Gevorg Ghazaryan opened the score in the 2nd second minute, Alexander Karapetian added a second in the 18th minute.
Tigran Barseghyan scored the third goal in the injury time.
Armenia will next travel to Athens to play Greece on June 11.
Judge examining complaint of Kocharyan's lawyer recuses himself
20:28, 3 June, 2019
YEREVAN, JUNE 3, ARMENPRESS. Judge of the Court of Appeal of Armenia Vazgen Rshtuni, who examines the complaint against the decision of the court of 1st instance not to drop criminal charges against Robert Kocharyan on the grounds of immunity, has recused himself.
ARMENPRESS reports head of the investigative group on March 1 case Hrach Musheghyan had submitted a motion for the judge to recuse himself. The reason for the investigator to submit a motion for recuse is the position of the mentioned judge on Kocharyan's case which he had expressed in the past.
The March 1 case refers to the 2008 post-presidential election unrest in Yerevan when eight protesters and two security officers were killed in clashes during large demonstrations against alleged vote rigging. Kocharyan was the outgoing president at that time. He is accused of unlawfully ordering the military to interfere and disperse the protests.
Robert Kocharyan is charged with “overthrowing Constitutional order” and “accepting particularly large bribe”.
Other indicted officials are: ex-Defense Minister Seyran Ohanyan (overthrowing Constitutional order). In 2008 Ohanyan served as Chief of the General Staff of the Armed Forces; Yuri Khachaturov (overthrowing Constitutional order). In 2008, Khachaturov was the Deputy Minister of Defense; Armen Gevorgyan (conspiracy to overthrow Constitutional order, accepting particularly large bribe and money laundering). Gevorgyan served as Chief of Staff of the Presidential Administration. Gevorgyan’s most recent government position was Deputy Prime Minister.
Yuri Khachaturov is an Armenian general who served as Secretary General of the CSTO until being recalled by Armenia for criminal proceedings in 2018.
They all deny wrongdoing.
Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan
ARSENAL are not optimistic Henrikh Mkhitaryan will be available for their Europa League final with Chelsea, according to reports.
It is understood the club are becoming increasingly resigned to the fact they may well have to leave the midfielder at home when they travel to Baku.
According to the Guardian, there is 'significant anger' at the club as a player is 'essentially forced to miss such a major match over safety issues' which are out of his – or Arsenal's – control.
Mkhitaryan is understandably disappointed that his safety cannot be guaranteed due to political tensions between Azerbaijan – where the final is being played – and his home country of Armenia.
Even the Gunners' injured players such as Hector Bellerin and Rob Holding will make the trip despite knowing they will not be involved in the game against Prem rivals Chelsea.
No other Arsenal midfielder has played more minutes in this season's Europa League than the former Borussia Dortmund and Manchester United man.
And his experience in the final of the competition – he scored two years ago when the Red Devils beat Ajax – could have proved crucial.
The report also states that Arsenal are unlikely to pull out in protest due to the magnitude of the match – £60million and Champions League qualification are on the line.
Boss Unai Emery spoke about the issue following the win at Burnley on Sunday.
He said: "One is a political issue and I don't know really know the solution.
"We want to play with him and against Burnley he worked very well.
"We will do all possible to have every player and him. But I don't know how this is really a possibility with him and the political issues.
"It is not in my hands and I don't understand what is the situation.
"The problem is with the two countries. We will do all we can but it is not the only issue."
Arsenal also hit out at Uefa for the "unacceptable" decision to hold the game in Baku.
The two clubs have been given just 6,000 tickets each in the 67,000-seater stadium.
A statement said: "Everyone at Arsenal is delighted to have reached the Uefa Europa League final and we are all very much looking forward to the match against Chelsea on Wednesday, May 29.
"However, we are bitterly disappointed by the fact that due to transport limitations Uefa can only make a maximum of 6,000 tickets available to Arsenal for a stadium with a capacity of well over 60,000.
"Time will tell if it is even possible for 6,000 Arsenal fans to attend the match, given how extreme the travel challenges are.
"We have 45,000 season-ticket holders and for so many fans to miss out due to selecting a final venue with such limited transport provision is quite simply not right.
"The reality is that whoever reached the final would not be able to meet demand from their supporters."
OeEB and Ameriabank cooperation creates new prospects for long-term financing
14:57,
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. OeEB, the Development Bank of Austria, and Ameriabank CJSC have signed a financing agreement worth 30 million USD. This facility will be dedicated to financing small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs), as well as renewable energy and energy efficiency projects in Armenia, Ameriabank CJSC told Armenpress.
The long-term facility with flexible terms will support the growth and expansion of SME business activities in Armenia and increase competitiveness in the local and foreign markets. Renewable energy financing will further promote sustainable development of the clean energy sector while ensuring efficient use of energy amongst the enterprises and population.
“We highly appreciate the relationship with our long standing partner OeEB, which started back in 2013. Supporting small and medium-sized businesses is one of Ameriabank’s priorities. This cooperation will help us to open new doors for small and medium-sized businesses to support Armenia’s economy and create new jobs. This agreement will also serve as a solid ground for our loan portfolio diversification in key sectors of the country’s economy and further improvement of our environmental footprint ”, said Artak Hanesyan, CEO of Ameriabank.
“Access to energy and access to finance are prerequisites for economic development. This is why OeEB’s main focus is to promote clean energy and energy efficiency and to support small and medium-sized businesses. Ameriabank shares these goals which makes it an ideal partner for us. We are happy to extend our successful partnership and to continue to work together to create sustainable development”, said Sabine Gaber, member of OeEB’s executive board.
***
About OeEB
Oesterreichische Entwicklungsbank AG (OeEB) has been operating as the Development Bank of Austria since March 2008. It specialises in the provision of long-term finance for the implementation of private sector projects in developing countries which create sustainable development. Additionally, OeEB provides technical assistance, which can be used to enhance the developmental impact of projects. For more information, please visit http://www.oe-eb.at
About Ameriabank CJSC
Ameriabank is a dynamically developing bank and one of the major and most stable financial institutions in Armenia. The first investment bank in Armenia, Ameriabank has been providing a large package of innovative banking services since 2007. Now Ameriabank CJSC is a universal bank offering corporate, investment and retail banking services in a comprehensive package of banking solutions. Ameriabank is the leading bank in Armenia as measured by all key financial indicators (assets, liabilities, loans portfolio, net profit and equity) according to the 2018 year reportable data.
For further information, please visit www.ameriabank.am.
Armenian PM’s spouse visits children receiving treatment in Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic
17:05,
YEREVAN, MAY 10, ARMENPRESS. Anna Hakobyan, spouse of Armenia’s prime minister, chairwoman of the Board of Trustees of City of Smile and My Step charity foundations, on May 10 visited the Pediatric Hematology and Oncology Clinic in Yerevan, her Office told Armenpress.
Accompanied by director of the Clinic Samvel Danielyan and pediatric oncologist Gevorg Tamamyan, Mrs. Hakobyan toured the medical center and talked to the children receiving treatment, their parents and treating doctors.
Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan
UCLA alumna Kay Mouradian wrote the book “My Mother’s Voice" on which an upcoming musical is based. The story is based on her mother, who lived through the Armenian genocide. (Courtesy of Kay Mouradian)
A developing musical will share the story of one girl who survived the Armenian genocide.
Titled “A Journey of Angels,” the production focuses on 14-year-old Flora, who is deported to the Syrian desert during the Armenian genocide. The play is based on the book “My Mother’s Voice,” written by UCLA alumna Kay Mouradian, and the character Flora is based on Mouradian’s own mother. Mouradian said she was initially unwilling to write a book about her mother’s experience, but after conducting research and learning more about it, she discovered a newfound motivation to share her family’s personal history.
“I actually followed the deportation route from my mother’s village and the Syrian desert. I saw the last remaining descendent of the family (that rescued my mother), and she knew all about my mom,” Mouradian said. “It was like finding a needle in the haystack – there was a story that needed to be told.”
During World War I, the Ottoman Empire sided with the Central Powers and failed to capture Baku, Azerbaijan, from Russian forces. The Empire blamed Armenians for siding with the Russians and in 1915, began executing Armenians. Soon, the Empire deported Armenians and forced them on death marches across the Syrian desert, where many of them died from starvation and exposure to the harsh environment.
As a child, Mouradian said she was disinterested with her mother’s many stories of the genocide. She only started to read into the history when her mother entered her 80s and faced near-death experiences. After each experience, Mouradian said her mother somehow came back more mentally alert and amiable toward others. As her mother continuously recovered, Mouradian eventually felt she needed to look into the genocide, eventually leading to “My Mother’s Voice.”
“When I realized the stuff that was happening to her was very unusual, that’s when I started my research,” Mouradian said. “It was really the research that drove me to write the book ‘My Mother’s Voice.’”
[RELATED: Alumna’s book shines light on forgotten history of Armenian genocide]
The process of transitioning from book to musical began at a luncheon honoring people’s work on genocide, Mouradian said. Two of the honorees, Brent Beerman and his wife Kathi Chaplar, created a series of workshops to teach students about 20th century genocide, focusing on the Armenian genocide. Beerman said Mouradian approached them and gave them her book. From there, he began writing the musical and teaching the book in his English class at Crescenta Valley High School, which has a large Armenian population. Before he taught the book, Beerman said Mouradian spoke to his class, and one student asked what the Armenian genocide actually was. It was then that he realized how few non-Armenian students knew of the important historical event, he said.
“The fact that they knew so very little of it really pushed the idea that they needed to be aware of their culture that surrounded them,” Beerman said.
When collaborating with Mouradian, Beerman said they worked together to combine or trim multiple events into one moment or scene. In the book, several chapters detail Flora’s marriage to an American Armenian, but in the production, the information is condensed into one scene that shows Flora leaving her village to go to America. This scene focuses on her survival at large, instead of the intricate details that brought her from her village to the States.
“When you’re adapting something, you want to get the essence of the characters – their changes, their goals – and the essence of what the plot is,” Beerman said. “When it’s all over, you want your audience to have the same feeling that a reader does after reading the book.”
Alongside Beerman, Chaplar, the musical director, also taught Mouradian’s novel at Crescenta Valley. In order to tell the story of a genocide that is both culture- and time-specific, she had to capture that in the music, Chaplar said. She researched traditional Armenian folk music and studied the chord structure and melodic progressions, emphasizing the sounds in scenes during which the dialogue is not enough to convey a particular sentiment.
[RELATED: Musician’s unique performance blends Armenian folk, jazz improvisation]
For example, when Flora and her family prepare for deportation, the music focuses only on Flora’s family. The scene shows three generations of women storing their jewelry in the hems of their clothing in preparation to leave. However, the music eventually shifts from the family to the entire cast on stage, who echo the same melody. By changing the focus, the music symbolically indicates that the genocide was not an isolated incident, but an event that affected the entire Armenian population, Chaplar said.
Even though the production is still in development, it has been performed at Crescenta Valley twice. Mouradian said after the first performance, many of the cast members approached and thanked her for the opportunity to tell her mother’s story.
“Both (Beerman) and I felt a tremendous responsibility to do this right and to do this justice because these are real people,” Chaplar said. “It’s this balance of truth and fiction and trying to be true to the story.”