SERZH SARGSYAN: WHEN WE ARE UNITED, THERE ARE NO INSURMOUNTABLE
OBSTACLES IN FRONT OF US

YEREVAN, NOVEMBER 28, NOYAN TAPAN. The winners of the 38th Chess
Olympiad in Dresden, members of the men’s chess national team of
Armenia – Levon Aronian, Gabriel Sargsyan, Vladimir Hokobian, Tigran
Petrosian, Artashes Minasian and the chief coach of the team Arshak
Petrosian together with the Armenian president Serzh Sargsyan arrived
in the presidential plane in Yerevan on the evening of November 26. The
Armenian president, president of the Chess Federation of Armenia Serzh
Sargsyan had earlier left for Dresden to encourage the Armenian chess
players in the final round of the Olympiad. To recap, the men’s team of
Armenia also returned home as the winner of the previous Chess Olympiad
in Turin.

At Zvartnots Airport the head of the country handed wreaths of laurels
to the champions. S. Sargsyan presented bouquets to the members of the
women’s team who took 6th place at the Chess Olympiad.

A delegation headed by the National Assembly speaker Hovik Abrahamian,
government members together with the prime minister Tigran Sargsyan,
other officials, family members and relatives of the champions,
hundreds of citizens met the champions of the Chess Olympiad at the
airport.

Later a concert dedicated to the victory of the Armenian chess players
was given at Karen Demirchian Sport and Concert Complex. Congratulating
the champions on their victory, Serzh Sargsyan stated that it is a
triple victory for him as the Armenian president, the president of the
Chess Federation of Armenia and as a chess fan. "Perhaps this
widespread feeling of national unity is our greatest victory. It is
hard to win a champion’s title but defending this title is twice as
hard," the Armenian prsident said, underlining that the Armenian chess
players proved once again that "our country is a chess superpower".
"Any country, even the biggest and most economically powerful, can take
pride in this team, but it is exactly to us that they presented such a
holiday for the second consecutive time," the president stated.

He spoke appreciatively in memory of the winner of the Turin Chess
Olympiad Karen Asrian who passed away untimely this year, and all those
present joined these appreciative words of the president by standing up
and applauding in honor of K. Asrian’s memory. "This victory is also a
victory of Karen Asrian," the president said.

In the words of Serzh Sargsyan, the new victory proved that the former
success was natural. "Each member of our golden team is an exceptional
individual, but they all are a team, one will, one goal, one flag". The
president pointed out that our chess players have taken a great step by
breaking the mentality that "we are a nation of individuals and can win
only individually. You managed to gain a team victory in an individual
sport," the president said, adding that we should rely on unity in all
spheres – "when we are united, there are no insurmountable obstacles in
front of us".

By the presidential decrees, the members of Armenia’s golden chess team
and its coach were presented with state awards: medals of first degree
for services to Fatherland for upholding the sport honor of the country
and contributing to the developmet of chess in Armenia. A number of
chess figures also received state awards.