Category: News

The Armenian national team is placed 102nd (up from 110th last month) in the new FIFA World Ranking published today.

Argentina tops the ranking followed by Belgium and Columbia.

The next FIFA World Ranking will be published on 11 August 2016.

Arthur Abraham (44-5, 29 KOs) will face Tim-Robin Lihaug (15-1, 8 KOs) in a WBO International Super Middleweight title fight on Saturday night at the Max-Schmeling-Halle in Berlin.

Speaking at a final press-conference Abraham insisted he is fully on the fight at hand as he looks to atone for his World title defeat to Gilberto Ramirez and land another shot at World honours.

‘’Things did not go right for me last time, but now we look to the future,’’ he said. ‘’I am fully prepared for this fight and ready to do whatever it takes to win. First, I must defeat Lihaug and then I hope for another World title challenge.’’

Lihaug, however, maintained his belief that he would defeat Abraham and take his place at the top of the super middleweight division.

A missile fired by terrorist groups exploded next to the Armenian St. Astvatsatsin Chucrh (Church of the Holy Mother of God), destroying one of the nearby houses, the Aleppo-based Armenian newspaper reports.

According to the source, the church and the adjacent Gertasirats High School have not been damaged in the attack, only the windows are broken.

The Church of St. Astvatsatsin is the only Armenian Church in Aleppo that has escaped losses.

Years ago the terrorists set the St Gevorg Church on fire. The Church of Gregory the Illuminator often comes under rocket attack. The Holy Trinity (Zvartnots) Church of the Catholic community and the adjacent college have also suffered as a result of shelling.

The leader of Turkey’s main opposition party was on July 14 ordered to pay PresidentRecep Tayyip Erdogan compensation for calling him a “sham dictator,”  the Hurriyet Daily News reports.

An Ankara civil court ruled Kemal Kılıcdaroglu, leader of the Republican People’s Party (CHP), should pay 50,000 Turkish liras ($17,200) on charges of  insulting the president.

Kılıçdaroglu made the remarks at the party’s 35th Ordinary Convention on Jan. 16 and in a parliamentary group meeting on Jan. 19. His lawyer denied the allegation.

Erdoğan’s lawyer argued that Kılıcdaroglu’s comment constituted “extraordinarily weighty insults” with the intention of attacking his client’s image.

According to the Turkish Penal Code’s Article 299, it is also a criminal offense to insult the president. The offense carries a jail sentence of between one and four years.

The CHP is the biggest opposition party in Turkey, with 133 seats in the 550-member Turkish parliament. Kilicdaroglu has led the party since May 2010.

On the occasion of National Holiday of France, President Serzh Sargsyan visited today the Embassy of France in Yerevan. The President of Armenia congratulated Ambassador Jean-Francois Charpentier, the staff of the Embassy and in their person – the people of France. The President of Armenia underscored that he was glad to say once again on the occasion of the Holiday that Armenia is proud to have special relations with the friendly France. In the development and strengthening of the interstate relations, President Sargsyan stressed the importance and highly valued activities of the Embassy of France in Armenia and wished the diplomatic staff of the Embassy new achievements for the benefit of the two peoples and countries.

Ambassador Charpentier expressed gratitude to President Serzh Sargsyan for the visit to the Embassy, warm congratulations, good wishes and for the high assessment of the activities of the Embassy. He noted that it is a great honor and responsibility for him personally and for the staff of the Embassy through their daily work to further deepen the centuries-long friendship between Armenia and France which, according to the Ambassador, needs constant care.

On the occasion of the holiday, President Serzh Sargsyan also sent a congratulatory message to the President of the French Republic François Hollande.

“I cordially congratulate and send my best to you and the friendly people of the French Republic on the occasion of National Holiday.

The high level political dialogue between our two friendly nations and atmosphere of mutual trust constitute a solid base for the future comprehensive development and deepening of the Armenian-French relations. I am confident that through our joint efforts, we will continue to strengthen the ties binding together Armenia and France in the bilateral as well as multilateral formats for the benefit of our peoples.

You personal persistent stance on the issue of the criminalization of the denial of the Armenian Genocide is highly appreciated in Armenia; it once again underscores France’s and personally yours devotion to the universal human values, particularly to the international fight aimed at the prevention of crimes against humanity.

We attach the utmost importance to the involvement and efforts of France, as a Co-Chair of the OSCE Minsk Group, together with Russia and the United States in the process of a peaceful settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict for the benefit of peace and stability in our region.
I once again congratulate you on the occasion of National Holiday, wish you success and all the best, and I wish the friendly people of France greater advancement and prosperity,” reads the congratulatory message of the President of Armenia.

The situation was relatively calm at the line of contact between the armed forces of Nagorno Karabakh and Azerbaijan last night, the NKR Defense Ministry reports.

The rival mostly used firearms as it fired more than 200 shots in the direction of the Armenian positions.

The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army keep control of the situation at the line of contact and confidently continue with their military duty.

The settlement of the Nagorno Karabakh conflict will be a priority for Vienna during Austria’s OSCE chairmanship, Foreign Minister Sebastian Kurz told the OSCE permanent Council.

“Continuous dialogue is necessary to further the negotiation process,” Kurz said.

According to the Minister, Austria will pay close attention to the settlement of all conflicts within the OSCE area.

In his first address to the OSCE Permanent Council as incoming OSCE Chairperson-in-Office, Austria’s Minister of Foreign Affairs Sebastian Kurz said that the fight against radicalization will be the main priority of Austria’s 2017 OSCE chairmanship.

In his presentation of the Austrian OSCE chairmanship program, Minister Kurz highlighted three major threats to security and stability, that all OSCE participating States and Partners for Co-operation face today: the continuing increase of military conflicts; the growing threat to internal security through radicalization and terrorism; and the continuing loss of trust between states, as well as between citizens, on the one hand, and states institutions and organizations that need to safeguard their freedoms and  values, on the other.

Manchester United new boy Henrikh Mkhitaryan is the kind of player all defenders hate to play against,  his former international coach Tom Jones said in an interview with 

Jones first spotted a raw teenager appearing in Armenia’s Under-21s against their counterparts from Liechtenstein back in 2006. The 17-year-old caught the coach’s eye in Yerevan and has never looked back since, earning a dream move to Old Trafford this summer to become part of Jose Mourinho’s new-look United side.

In the mid-2000s, Jones was assisting Armenia manager Ian Porterfield, Sunderland’s 1973 FA Cup final hero, after a stint in South Korea. The coach took over as interim boss when Porterfield sadly lost his battle with cancer and, in his six games in charge, helped engender a change in mindset that has benefited an attacking spark like Mkhitaryan.

Clearly, his first impression of the young FC Pyunik prospect was a positive one. “I was with the main national side but the first time I saw Henrikh was when he was playing for the Under-21s,” Jones told ManUtd.com. “I was there sitting with Vardan [Minasyan], who was a coach with the national team and ended up taking over when I left.

“I said: ‘He’s too good to be playing in that team. Get him in the full squad.’ From that time, he just joined the full squad and was regularly part of the training.”

Porterfield acted on the recommendation and handed Mkhitaryan his senior international debut as a substitute against Andorra. The youngster handled the step up in his stride, helped by the fact he was playing his club football with Pyunik. “I quickly found out most of the players, around 80 per cent, came from that one big team,” said Jones. “That included the Under-21s as well. A lot of players knew each other and were comfortable with each other.”

Jones and Porterfield found Mkhitaryan to be a charming individual, one who seemed at home among older colleagues. “He was a great lad,” recalled Jones. “Really, really polite and well spoken. The good thing as well, from my point of view, was his English was very good. His mother was involved with the Armenian FA.”

Yet it was on the pitch where Henrikh’s personality really came out, showing a fearlessness and precocious attitude to the game.

“He is one of them – a glider,” said Jones. “When he’s got the ball at his feet, he just runs at people and simply creates so many problems for defenders because his first thought is to get at them. People don’t like that, of course, and, when they start coming and stepping out, he is sliding balls in between them. He is very clever like that – he could make a goal and score a goal.

“I always liked him to play just behind the front two. If you play two up top there, he was the one who could join in. That’s why he’s scored goals and why I said the boy can make a goal and score a goal. He’s got both sides of the game in him and that’s because he is fearless. He gets at people, runs at people and defenders hate that.

“They can’t touch him and it’s what he did very well. I also watched him play for Pyunik a few times, in different games when I was out there. But even when you see him in training, he’s an unbelievable talent.”

Mkhitaryan will be a key figure for Armenia when they embark on a qualifying group that includes Romania, Denmark and Poland as they bid to reach the next World Cup finals in Russia. A bolder approach has aided the national team’s cause and Jones feels he had a big role to play in instilling more confidence into the side.

“They’ve never qualified for a major tournament but, if you look at some of their results, they can always turn you over,” he said. “Vardan was frightened we were going to become too open but I managed to convince Ian, as he was a bit more defensive, that we were not going to get beaten heavily.

“Ian showed me a few DVDs and I just didn’t see the opposition goalkeeper because we were camped in our own half on damage limitation. I changed that mentality and just said: ‘Let’s press up the pitch and stop them playing’. It worked wonders for us and everybody could see the benefits and a change in that mindset from that day.”

The only question mark will be whether Mhkitaryan can deal with the demands of playing for one of the world’s biggest clubs but Jones believes this won’t be a problem for the 27-year-old. “I’m sure Henrikh was already an idol in Armenia when playing for Borussia Dortmund,” he reasoned. “To go to a club like United is a different level again for a player from such a small country but I think he will cope.

“He has already stepped up from Armenia to Dortmund and I think Liverpool tried to sign him a number of years ago as well. I mentioned him to quite a few managers when I came back to England, including Phil Parkinson when he was at Hull City. It was just a matter of whether they could get international clearance. Once that opened up, I think that was the stepping stone for Henrikh to go to Germany and he has never looked back.”

Jones is still coaching – he is currently with non-league team Chippenham Town and is eagerly anticipating the new season. “Chippenham are a very progressive club,” he stated. “We want to get in the Conference South. The chairman has got good ambitions and we’ll be ready to have a right go at it this year.”

Although he’ll be busy with his own side, the former Swindon Town midfielder will also be keeping a close eye on how Mkhitaryan fares at Old Trafford in 2016/17. “The boy is a hell of a talent,” he insisted, and we are all looking forward to seeing him in the red shirt.”

 

 

 

French actress Jacqueline Bisset has arrived in Armenia as a special guest of the 13th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival. The actress will receive the Parajanov’s Thaler award during the closing ceremony.

Speaking to reporters today, Bisset she said she hopes to travel around Armenia and get acquainted with Armenian architecture. “I don’t know where to strat,” she said.

“Speaking about impressions from Armenia is still untimely, but I can say I live in a wonderful hotel, and the food is very tasty,” she said.

“I know your nation has seen many difficulties, but I understood yesterday that you like to have fun,” she added. The actress said she danced to Armenian music until 2 a.m. “because that music is irresistible.”

Upon her return to the hotel, Jacqueline Bisset decided to iron her clothes, and asked for a stream iron. The hotel turned out not to have one. It was not before 5 a.m. that they found one. “Many do not believe I can do such things, but that’s the way I live,” she told reporters in Yerevan

“When I left school, I didn’t know what to do. I was interested in people and their psychology. At the time I was trying hard to overcome timidity. I was studying languages, I was the only girl in my class interested in classical music and crazy for art. I was thinking of a profession that would allow to combine all this,” Bisset said.

The meeting with Roman Polansky turned fatal for Jacqueline Bisset. The director approached the unknown beauty at a party and said she had a very deep look. “I started watching many films after that and understood that cinema was a different world. The most important in my profession is the communication with people.”

Is it possible to be happy without marriage and children? The question did not stun the actress. “Definitely,” she said and added that “happiness and marriage are no synonyms.”

– The Manchester Music Festival’s third concert of the season will spotlight two virtuoso Russian-born musicians: pianist Vassily Primakov and clarinetist Alexey Gorokholinsky.

The concert, “Music From Russia and Armenia,” will take place July 21 at 7:30 PM at the Southern Vermont Arts Center’s Arkell Pavilion on Manchester West Road.

“Russia and Armenia, both part of the old Soviet Bloc, have rich traditions in music and have produced some of the world’s greatest composers,” said Ariel Rudiakov, the Festival’s Artistic Director. “This is an evening not to be missed.”

The Thursday night program will highlight the music of Aram Khachaturian, Modest Mussorgksky and Mikhail Glinka, who is often regarded as the fountainhead of Russian classical music.

On stage with Primakov and Gororkholinsky will be Joana Genova and Jesse Mills, violins; Ariel Rudiakov, viola; Thomas Landschoot, cello; and additional guest artist Steven Moran, double bass. Mills and Landschoot are new to MMF’s faculty this year.

Mr. Landschoot, a native of Belgium, has an international career as a member of the acclaimed Rossetti string quartet and as a soloist. He started his musical life as a top prize winner of the ‘Jeunesse Musicales’ competition in Bucharest, Romania. He is currently on the faculty of Arizona State University and is founder and artistic director of the Sonoran Chamber Music Festival.

Jesse Mills, a two time Grammy award nominee, is also a graduate of the Juilliard School, where he studied with Dorothy DeLay, Robert Mann and Itzhak Perlman.

The July 21 concert program includes Khachaturian’s Trio for clarinet, violin and piano; Glinka’s Grand Sextet in E flat major; and Mussorgsky’s ‘Pictures at an Exhibition’ for solo piano.