SCHOOL IN NEW FOUNDED VILLAGE

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
8 Sept 04

As in all the other regions, in Nor Shahoumian also the program of
resettlement is implemented. Here, near historical Handaberd a new
village was founded a year and a half ago and was named Knaravan after
the deceased mother of the family Harutyunian who fund the construction
of the village. Building works in the village are supervised by
the union of public organizations “Yerkir”. Narek Harutyunian told
that two years ago he had met in Karabakh with the chairman of the
union “Yerkir” Sevak Artsrouni and decided to choose an area for
the village. They approved of the area for several reasons. First,
its strategic importance. Besides the scenery is very beautiful and
surrounded with historical monuments. He says they could build a
village anywhere, and also in the Republic of Armenia, which would
be much easier, but choosing the liberated areas, building a village,
sowing seeds there is already a brave step. The implementation of the
program started in May 2003. By now the construction of 11 houses has
already been completed, and the building of four houses still goes on.
Presently the village is inhabited by 4 families, and this year it is
planned to settle all the other houses as well. A school has been built
in the village as well, which was opened on September 3 this year. At
the ceremony of opening were present the husband of Knar Harutyunian
and their two sons Narek and Komitas who had arrived from America. The
joint Armenia-Lebanon chamber choir “Komitas” was invited as well. It
should be mentioned that not a single member of the government was
present at this memorable event. After the opening the participants
of the ceremony visited the church (its name is not known) located
on the adjacent hill to see the historical monument. By the way, the
chairman of the organization “Avetyats Yerkir” Vahram Gevorgian said
that the Institute of Archaeology of Armenia has recently explored the
ruined church. They found a khachkar with an inscription dating to the
13th century but the building inscription of the church has not been
discovered yet. According to Vahram Gevorgian, after the exploration
the church will be restored (again on the funding of the family). The
program implemented on the funds of the family Harutyunian is not
limited to 15 houses and the school building. This year in Knaravan the
building of the municipality, the surgery and a cattle-shed for each
family will be built. By the way, the sponsors also aim at implementing
a program of developing cattle-breeding and providing the inhabitants
with livestock. This is the first stage of the program. In the second
stage it is planned to continue the construction of houses along the
other side of the river, which will extend up to the village Chapni,
and the two villages will join under the name Knaravan.

ANAHIT DANIELIAN.
08-09-2004

CONFESSION OF DISABILITY

Azat Artsakh – Nagorno Karabakh Republic (NKR)
8 Sept 04

While the new minister of foreign affairs of Azerbaijan consistently
continues studying the viewpoint of official Yerevan on the settlement
of the Karabakh conflict every once in a while choosing this or that
capital of European countries as a place for meeting, in Baku they
do not wait and keep silent. Hostility towards Nagorni Karabakh
and the anti-Armenian moods, backed by the government, acquire
a new shade of colour among the big and small state officials.
Any example of progress, success or event in NKR is accepted
in Azerbaijan, and not only in the political circles but also,
financial, economic, and even cultural spheres and sport, as an
encroachment upon the authorities of this republic, threatening to
feeble slowly the fundaments of its statehood, and questions the
suspicious hypothesis of its territorial integrity. The officials
of this synthesized republic the firmness of their chairs is first
of all dependent upon the procrastination in the settlement of the
Karabakh issue are not at all interested in the idea of establishing
friendly relationships with Karabakh. This is more dangerous than,
for example, resumption of war. It is not at all accidental that Baku
often makes militarist statements that the Azerbaijani army is ready
to make Nagorni Karabakh obey through the force of weapon. By the way,
though during the 70 soviet years Azerbaijan was not able to get rid
of the Armenian element through weapon, instead it managed to stop
the growth of the Armenians and, as a matter of fact, on the eve of
1990 in Soviet Azerbaijan the number of the Armenian population had
not grown since 1923. The official men of Baku are well aware that
throughout the history of mankind those who started war and tried to
win authority by shedding their people’s blood, after the war were
condemned by their own people and not the enemy. This fear haunts
all those who came in the possession of wealth during the military
actions, which cannot bring happiness to them. Therefore everything is
done here to keep the point of resumption of military actions on the
agenda, blaming Nagorni Karabakh for all the misery of their people,
otherwise the social blast threatening the present authorities and
the existence of the Aliev clan will be inevitable. Official Baku is
in an awkward situation not managing to get rid of the fossilized
complex of hypocrisy. Displaying to the West their “insatiable”
desire to become part of civilized Europe, cherishing a hope to
dominate over Nagorni Karabakh through Europe and with its support,
abusing the right for territorial integrity, at the same time unfolds
its unrequited love to its northern neighbour. The idea of the famous
Azerbaijani film “If not That Then This” was shaped under the arches of
the ministry of foreign affairs of this country independent of who is
in the head of it or what his mental or diplomatic abilities are. In
any case it is here that the ABC of the strategy of comprehensive
struggle against Nagorni Karabakh is worked out and the behaviour and
expressions of the president are planned. Deviating a little from
the topic, we should notice that during the election campaign of
Ilham Aliev the Azerbaijani opposition, getting reconciled with the
fact of passing over the power from Aliev Senior to Aliev Junior,
hoped that Aliev would be the last representative of this family
on the political scene. Today it is hard to tell whether this was a
guess or just a way to justify their passiveness. Anyway, visiting
Nakhijevan several days ago, the Azerbaijani president passed his
anxiety and the hopeless mood to the journalists informing that he
will not take part in the negotiations for the sake of imitation of
the negotiations process and if he sees that the talks do not produce
the necessary results, the Azerbaijani party will abstain. By saying
“necessary results” I. Aliev doubtlessly means restoration of the
territorial integrity of Azerbaijan although he is sure to know that
any negotiations are meant to find ways for mutual agreement between
the negotiating parties. At least his statement made on the very day
of the 13th anniversary of NKR independence testifies to the rightness
of the forecast of the opposition. The president of Azerbaijan has
already taken up the process of self-justification. Where will this
step lead to: slow and heart-rending fall or a rapid destruction? It
is difficult yet to state. It is only apparent that denying the
negotiation process is nothing else but a confession in disability.
If it is true that all the mortals advance towards their fate, Ilham
Aliev cannot be an exception. Against this background the fatal efforts
of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan are if not absurd
than funny. According to the newspaper “Echo”, last week this agency
diligently drew up the list of the top officials of Karabakh aiming
at not granting entrance visas to other states. Similar attempts
were also taken in the past years. Perhaps these will continue in
the coming years. Well, even if it fails, then at least there will be
much agitation. In what other ways can the foreign ministry conceal
its inactivity? The same cannot be said, for example, about the new
leadership of the federation of football. By the way, presently
everything is politicized in Azerbaijan, even sport. Otherwise,
the football federation of this country would not accept the news
of the NKR football cup with the craving of announcing it illegal
and flooding UEFA and FIFA with telegrams demanding use of sanctions
against Karabakh. The reason for worry of the sport leaders of the
neighbour state is clear. For becoming member of UEFA or FIFA it is
obligatory to organize championships, build stadiums. Of course, for
Karabakh it is still too early to dream of the international arena,
but in Azerbaijan they are convinced that if here they have made
up their minds, they will achieve their goals by all means. And as
they think that this first of all deals a blow to the sovereignty
of Azerbaijan, they cannot remain calm. We cannot describe this in
another way, because this is exactly a confession of disability.

MARCEL PETROSSIAN.
08-09-2004

A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association Conference to be Held in Beirut

The A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association was founded by Simon
Zavarian in 1904, in Beirut, Lebanon. On the occasion of the
Association’s centenary, the ARF Bureau Youth Office together with
the A.R.F. Zavarian Student Association is organizing a pan-Armenian
student conference entitled “Armenian students facing the challenges
of the 21st century”, which is to be held on September 20-25, 2004
in Beirut.

The goals of the conference are:

– To examine the national challenges at the dawn of the 21st
century and the role of Armenian students in that prospect.

– To gather student association representatives and Armenian
students in general, providing them the opportunity to
strengthen mutual relations and to exchange ideas and
experiences.

– To make the centenary of the A.R.F. Zavarian Student
Association an occasion to reevaluate and reinforce the role
of Armenian students within the context of realities facing
Armenians throughout the world.

– Introduce the participants to the Armenian community in
Lebanon.

During the 5-day conference the topics mentioned below will be raised,
followed by discussion sessions:

– The Armenian Cause in the light of the presence of the
Armenian Republic.

– The integration of the Armenian Republic in the European Union:
advantages and disadvantages.

– Globalization and the problems or the possibilities facing
the Armenian Republic.

– The meaning of the mutual relations between Armenia and the
Diaspora and their role (the role of the Diaspora in promoting
the development of the Armenian Republic and Armenia’s role
in maintaining the liveliness of the Diaspora).

– Students and the Armenian National heritage preservation issue
(emigration, assimilation).

– The current situation and mission of Armenian students living
in Armenia or in the Diaspora.

A 100th anniversary ceremony is also to take place during this event.

For more information, contact: [email protected] or [email protected] .

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 8 2004

MM SPEAKER MEETS WITH RUSSIAN AMBASSADOR
[September 08, 2004, 22:47:15]

Chairman of the Milli Majlis of Azerbaijan Murtuz Alasgarov received
Ambassador of the Russian Federation in Baku Nikolay Ryabov on
completion of his tenure.

Having expressed condolences to the Ambassador and the people of
Russia in connection with the terror act in Beslan, the Speaker noted
that Azerbaijani people, who had faced terror more than once, share
the sorrow of the friendly Russian people.

He further dwelt on the role of the national leader of Azerbaijan
Heydar Aliyev in development of the friendly relations between the
two countries, interparliamentary links and the Ambassadors
activities in these sphere.

Touching upon the large-scale democratic reforms being implemented in
the country, Mr. Alasgarov noted with regret that the conflict with
Armenia because of Nagorno-Karabakh put serious obstacles for them to
be realized more successfully. He stressed in this connection that
Russia as OSCE Minsk group co-Chair and the most authoritative
country in the region. Presidents of Azerbaijan and Russia noted the
problem can be resolved only within the limit of territorial
integrity of Azerbaijan.

Ambassador Nikolay Ryabov expressed gratitude to the President,
Parliament and the people of Azerbaijan for the sympathy and
condolences, support and aid to Russia and the suffered from the
terror act.

Everyone knows that there are a number of long-running conflicts in
the region. Russia is striving for resolution of these problems, and
President Vladimir Putin has initiated a meeting of presidents of
Azerbaijan, Russia and Armenia in Astana, Kazakhstan on 16 September,
he said.

Ambassador Ryabov also expressed gratitude to the Head of Azerbaijan
State and the people of the country for the support during his
diplomatic mission in Azerbaijan.

The, Speaker Murtuz Alasgarov and Ambassador Nikolay Ryabov exchanged
views on a number of other issues of mutual interest.

Azer Tag, Azerbaijan State Info Agency
Sept 8 2004

AZERBAIJAN PRESIDENT ILHAM ALIYEV MEETS WITH OSCE MINSK GROUP FRENCH
CO-CHAIR
[September 08, 2004, 23:17:44]

President of Azerbaijan Republic Ilham Aliyev met in his residence in
Paris with French co-chair of the OSCE Minsk Group Henry Jacqueline,
September 8.

During the conversation, the President described his current visit to
France as very successful noting he had held fruitful negotiations
here. Touching on the development of cultural ties between the two
countries, the Head of State mentioned the exhibition opened on
September 8 at the French Senate had aroused Parisians’ keen interest.

The Azerbaijani leader highly valued the France’s efforts concerning
resolution of the regional conflicts, the Armenia-Azerbaijan,
Nagorno-Karabakh one in particular.

Informing the President on the meeting in Paris with Foreign Minister
of Azerbaijan Elmar Mammadyarov, Mr. Henry Jacqueline pointed out
that France would continue to do its best for peaceful solution to
the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. In this connection, the necessity of
intensification of the OSCE Minsk group’s efforts in this direction
was stressed.

Present at the meeting was Minister of Foreign Affairs of Azerbaijan
Elmar Mammadyarov.

The working visit by President of Azerbaijan Ilham Aliyev to France
continues.

Eremenko scores again as Finland beat Armenia 2-0

Reuters
Sept 8 2004

YEREVAN, Sept 8 (Reuters) – Alexei Eremenko scored his third
international goal in under a week as Finland beat Armenia 2-0 in a
World Cup Group One qualifier on Wednesday.

The victory lifts Finland into second place in the group on six points,
three behind leaders Romania who have a perfect record in the campaign
after hammering Andorra 5-1 earlier.

In an often choppy game with fouls stopping the flow of play, Finland
went ahead after 24 minutes when striker Mikael Forssell, surrounded
by defenders, found the back of the net from the edge of the box.

Finland made it 2-0 in the 67th minute when Eremenko was put through
just over the halfway line for a clear run on goal before slotting
the ball past Armenian keeper Armen Ambartzumyan.

The 21-year-old, widely regarded as one of the best new talents of
Finnish football, scored twice in Finland’s comfortable 3-0 win over
Andorra on Saturday.

He has scored in all three of Finland’s qualifiers so far and has
now got six goals in his 10 internationals.

There was little for the Armenians to take from the match, whose goal
tally is now 0-5 after two defeats in their opening two qualifiers.

FIFA World Cup qualifying matches continue

Sports Network
Sept 8 2004

Zurich, Switzerland (Sports Network) – FIFA World Cup qualifying
continued Wednesday with matches in the Asian, European, and North
and Central American and Caribbean groups.

Eight groups and a total of 22 matches were scheduled in Group 4 of
European play. France rebounded from a scoreless draw with Israel
over the weekend with a 2-0 win in the Faroe Islands. The new-look
Les Bleus squad overcame the expulsion of captain Patrick Vieira for
diving in the 50th minute while holding just a one-goal lead.

Ludovic Giuly gave France that advantage when he put home a rebound
of a shot by Robert Pires in the first half. Djibril Cisse, who helped
set up Pires for the shot on the first goal, later added an important
strike in the second half to give France some much-needed breathing
room. Anything but a victory would have raised a red flag on the new
Raymond Domenech era. Domenech took over for Jacques Santini following
France’s failure at Euro 2004 earlier this summer.

Results from other European matches were as follows: Romania
easily defeated Andorra, 5-1, for its third win in as many tries in
qualifying; Finland won at Armenia, 2-0; Ukraine outlasted Kazakhstan,
2-1; Georgia posted a 2-0 win at home over Albania; and Lithuania
easily beat San Marino, 4-0.

All the North and Central American and Caribbean matches are scheduled
for Wednesday night.

Asia’s qualifying was in full swing with eight groups and 16 matches
played. Iraq highlighted the action in the region when it continued
to build on the momentum gained from a fourth-place finish at the
Olympics. The Iraqis won handily at Taiwan, 4-1, to remain just
slightly behind Uzbekistan, a 3-0 winner over Palestine on Wednesday,
in the Group 2 standings.

Results from other Asian matches were as follows: Qatar crushed Laos,
6-1; Iran beat Jordan, 2-0; Oman recorded a 2-0 win over Singapore;
Japan put four goals on the board at India during a 4-0 victory;
Kuwait won at Hong Kong, 2-0; China managed a 1-0 triumph at Malaysia;
Bahrain edged Kyrgyzstan, 2-1; Syria squeezed past Tajikistan with a
2-1 win; North Korea posted a 4-1 victory at home over Thailand; Yemen
beat U.A.E., 3-1; the Korean Republic won at Vietnam, 2-1; Lebanon
exploded for five goals in a 5-2 rout of Maldives; Indonesia won 2-0
at Sri Lanka; and Saudi Arabia collected a 1-0 triumph at Turkmenistan.

philstar.com

Mark eyes place in chess history

The Philippine Star 09/08/2004

With his second grandmaster norm safely tucked under his belt,
International Master Mark Paragua now eyes a place in Philippine
chess history.

The 20-year-old Paragua beat IM Elina Danielian of Armenia in the
14th and penultimate round to seize the solo lead in the Alushta GM
Tournament in Ukraine.

He now has 10.5 points, half-a-point ahead of IMs Yuriy Kuzubov of
Ukraine and Roman Ovetchkin of Russia and at least two points clear
of his other pursuers.

Kuzubov, tied with the Filipino after 13 rounds, got stalled by a draw
by GM Ramil Hasangatin of Russia while Ovetchkin shocked top seed GM
Vladimir Malaniuk of Ukraine to stay in the hunt for the title and
a GM norm.

A victory would make Paragua the first Filipino player since the late
GM Rosendo Balinas Jr. to win a closed tournament in a former Soviet
Union republic. Balinas did the trick in the Odessa tournament in 1976,
earning him the GM title in the process.

“Malaking bonus na para sa akin kung ako ang magtsa-champion dito
(Alushta GMT). Ang talagang target ko lang sa pagsali sa ganitong
event eh ‘yung GM norm,” said Paragua.

When informed of the opportunity to accomplish a rare feat, Paragua
said it just made him more determined to win.

“Lalo akong na-motivate para manalo,” he said while admitting that
he’s not aware of that prospect before.

Paragua will face FIDE Master Evgeni Kobylkin of Ukraine, who is tied
at eighth to ninth places with 6.5 points, in the final round.

One thing going for Paragua is that his closest pursuers – Kuzubov
and Ovetchkin – are not expected to go all out in their last outing.

Kuzubov, who will meet Malaniuk, and Ovetchkin, who will go up against
Nino Khurtsidze of Georgia, tallied 10 points heading into the last
round, just .5 short of the required score to clinch a GM norm.

WASHINGTON TODAY: Program would help poor countries govern more effectively
By GEORGE GEDDA

The Charleston Gazette Online

AP-ES-09-08-04 0143EDT

Associated Press Writer

WASHINGTON (AP) — Secretary of State Colin Powell calls it the most
promising development in foreign assistance in decades.

That is quite a claim for a program that has yet to disburse its first
dollar. But it is clear that President Bush’s Millennium Challenge
Account, first proposed 21/2 years ago, represents a fresh approach
to helping countries overcome economic backwardness.

The fund’s premise is simple: If a poor country demonstrates a
commitment to govern justly, promotes economic freedom and invests
in its people, it may be entitled to U.S. dollars.

In other words, the Bush administration view is that little good
comes from pouring aid into a country that pursues bad policies.

Starting up a new program can be labor-intensive. Bush first proposed
the Millennium Challenge Account in March 2002. Only now are the
first outlays on the horizon.

Of 70 countries that meet administration eligibility requirements
based on need, 16 made the cut for receiving aid: Armenia, Benin,
Bolivia, Cape Verde, Georgia, Ghana, Honduras, Lesotho, Madagascar,
Mali, Mongolia, Mozambique, Nicaragua, Senegal, Sri Lanka and the
Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu.

They will get to share in the $1 billion Congress has appropriated
for the first year, assuming that Washington approves the projects
they design.

All 16 are small and poor. Eight are African, where a half-century
of development assistance has done little to improve the underlying
problems of hunger, disease and poverty.

Africa also is the prime beneficiary of another major administration
foreign aid initiative: $15 billion proposed over five years to
combat HIV/AIDS.

To the extent that much of Africa still lives in misery, Jeffrey
Sachs, a development expert at Columbia University, says lack of
U.S. foresight is partly to blame.

“In recent years, America gave a negligible $4 million a year to
Ethiopia to boost agricultural productivity but then responded with
around $500 million in emergency food aid in 2003 when the crops
failed,” Sachs wrote recently.

Nancy Birdsall, president of the Center for Global Development,
believes the Millennium program could become a development
breakthrough.

“If implemented effectively, the resulting program could fundamentally
improve the quality and quantity of U.S. aid and become a model for
other donor countries,” she said.

Her colleague at the center, Steven Radelet, welcomes the initiative
but criticizes other aspects of Bush’s policies toward low-income
countries. By supporting huge subsidies for American farmers in 2002,
Bush “undercut the livelihood of poor farmers around the world,”
Radelet said.

Paul Applegarth, a veteran of the World Bank and Wall Street, runs the
government agency that administers the Millennium Challenge Account. He
says successful reform in poor countries will attract not only the
fund’s money but also foreign investors, which he describes as the
key to long-term prosperity.

Applegarth also says there has been a notable uptick in debate over
reform in some poor countries as they try to position themselves to
join recipients of the U.S. program.

But Rep. Donald Payne, D-N.J., a member of the House International
Relations Committee, says an advantage of the traditional approach to
aid is that the poorest countries were always assured of getting help.

“Qualifying for Millennium Challenge funds has nothing to do with
how bad problems are in your country,” Payne says. He worries that
desperately poor Haiti, as one example, never will be eligible for
the program.

Under Bush’s plan, the Challenge is a supplement to the traditional
assistance vehicle, the Agency for International Development, founded
in 1961. Its budget is about $10 billion annually.

If Congress goes along, Millennium Challenge Account funding will
rise from the current $1 billion for this year to $2.5 billion in
2005 and then go to $5 billion annually by 2006.

USAID will continue providing development assistance. The agency is
credited with carrying out highly effective programs in such areas
as oral rehydration therapy, which has saved the lives of millions
of children with such diseases as dysentery; population and family
planning; and help for fledgling entrepreneurs.

USAID has its detractors, however. Former Sen. Jesse Helms, R-N.C.,
charged that AID’s programs had minimal effect and were “only lining
the pockets of corrupt dictators, while funding the salaries of a
growing, bloated bureaucracy.”

——

EDITOR’S NOTE — George Gedda has covered foreign affairs for The
Associated Press since 1968.

AP-ES-09-08-04 0143EDT

U.S. Open Tennis: Agassi’s silent treatment pays off

International Herald Tribune

Chris Broussard NYT
Wednesday, September 8, 2004

NEW YORK Before facing an opponent, particularly a top-flight one,
Sargis Sargsian sometimes receives advice from Andre Agassi.

In a telephone conversation the night before the match, Agassi
will break down the opponent’s game and give Sargsian a blueprint
for victory.

On Sunday night, however, the two friends did not speak. Sargsian’s
opponent in the fourth round of the U.S. Open on Monday was Agassi
himself, a two-time Open champion who did not want to take any chances.

Agassi, seeded sixth, came away with a 6-3, 6-2, 6-2 victory, advancing
to the quarterfinals for the 12th time in his 19 trips and setting
up a high-profile match on Wednesday with top-seeded Roger Federer.

“I’ll go out there with the intention of having to play my best
tennis,” said Agassi, whose last match against Federer was a 6-4,
3-6, 4-6 loss at Indian Wells, California, in March. “That’s the good
news playing him, if that is good news. There’s not a whole lot of
thinking. You better shoot for your best stuff right away, not take
your foot off the pedal. But if I can hit my shots aggressively and
play to the standard I know I can, I have every intention of winning
the match.”

Federer could be a bit rusty. He received a walkover on Monday when his
fourth-round opponent, Andrei Pavel, withdrew because of a herniated
disk in his lower back.

“I think not playing in four days is not ideal for him,” Agassi
said. “Going out there in a big environment is something that he has
proven to be the best at this year. I’m going to try to give something
for the crowd to cheer about.”

Fifth-seeded Tim Henman also advanced to the quarterfinals after
19th-seeded Nicolas Kiefer retired three games into the fifth set
with a wrist injury. Henman won, 6-7 (5-7), 6-3, 6-1, 6-7 (4-7), 3-0.

Meanwhile the magical run is over for Olivier Rochus, the diminutive
– 5-foot-5, 130-pound, or 1.67-meter, 59-kilogram – unseeded Belgian
who had defied all odds by reaching the fourth round.

Despite taking the first two sets from 22nd-seeded Dominik Hrbaty of
Slovakia, Rochus fell, 2-6, 3-6, 6-3, 6-4, 6-0, after being slowed
by leg cramps late in the match.

Rochus, 23, was ranked 100th in the world and had never won a match
in four previous appearances in the U.S. Open. In fact, he had won
only one set here.

Sargsian, 31, who was in the fourth round of a Grand Slam event on
Monday for only the second time in his career, simply could not figure
out – or carry out – a plan of attack.

“For me, it’s strange to play Andre, to be honest,” said Sargsian,
who is 0-6 against Agassi. “I really hope this is the last time I play
him. I don’t feel like I have a game plan against him, like I don’t
know how to win the points. You cannot serve and volley, you cannot
play him from the back, you cannot hustle because you know he’s not
going to miss. He’s going to make you run until tomorrow morning.”

Sargsian had seemingly been running all tournament long, logging 12
hours five minutes of court time – seven hours more than Agassi had
played – through the first three rounds. His second-round victory over
10th-seeded Nicolas Massu lasted 5:09 and was the second-longest match
in U.S. Open history. Two days later, he edged Paul-Henri Mathieu of
France, 4-6, 4-6, 6-4, 6-2, 7-6 (7-4), in a match that lasted 4:44.

Sargsian, who is Armenian, and Agassi, met seven years ago in
California. Agassi said he was a bundle of nerves while watching
Sargsian’s match with Mathieu on television.

“I’ve never been so nervous in my life,” he said. “It’s a lot easier
playing than watching when you really care about it. I was pulling
for him. It was a great display of tennis and heart, by both players.”

Against Agassi, who is 34 years old, Sargsian could not display the
same level of tennis acumen. He committed 43 unforced errors, more
than double the amount Agassi committed.

Although perhaps not at the top of his game, Agassi was sharp. Playing
at his typically torrid pace, he seemed to have Sargsian off
balance. Despite his feelings for Sargsian, he held nothing back.

“I don’t think it’s quite as comfortable playing against somebody that
you root for,” Agassi said. “I mean, if I were to lose, I probably
wouldn’t want to lose to anybody more than him, if that makes any
sense at all.

“But you have a lot of respect for each other personally –
professionally, too. In order to maintain that respect, both guys
have to go out there and lay it on the line and give a hug afterwards.”

But no advice beforehand.

The New York Times