Author: Bedik Zaminian

Henrikh Mkhitaryan received today the Footballer of the Year Award at a ceremony held at the Football Academy of Armenia.

“I’m glad to be named best footballer and I believe this will be an additional motivation for me to try my best to be honored with the price once again,” Mkhitaryan told reporters after the award ceremony.

“But I’m not playing for the sake of being named the best player, I’m playing for my nation and doing my best to make Armenia better known to the world. The best footballer’s title is a great honor for me, but it’s not a goal in itself,” he said.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan initially struggled to have much of an impact at Old Trafford, but has earned plenty of praise for his displays for Jose Mourinho’s men in the second half of the campaign.

“It’s impossible to achieve anything without overcoming difficulties. It was not very difficult for me, because I was confident I would have a chance and use it. I just worked hard and waited for my chance,” he said.

“Whether I’m considered an important and influential player for Manchester United is not that essential to me. I’m just doing my best to help the team and to be part of it,” Mkhitaryan added.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan is often seen as Armenia’s Ambassador to the world, but the player says it’s not a pressure on him. “I’m trying to think about the game, because if I start thinking what I can and should do for my country, I’ll forget about football. That’s why I focus more on my training, on my performance. Only through my good performance can I show the world what it means to be an Armenian and to present Armenia to the world,” he said.

Mkhitarayn missed Manchester United’s clash against Middlesbrough last Sunday. “I had a small injury that’s why I didn’t play a part in the match although I was on the bench.”

The Armenia captain said, however, he feels good and is fully ready for the upcoming clash against Kazakhstan.

This is the 7th time the Armenia captain wins Player of the Year award and the sixth in a row.

The Manchester United forward was named Armenia’s 2016 Footballer of the Year, collecting 245 points out of 250 possible.

Gevorg Ghazaryan, who plays for Portuguese Maritimo, came second with 56 points. Marcos Pizelli  was placed third.

FC Shirak head coach Vardan Bichakhchyan was named Coach of the Year.

Presidents of Armenia and Russia paid special attention to the Karabakh issue as they held a meeting in Moscow today.

“Russia continues to support the parties in seeking mutually acceptable ways for the conflict both within the framework of the OSCE Minsk Group and during direct contacts with Yerevan and Baku,” Russian President Vladimir Putin said following talks with visiting President of Armenia Serzh Sargsyan.

“We discussed issues of security in our region, paying special attention to the Karabakh conflict settlement, creation of conditions conducive to the furthering of the negotiation process,” President Sargsyan said, in turn.

“We value the contribution of Russia and other Minsk Group co-chairing countries to the process of exceptionally peaceful settlement of the conflict,” Serzh Sargsyan said.

“We stressed the importance of observing the trilateral ceasefire agreements of 1994 and 1995. Wes stressed the need to implement the agreements reached in Vienna and St. Petersburg. We are united in the opinion that the use of force or the threat of force are absolutely unacceptable and strike a blow to the negotiation process,” Serzh Sargsyan stated.

Azerbaijan’s failed act of sabotage continues on the information field. Coordinator of Razminfo website, military expert Karen Vrtanesyan says Aliyev’s administration had a problem with presenting the unsuccessful action to the public.

“Even Azerbaijanis say the action was meant to distract public attention from Mehriban Aliyeva’s appointment as Vice-President,” Karen Vrtanesyan told reporters today.

Some suggest that the action was meant to give a positive impetus to Mehriban Aliyeva’s appointment, but the intention failed, bringing about even worse comments. “Aware of the impossibility of succeeding on the field of propaganda, Azerbaijan started flooding the media with videos of the April war and absurd statements and misinformation to soothe the public,” the expert said.

Expert of Azerbaijani studies Taron Khachatryan noted, in turn, that people in Azerbaijan have long stopped trusting the information disseminated by the ‘closed system’ and therefore, use the Armenian sources. This is why Razminfo started reporting news in Azerbaijani, forcing Azerbaijan to consider banning flow of information from Facebook.

Experts say that unlike Azerbaijan, open discussions on most various issues are taking place in Armenia. At the same time they urge users to be on alert, as there are groups of Azerbaijani users on social media instructed directly from the Defense Ministry of Azerbaijan.

On June 2, 1915 Ottoman Interior Minister Talaat Pasha sent a secret telegram to the Governor of Ankara, instructing to hand over the arrested Armenian intellectuals to the Military Court of Diyarbakir.

Despite the telegram, the Armenian intellectuals arrested and exiled to the city of Ayas were brutally killed without any judicial proceedings.

US-based researcher Gevorg Hakobyan has provided the copy of the document to .

Photo: EPA

Samsung’s heir apparent Lee Jae-yong has been placed under arrest in South Korea, accused of bribery and other charges, the BBC reports.

The case is linked to a scandal that led to the impeachment of President Park Geun-hye.

Samsung is accused of giving donations to non-profit foundations operated by Choi Soon-sil, a friend of Ms Park, in exchange for government favours.

Mr Lee and the Samsung Group deny any wrongdoing.

The acting Samsung chief was first questioned by prosecutors in January, but they decided then not to arrest him.

But he was questioned for a second time earlier this week.

On Friday, the court said it “acknowledged that it is necessary to arrest [Lee Jae-Yong] in light of a newly added criminal charge and new evidence.”

Photos: Hungary Police

Hungarian police say they have finished their investigation of a trove of Persian, Sumerian and Assyrian antiquities found last year in a truck, the Associated Press reports.

Police in Bacs-Kiskun County said Wednesday that bronze objects from as early as 900 B.C. were among the dozens of items recovered.

The artifacts, including a helmet, small bells and horse tack, were likely from the grave of a high-raking military officer from Urartu, also called the Kingdom of Van, corresponding to parts of modern Armenia and Turkey.

Police found the objects during a routine search on Sept. 29 of a truck going to Lithuania. They have recommended that the Turkish driver be charged with receiving stolen goods.

The entire collection is estimated to be worth up to $690,000.

President Barack Obama has awarded an emotional and surprised Joe Biden the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest US civilian honour, the BBC reports.

Mr Obama praised his vice-president for his “faith in your fellow Americans, for your love of country and your lifetime of service”.

The award comes as both men prepare to leave office when Donald Trump is inaugurated on 20 January.

Mr Biden has said he plans to stay active in Democratic Party politics.

The medal was awarded with distinction, according to the New York Times.

That additional honour has been reserved in recent administrations for just a handful of recipients, including Pope John Paul II.

Mr Obama joked that the internet would have one last chance to mock the pair’s “bromance”.

As legislators were completing work for the 114th Congress, Armenian Assembly of America (Assembly) Executive Director Bryan Ardouny was on the Hill meeting with Members of the Congressional Caucus on Armenian Issues this month recapping the year and discussing priorities for the 115th Congress.

During his meeting with Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Representative Frank Pallone, Jr. (D-NJ), Ardouny discussed initiatives for the 115th Congress. He also reiterated the Assembly’s deep concerns regarding the atrocities Azerbaijan committed during the military offensive it launched during the April War,

According to the latest investigations, 3 out of the 31 incidences detailed in the report were citizens and not servicemen, including a 92-year-old grandmother who was also tortured. The report also identified 3 Nagorno Karabakh servicemen who were beheaded, noting that one was executed by ISIS-style decapitation then publicized on social media as a “trophy.” The Azerbaijani officer who showcased this Armenian soldier’s head was then given a military award from Azerbaijan President Ilham Aliyev.

In his meeting with Armenian Caucus Vice Co-Chair Rep. Adam Schiff (D-CA), who serves as the Ranking Member of the House Permanent Select Committee on Intelligence, a wide range of issues were discussed, including expanding the Caucus as well as strengthening U.S-Armenia relations.

“As we look ahead to 2017, U.S. leadership remains essential in addressing the challenges before us,” Ardouny stated. “The Armenian Caucus, with its bipartisan leadership team, will play a pivotal role and we anticipate a very active and energized Caucus as we continue to advance important priorities in the new Congress and Administration,” he added.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan scored for the second match in succession to give Manchester United a much-needed victory over Tottenham in the Premier League.