Armenian gymnast Harutyun Merdinyan won a gold medal in the pommel horse competition of the 2016 Men’s European Championships held in Bern.
The win marked the first ever European title for independent Armenia and the first for an Armenian gymnast since Albert Azaryan in 1955.
Vahagn Davtyan and Artur Davtyan brought Armenia two silver medals.
President Serzh Sargsyan will leave for Luxembourg today to participate in the jubilee summit dedicated to the 40th anniversary of the European people’s Party, President’s Press Office reports.
The Iranian Cultural Center in Armenia plans to hold a number of Quranic programs during the holy month of Ramadan at the Blue Mosque of Yerevan, reports.
Majid Meshki, Iranian cultural attaché in Armenia, told IQNA that like previous years, the center will organize Quranic courses for children and teenagers.
The Grand Mosque will also host an educational Quranic course for women every evening during the holy month.
Among other programs of the center are Quran reading sessions at the mosque in which one Juz (part) of the Quran will be read an hour before the evening prayers every day.
Also, there will be Tawasheeh (religious songs) performances by a Tawasheeh group from Iran.
The Blue Mosque is an 18th-century Shia mosque in Yerevan, Armenia. During the Soviet era, the mosque stopped its services and housed the History Museum of Yerevan.
Following Armenia’s independence, the mosque was renovated with support from the Iranian government and again started serving worshipers. It is currently the only active mosque in Armenia.
On May 29th the stamped souvenir sheet dedicated to “Armenia at the World Stamp Show “New York 2016″” was officially cancelled and put into circulation. The official cancellation ceremony took place In New York in the framework of the biggest international philatelic exhibition “NY 2016”.
The stamp of the souvenir sheet depicts one of the skyscrapers of New York illuminated by the colors of the Armenian flag. The stamp has s shape of an apple, symbolizing the New York city, which is commonly known as “The Big Apple”.
The official cancellation ceremony was carried out by Armenia’s permanent representative to the United Nations Zohrab Mnatsakanyan and the Managing Director of “HayPost Trust Management” Juan Pablo Gechidjian.
HayPost is taking part in the biggest international philatelic exhibition: World Stamp Show – NY 2016
World Stamp Show -NY 2016 is a major once-a-decade eight day international philatelic exhibition which will take place May 28 through June 4 in New York, USA.
More than 120 philatelic associations and organizations and over 50 national postal operators from all over the world are taking part in the event. HayPost participates at such a major exhibition for the first time and presents Armenian philately in a strategically situated boot, thus bringing recognition to Armenia and Armenian philately. At the event Armenian stamp issuances from 2013 -2016 are presented.
Relative peace was maintained 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 artillery weapons of different caliber as it violated the agreement on ceasefire, the Ministry said.
The front divisions of the NKR Defense Army refrained from response actions and confidently continued with their military duty.
An alley in the French city of Saint-Rémy-de-Provence has been named after Charles Aznavour on his 92nd birthday.
The Passage Charles Aznavour is located behind the Town Hall Square.
“There were street named after me abroad, but not yet at home in France!” Charles Aznavour said, according to La Provence.
His friends Michel Drucker, Dany Brillant, Didier Barbelivien, Alice Dona, Daniel Guichard, Antoine Duléry, Vincent Labrune, president of Olympique de Marseille, and his daughter Katia participated in the inauguration ceremony, Nouvelles d’Armenie reports.
Invited by Charles himself, Richard Findykian, Deputy Mayor of 9 & 10th districts of Marseilles, was also invited to celebrate the event and participate in the birthday lunch that followed the ceremony.
The Armenian national team beat Guatemala 7:1 in a friendly held in Los Angeles.
The win marks the greatest victory in the team’s history. Guatemala’s Carlos Luiz scored the opener at the 7th minute, but the goal was cancelled by Henrikh Mkhitaryan at 39th.
With two more goals at the 60th and 70th minutes, Mkhitaryan netted the first hattrick in the history of the Armenian national team.
Goals: Carlos Luiz (7), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (39), Edgar Manucharyan (45), Gegham Kadimyan (50), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (60), Henrikh Mkhitaryan (70), Arthur Sarkisov (73), Zaven Badoyan (84).
Armenia will next face El Salvador on June 1 (7 a.m. June 2 Yerevan time).
Photo: Stefan Wermuth/Reuters
Real Madrid were crowned champions of Europe for the 11th time after defeating Atletico Madrid in a dramatic penalty shootout in Milan.
Sergio Ramos’ first-half goal was cancelled out by Yannick Carrasco in the 79th minute, but neither team could find a winner in 120 minutes.
In the shootout, Atletico’s Juanfran hit the post and Cristiano Ronaldo delivered the clinching penalty for Real to secure their second Champions League title in three years, and their fifth since 1998.
Today, on the occasion of the Republic Day President Serzh Sargsyan handed to the family members of the servicemen who died in year 2016 in combat and non-combat conditions, volunteers, members of the home guard and reservists the highest state decorations which have been awarded posthumously to the modern day heroes who fell valiantly while executing their patriotic duties. The ceremony took place at the Presidential Palace. President Serzh Sargsyan underscored in his speech that the young generation will remember them forever, just as we remember today the brave who fell one hundred years ago.
President Serzh Sargsyan’s message at the award ceremony
Your Holiness,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
As a rule, in situations like this, I start my speech with the words “Dear Awardees”. Today however is different. Our precious and beloved awardees are not with us. They are being awarded posthumously. I have to confess that psychologically this is the most difficult duty which I have to perform from time to time.
Our heroic sons and brothers fell for their beloved ones, for us all, for Armenia, for the peaceful and eternal existence of the Armenian nation. At the fateful moment, they’ve made their choice. They have chosen freedom and dignity. Many of them very young, way too young, but their choice and deeds were so mature that they have made our entire society more mature. In a couple of days, they changed from students into tutors and became the torchbearers of the new generation born by independent Armenia. They have raised the bar of decency so high that it will be impossible to get around. Their life and heroism embody the code of honor of the citizen of Armenia and of the Armenian soldier which will be impossible to get around. It will be impossible because their right here, with us, among us. They are present and they are doing a greater job than some of those physically “present”. For that very reason, allow me nevertheless to address them and to say:
Dear Awardees,
I congratulate you on receiving high state awards. I also congratulate you on the occasion of the Republic Day. Heroes just like you fell in the battles of 1918, so that the Armenian nation could live, so that Armenia could exist. And Armenia lives. For us, you are the same heroes as those of Sardarapat, Bash-Aparan, Gharakilisa. One hundred years later, young generations will remember you, just as we remember today the brave who fell almost one hundred years before.
Dear Awardees,
Rest in peace and rest assured that we are a nation because of you, we are a state because of you, and we are decent people because of you. Every generation will know and will not forget it. You’ve left us with great pain, but also with great pride and bequest. We bow to your deeds and promise that we will spare no effort to do all the good that you didn’t get time to do.
***
On the occasion of the event, His Holiness Catholicos of All Armenians Garegin II gave his patriarchal blessings to the present and offered a prayer.
At the conclusion of the event, the President of Armenia made an appeal to the attendees.
“Your Holiness,
Ladies and Gentlemen:
Young servicemen present here are cadets from the RA Ministry of Defense, Vazgen Sarkissian Military Insitute, and Marshal Armenak Khanperiants Military Aviation Institute. I asked them to come here to be present at the ceremony award but not only for that. I also want them to approach you right after the ceremony, get acquainted with you, to connect with you and throughout their army duty to be with you, next to your families, thus becoming a link between your families and the Armenian Army.
It is very important for the army officer to stand by the families of our fallen heroes, to understand the pain of parents who’ve lost their sons, to understand the significance of sons, to appreciate the importance of soldiers – of those very soldiers whose commander he will be very soon, whom he will lead in training and on combat positions, whom he will be responsible for, also responsible for making them stronger, to make them more combat ready, to defend together with them our Fatherland.
I ask you right after the ceremony to use this opportunity. I also have a little hope that they will be able to console you, even if just a tiny bit. Thank you,” said President Serzh Sargsyan.