissing the elected parliament.

Updated: Iran supports progress in peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan – President

Arsine Chaltikian

UPDATED: Iran supports progress in peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan – President

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 11:53, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinyan and President of Iran Ebrahim Raeisi held a telephone conversation, Mehr news agency reports.

Particularly, Raeisi described Iran-Armenia’s continuous consultations as a sign of the importance and depth of friendly relations between the two countries.

“Protecting the geopolitics of the region, including international borders, respecting the national sovereignty of countries, and strengthening communication infrastructure between the regions is the principle of the Islamic Republic of Iran”, the Iranian president added.

He also called for expanding Iran-Armenia’s bilateral and multilateral cooperation in the fields of energy and transportation, saying that these ties will strengthen peace, stability and economic and trade prosperity in the region.

“Iran supports the progress in the peace talks between Armenia and Azerbaijan”, he also pointed out, expressing hope that that the remaining issues in this regard will be resolved peacefully and in accordance with the principles of international law and respecting the sovereignty and territorial integrity of the two countries.

The Armenian PM, for his part, presented a report on the implemented agreements and appreciated the principled positions of the Islamic Republic of Iran in the developments in the region, describing Iran’s role in the region as important and effective.

Expressing his country’s interest in expanding economic, trade, political, and cultural cooperation with Iran, Pashinyan said that the continuous holding of a joint commission on economic cooperation between the two countries will definitely facilitate and accelerate the expanding process of relations between Iran and Armenia.

He also welcomed the holding of the 3+3 summit in Tehran as soon as possible.

The article has been updated because of the mistake in the Iranian media outlets where the telephone conversation between the Armenian PM and the Iranian President was mistakenly presented as a phone talk with President of Armenia Vahagn Khachaturyan.




Armenian Diocese of Georgia has new Primate

Khondkarian Raffi

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 12:25, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. His Holiness Garegin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians, appointed Vicar of the Armenian Diocese in Georgia, Very Rev. Fr. Kirakos Davtyan as Primate of the Armenian Diocese of Georgia, the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin said.

Armenian Deputy PM attends opening of 67th meeting of UNWTO Commission for Europe in Yerevan

Emil Lazarian

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 13:28, 2 June 2022

YEREVAN, JUNE 2, ARMENPRESS. Deputy Prime Minister of Armenia Hambardzum Matevosyan participated today in the opening of the 67th meeting of the Commission for Europe of the United Nations World Tourism Organization (UNWTO) in Yerevan, the deputy PM’s Office said.

The event was attended by UNWTO Secretary-General Zurab Pololikashvili, Minister of Economy of Armenia Vahan Kerobyan, Deputy Minister of Tourism of Greece Sofia Zacharaki and others.

Addressing the session participants, the deputy PM said that Armenia’s steps in the field were highly appreciated by the member states, as a result of which Armenia was elected as member of the Executive Council of the organization for 2021-2025 during the last session of the UNWTO Commission for Europe held in Athens.

As for Armenia’s policy in the tourism sector, the deputy PM said the government vigilantly follows the developments and programs happening in the field, by using the best experience in its domestic policies and strategies.

According to him, the COVID-19 pandemic was not only a deep healthcare crisis, but also a heavy challenge for the global economy.

“Tourism sector, as one of the most dynamically developing branches of the economy, was also part of that disaster. Tourism is also the most affected sector in Armenia because of the pandemic. However, the tourism sector is on the recovery path thanks to the flexible state policy”, he said, adding that it would be possible to return to the implementation of the 2023 Sustainable Development Agenda only with joint efforts.

“We should learn lessons and transform the sector in order to be better prepared for further undesirable crises. Today it’s the duty of all of us to unite our efforts, use all our leverages and tools to recover the field and boost the role of tourism in achieving the sustainable development goals”, Hambardzum Matevosyan said, reaffirming the commitment of the Armenian government to effectively cooperate with all member states of the UNWTO and concerned sides to implement the joint goals aimed at the fulfillment of the 2030 Sustainable Development Agenda.