Author: Jhanna Virabian

Photo: EPA

 

Syria’s leader has said he hopes US President-elect Donald Trump will be an ally in fighting terrorism but remains “cautious in judging him,” the BBC reports.

Bashar al-Assad said Mr Trump would be a “natural ally” if he fulfilled a campaign pledge to fight terrorism.

But he said it was “dubious” whether Mr Trump could “live up to his promises”.

Mr Trump had previously said it was “madness” to oppose both Syrian forces and IS militants, and that fighting Syria could lead to fighting Russia.

Speaking to Portugal’s RTP state television, Mr Assad said: “We cannot tell anything about what he’s going to do, but if… he is going to fight the terrorists, of course we are going to be [an] ally, natural ally in that regard with the Russians, with the Iranians, with many other countries.”

Mr Assad said that Mr Trump’s pledge to focus the fight on Islamic State (IS) militants was “promising”, but added: “Can he deliver?”

“What about the countervailing forces within the administration, the mainstream media that were against him? How can he deal with it? That’s why for us it’s still dubious… That’s why we are very cautious in judging him.”

Current US policy is to strike against IS and other jihadists while supporting moderate rebels opposed to President Assad.

Mr Assad regards those groups as terrorists.

On 14 October His Holiness Karekin II, Supreme Patriarch and Catholicos of All Armenians; sent condolence letters to the families of the victims who died in the Moscow-Yerevan bus crash. The bus was travelling on the Beslan-Vladikavkaz route when the crash occurred in the early morning hours, Press Service of the Mother See of Holy Etchmiadzin informs.

“We deeply regret the occurrence of the crash and pray for our children who are victims of the accident. During this difficult time, we ask for the comfort of the Holy Spirit and offer our support to the families and friends of the victims. We also pray for a speedy recovery of the injured”, the letters stated.

His Holiness instructed the Armenian Diocese of Southern Russia to provide necessary spiritual care and support to the accident victims and their families.

Photo: AFP    

– Yerevan Airport is usually a pretty quiet place to be past midnight. But when Gael Andonian touched down there late one evening in June 2015, and set foot on Armenian soil for the very first time, he was greeted by such a large crowd that he had to rub his eyes to make sure he had flown to the right place.

He could have been forgiven for asking what all those people were doing there, holding up banners, shouting, screaming and taking photos as he emerged into the arrivals hall. The answer became evident as soon as he saw what was written on the banners: welcome messages in French. Just to remove all doubt, the autograph and selfie-hunters that converged on him made it clear that he was very much the centre of attention.

“It was all very surprising,” the Marseille defender told FIFA.com. “It was two or three in the morning, midweek. I wasn’t expecting anyone to be there. Maybe just a couple of local journalists at the most.”

Such adulation would have been understandable if the arrival had been a star of world football. In this particular case, the recipient was a 20-year-old with barely a handful of professional appearances to his name. “It was a huge surprise because I’m not a big name,” added Andonian.

“It would have been normal if nothing had happened at all. When you arrive at the airport and you see all those people and all those cameras and flags, it really warms your heart. It also puts a little bit of pressure on you, though, because you tell yourself that you have to be up to the job and repay their confidence.”

An easy choice
Of Armenian stock but born in Marseille, Andonian represented France at U-16 level. When asked by Armenia if he wanted to play for them, however, he did not take long to answer in the affirmative. “I didn’t have to give it much thought. I let my heart make the decision,” said the player, who grew up supporting Les Bleus and watching a DVD of his idol Zinedine Zidane on repeat before starting to take an interest in Armenia’s fortunes when he was around 12 or 13.

“I am 100 per cent Armenian and I’ve been immersed in the culture since I was very young. My grandparents are from there and when I used to go round to their house I discovered the food and the culture and heard them talking some of the language. I didn’t know the country though. I’d never been there and I was the first member of my family to go back there since they left. And it was thanks to the decision I made that I was able to do that.”

That decision has also allowed Andonian to play regular football, something that has eluded him at Marseille. Despite being a member of the L’OM first-team squad since 2014 and signing his first professional contract in July 2015, he has played just the one match for the Ligue 1 club. “When I come back from the national team it gives me confidence and it shows me that I have got what it takes, because when all you do is train and play reserve matches, people wonder if you’re good enough to make it,” said the central defender, who can also slot in at left-back.

If there’s going to be a surprise, then our group looks like the perfect one for it.

Armenia defender Gael Andonian

“When I play against top-class opposition, I do well. I’ve faced the likes of Portugal, France and Serbia, and when you perform well against players like that, it gives you confidence. The problem is that you want to go and do it every weekend, which can be frustrating. You just have to hang on in there, though.”

While a loan spell at second-division Dijon in the first six months of 2016 gave Andonian the regular first-team football he craves, he went straight back to the reserves on his return to Marseille. How then does he manage to make the transition from second-string football to a UEFA EURO or FIFA World Cup™ qualifier? “It’s very tough,” came the reply.

“Everything’s different: the stadium, the supporters, the level of the opposition and the pace of the game. You can’t compare the two. Sometimes before a game, I take a step back and say to myself that I’m going from a CFA (France’s fourth tier) game to a match against players who’ve appeared at World Cups and who’ve won Champions Leagues and Ballon d’Ors.”

That change of scenario is something the left-sided defender has now grown used to, no matter who is lining up on the other side of the pitch. “When I came up against Cristiano Ronaldo, it did feel strange in the tunnel before going out on the pitch,” said Andonian. “But as soon as the referee blows his whistle, that’s it. Whether I’m facing Ronaldo or the Martigues centre-forward, it’s exactly the same. My goal as a defender is to make sure they don’t do anything during the game.”

Hopeful signs
His meeting with Ronaldo came in a EURO 2016 qualifier in Yerevan, a game in which the Portuguese forward hit all three of his side’s goals in a narrow 3-2 win, an indication of the progress Andonian and his team-mates have been making lately. Further proof of that came at the start of Armenia’s 2018 FIFA World Cup Russia qualifying campaign, with another close game away to Denmark.

“We lost 1-0, but we played really well. Things just didn’t go our way,” said the Marseille man, who did not put a foot wrong against the Danes. The same can be said for all of his 11 international appearances to date, which led to him being voted Armenia’s second-best player of the last year, behind star man Henrikh Mkhitaryan.

“What we need to do is gel as a team more, get to know each other a bit better. We’re a young side and we lack the tactical nous you need at the highest level: game management, how to play away, how to react if you go ahead, how to turn the game around when you fall behind.”

Though Andonian is aware that qualifying for Russia 2018 will be tough, he is not denying himself the chance to dream. “If you look at all the groups, ours is the most open of the lot,” he said of a section that, aside from Denmark, also contains Kazakhstan, Montenegro, Poland and Romania. “If you’re in a group with Italy and Spain, or with France and the Netherlands, then the top two spots are pretty much a foregone conclusion. If there’s going to be a surprise, then our group looks like the perfect one for it.”

If Armenia were to spring that surprise, one can only imagine the send-off Andonian and his colleagues would get on flying out to Russia from Yerevan Airport.

Photo: Reuters

 

Portugal’s former Prime Minister Antonio Guterres is poised to become the next UN secretary general, UN diplomats say, the BBC reports.

Mr Guterres, 66, was the “clear favourite”, Russia’s UN ambassador Vitaly Churkin announced on Wednesday.

A formal vote will take place in the UN Security Council on Thursday to confirm the choice of nominee.

Mr Guterres, who led the UN refugee agency for 10 years, will take over from Ban Ki-moon early next year.

The 15-member Security Council cast secret ballots for each of the 10 candidates on Wednesday and none were found to oppose Mr Guterres.

They were asked to select from a choice of encourage, discourage or no opinion for each candidate, with the former Portuguese prime minister receiving 13 encourage votes and two no opinion votes.

On September 21, 2016 “HayPost Trust Management” B.V. put into circulation two stamps dedicated to the 25^th anniversary of Independence of the Republic of Armenia.

The official cancellation ceremony of the stamps took place at the Presidential Palace. The cancellation was carried out by the Presidential of the Republic of Armenia, Serzh Sargsyan.

The stamps have been printed in “Cartor” Printing House, France, with face values of 200 and 300 Armenian drams.

The stamp with face value of 200 drams depicts “25^th anniversary” and “INDEPENDENCE” texts, as well as the waving tricolor flag of the Republic of Armenia on the background of blue sky symbolizing the twenty five years of independence and statehood of the country.

The stamp with face value of 300 drams depicts “25^th anniversary” which consists of a collage made with the sights of Yerevan showing thus the advancement of the country through twenty five years of its independence.

The stamps have been designed by the Managing Director of “HayPost Trust Management” B.V., Juan Pablo Gechidjian and the designers of “HayPost” CJSC Vahagn Mkrtchyan and David Dovlatyan.

Date of Issue: 21 September 2016
Face value: 200 AMD
Design by: Juan Pablo Gechidjian, Vahagn Mkrtchyan
Printing House: Cartor, France
Size: 40,0 x 30,0 mm
Print run: 50,000

Date of Issue` 21 September 2016
Face value: 300 AMD
Design by: Juan Pablo Gechidjian, David Dovlatyan
Printing House: Cartor, France
Size: 30,0 x 40,0 mm
Print run: 50,000

Photo: AP

 

The Uzbek government has confirmed the death of President Islam Karimov, six days after he was taken to hospital with a suspected brain haemorrhage.

One of Asia’s most authoritarian leaders, Mr Karimov, 78, died after 27 years in power.

Mr Karimov has no clear successor. There is no legal political opposition and the media are tightly controlled.

He will be buried on Saturday in his home city of Samarkand, Uzbek state TV announced.

US singer Chris Brown has been arrested on suspicion of assault with a deadly weapon after a woman told police he had threatened her with a gun, the BBC reports.

Beauty queen Baylee Curran told the LA Times Mr Brown had pointed the gun at her face after she had been admiring his friend’s jewellery.

Mr Brown came out of his home after a stand-off with police on Tuesday.

The singer has several convictions for violence, including a 2009 assault on his then girlfriend, pop star Rihanna.

Police went to Mr Brown’s home following the emergency call early on Tuesday from Ms Curran, who by that time had left the property.

Ms Curran told the LA Times that she and a friend had gone to Mr Brown’s house with a business associate on Monday evening.

She said she had been admiring the diamond necklace of a man who had been showing off his jewellery when the man got angry and told her to back away.

That is when she says Mr Brown pulled out a gun, pointed it at her face and told her to get out.

 

 

 

“The Last Inhabitant,” a film directed by Jivan Avetisyan premiered within the framework of the 13th Golden Apricot Yerevan International Film Festival today.

The film tracks the events of 1988-1989 and shows how the Sumgait massacre affected the human destinies.

“The Last Inhabitant” is about an Armenian village that was forcibly emptied of its residents. Abgar, the film’s main character, stays behind all alone in a gradually shrinking enemy ring. He is waiting for his daughter, who became a witness to her husband’s murder by an angry mob and was hospitalized with a mental disorder.

An Azerbaijani named Ibrahim promises to find and return Abgar’s daughters, but demands that the latter work on the construction of a mosque.

A few days later, Ibrahim finds the girl, named Yurga, in one of the psychiatric hospitals of Baku and brings her to Abgar.

The film stars world-renowned Iranian actor Homayoun Ershadi, Sandra Daukšaitė, Armenian actors Sos Janibekyan, Aleksander Khachatryan, Naira Muradyan, Anne Bedian, Babken Chobanyan.

The music scored by System Of A Down’s Serj Tankian is performed by the Armenian National Philharmonic Orchestra and the Hover State Chamber Choir.

Manchester United has announced that Henrikh Mkhitaryan has completed his transfer from Borussia Dortmund. Henrikh joins on a four-year contract with the option to extend for a further year.

Mkhitaryan, 27, made 140 appearances and scored 41 goals for Borussia Dortmund after joining them in 2013. Last season he scored 23 goals and registered an impressive 32 assists across all competitions. Henrikh was voted Bundesliga Player of the Season for 2015/16 in a poll of his fellow professionals, and he was named in the Team of the Season following votes by the players’ union in Germany, VDV.

The midfielder is Armenia’s all-time top scorer, with 19 goals in 59 appearances since his international debut in January 2007. Henrikh captains his national team and has received the Armenian Footballer of the Year award on five occasions.

Henrikh Mkhitaryan said: “I am very proud to join Manchester United, this move is a dream come true for me. I am excited to play for a club with such an illustrious history and hope to be part of it for a long time. I thank the trust the club and Jose Mourinho have put in me. Finally, I believe playing for such a great club honours my father’s memory, and the inspiration and drive he gave to me when I was young.”

José Mourinho said: “Henrikh is a very talented footballer who has been in such prolific form for both his club and his country. He is a real team player with great skill, vision and also has a good eye for goal. I am delighted he has chosen to sign for United. I believe he will make an impact on the team very quickly as his style of play is suited to the Premier League. We are all looking forward to working with him.”

President Serzh Sargsyan arrived in the Republic of Kazakhstan for a working visit today, President’s Press Office eports.

President Sargsyan will participate in the session of the Supreme Council of the Eurasian Economic Union in Astana.