ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia Thursday Shavarsh Kocharyan: aim of intermediaries at this stage is not to allow repeat of military actions Yerevan August 10 Naira Badalyan. OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs today are aimed not so much at reaching an agreement on Karabakh settlement issue, as not to allow the resumption of hostilities at the contact line. Armenian Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharyan stated in an interview with journalists after the Government meeting on August 10. According to him, the intermediaries at this stage are very well aware that it is impossible to talk about progress in the negotiation process until Baku's policy regarding the resolution of the Karabakh conflict changes. According to the Deputy Foreign Minister of the Republic of Armenia, Azerbaijan has never refused a military solution to the conflict and a policy of blackmail. "Today's relative calm on the line of contact does not mean that we should lose our vigilance because Azerbaijan is not committed to a peaceful solution to the problem," Deputy Foreign Minister of Armenia Shavarsh Kocharyan stated.
Author: Shushan Frangulian
Sports: Henrikh Mkhitaryan Is Set To Unleash His Full Potential
Henrikh Mkhitaryan is ready to become a Manchester United favourite. Popularly nicknamed Micki, the Armenia international starts his second season at Old Trafford.
After an oddly inconsistent and yet fruitful season – both for the winger and his team – Mkhitaryan should have a much smoother ride in the Premier League. With the pre-season behind us and the first competitive match of the season archived, we have enough material to draw some conclusions.
One of them is former Borussia Dortmund man. His debut season was good and he is expected to build on that in the coming one. Armenian’s displays in Europa League were top class and at the age of 28, he is at his peak.
Jose Mourinho is not the manager known for giving much freedom to his attacking-minded players. It is well-known even a flamboyant player like Eden Hazard had to contain himself in order to facilitate all Mourinho’s requirements.
With the arrival of Nemanja Matic from Chelsea, attacking side of Man United’s midfield is supposed to prosper, above all Paul Pogba, yet Mkhitaryan could fall into that category as well. He is not new to this team anymore. Both player and the manager know their surroundings much better and more flexibility could be given to Mkhitaryan.
Still, the better part is Mourinho’s new formation. Man United have been practicing 3-5-2 formation during pre-season friendly matches and Mkhitaryan often played as a striking partner to Romelu Lukaku. While Micki is not an out-and-out striker, he was given more freedom to roam around Lukaku, wandering on both sides to the Belgian.
In fact, it would look more like a 3-6-1 with a second striker next to Lukaku, with Mourinho shrewdly utilising Mkhitaryan’s first class work rate and positioning. His off the ball movement is impeccable as well and this is where his assisting skills could be put on the show. As well, having next to him a real striker in form of Lukaku, their relationship could go really well. Lukaku’s goal-scoring record was great at Everton with poorer service, but with Mkhitaryan at his best, he could prosper even more.
If there is anything Mourinho likes in a player, it is his ability to adapt to all of his wishes. Matic was bought for that exact reason – he will do the job he is told to do and he will do it really well. And Mkhitaryan showed glimpses of that last year. He did not start as often as some would expect, he would also often be substituted, but while at the pitch, he would do what he was told.
Mkhitaryan is also versatile. He plays as a winger, but can also play as a number 10. He is creative and knows how to take on players, but he is also intelligent enough to make good runs and track back to help out defensively. His defensive duties are evident, and he was making 2.86 interceptions and tackles combined per 90 minutes. In comparison, Chris Smalling had a combined 1.57 per 90 minutes in that category.
During his last season at Borussia Dortmund, he scored 13 goals and made staggering 20 assists across Bundesliga and Europa League. He has an eye for finding team-mates – especially since he was Dortmund’s playmaker and prime creator. However, last season he also showed other qualities.
Despite his playing time restricting him to just over 24 full games (2169 minutes across 35 appearances in Premier League and Europa League), he showed he could take his chances. His goal conversion ratio was 18.5 per cent, which means he needed just 5.4 shots on average to score a goal.
Jose Mourinho has many options regarding using Mkhitaryan in both of 4-2-3-1 and 3-5-2, but it is on Armenian winger to shine in any of them, the way he did two years ago for Borussia Dortmund.
Putin grants pardon to Marina Janjgava and Annik Kesyan convicted for high treason
Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday granted pardon to Marina Janjgava and Annik Kesyan, who were convicted for high treason, Meduza reports.
The respective decrees, published on the official internet portal of legal information, will enter into force ten days after their publication.
Marina Janjgava and Annik Kesyan were convicted for sending SMS on Russian military equipment, which they saw on the Sochi railway shortly before the conflict in South Ossetia.
Azerbaijan: Russia Stopped Us From "Breaking Armenia’s Resistance" in 2016
Armenia’s Suren Manukyan elected IAGS Board member
Armenpress News Agency , Armenia Tuesday Armenia's Suren Manukyan elected IAGS Board member YEREVAN, JULY 11, ARMENPRESS. During the 13th conference of the International Association of Genocide Scholars (IAGS) in the University of Queensland in the Australian city of Brisbane the elections of the IAGS leadership was held, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute told Armenpress. Henry Theriault has been elected IAGS President. Adam Muller and Melanie O’brien have been elected Vice-Presidents. Hollie Brehm , Sara Brown, Hilary Earl, Christian Gudehus, Suren Manukyan (Armenia, the Armenian Genocide Museum-Institute) and Andrew Woolford have been elected members of the IAGS Board. The IAGS was founded in 1994 and is the largest organization in the world uniting genocide scholars.
Music: Julietta Aleksanyan wins Khachaturian Competition
Armenian soprano Julietta Aleksanyan has won the Aram Khachaturian Interational Competition’s inaugural vocal category.
Second prize went to Kazakhstani baritone Azamat Zhleyrguzov and third to Armenian baritone Gagik Vardanyan. Armenian tenor Tigran Ohanyan won the audience choice award, and pianist Elena Vardazaryan won the prize for best accompanist.
The final round of the competition took place in Yerevan, Armenia on 14 June. The jury was chaired by conductor Constantine Orbelian, and also included Askonas Holt executive director Mark Hildrew, Welsh Nationa Opera artistic director John Fisher, and soprano Isabel Bayrakdarian.
Established in 2003, the Aram Khachaturian International Competition originally rotated annually between piano, violin and cello until 2016, when a conducting category was added. The next edition of the competition, which will take place in June 2018, will be dedicated to the cello.
Reject Weapons Sale to Turkish Bodyguards, Trott & 35 members urge Tillerson
Congressional Documents and Publications REJECT WEAPONS SALE TO TURKISH BODYGUARDS, TROTT and 35 MEMBERS URGE TILLERSON Rep. Trott leads bipartisan letter to Administration urging rejection of proposed weapons sale to Erdogan bodyguards who violently attacked protesters in D.C.; Rep. Dave Trott (R-MI) News Release U.S. HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES DOCUMENTS WASHINGTON - Today, U.S. Representative Dave Trott (MI-11), Co-Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus, issued the following statement after leading a bipartisan letter of 36 Members of Congress, including Armenian Caucus Co-Chair Frank Pallone, Intelligence Chairman Devin Nunes, Foreign Affairs Ranking Member Eliot Engel, and Intelligence Ranking Member Adam Schiff, to Secretary of State Tillerson urging him to reject the proposed sale of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to the Turkish government: "Right here, on U.S. soil, we witnessed President Erdogan's blatant disregard for democracy as his henchmen waged a brutal attack on peaceful protestors. As the very model of freedom and liberty around the world, the United States cannot condone such an overt suppression of democracy and this proposed arms deal would be nothing less than an endorsement of Erdogan's henchmen's brutal attack. We need to call out and hold accountable President Erdogan and his bodyguards for who they really are - thugs." On June 6, 2017, the House of Representatives unanimously passed H.Res.354, condemning Turkish President Erdogan's bodyguards' attack on peaceful protestors and demanding the perpetrators be held accountable. With over 17,000 Armenian-Americans in Michigan, Rep. Trott serves as Chair of the Congressional Armenian Caucus. Rep. Trott's resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide (H.Res. 220) has garnered strong bipartisan support with 45 co-sponsors, -including the Chairman and Ranking Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee. Since coming to Congress, Rep. Trott has led the fight to recognize the Armenian genocide joining a Congressional delegation to visit Armenia for the 100th anniversary of the genocide and co-sponsoring a resolution to recognize the Armenian Genocide in the 114th Congress. Historians believ-e as many as 1.5 million Armenians were killed by Ottoman Turks starting in 1915, yet international governments - including the United States - have refused to label the killings as a genocide. A PDF of the signed letter is available here https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__trott.house.gov_sites_trott.house.gov_files_Proposed-2520Weapons-2520Deal.pdf&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=bQ7XED32rQhBhXMtPFt7rhvVsuJmhxru00VQihfdQRE&s=8HK9lfRKgNnDlJOj8pp4UgNONwhmjqwY0-9JVf8Fohw&e= . Full text of the letter is as follows: Dear Mr. Secretary: We write today to urge you to reject the proposed sale of semi-automatic handguns and ammunition to a Turkish government controlled entity authorized to import firearms to the Department of Security of the Presidency of the Republic of Turkey. As you know, on May 16, members of President Erdogan's security detail violently attacked peaceful protestors outside the residence of the Turkish Ambassador in Washington, DC. With President Erdogan just feet away, looking on, armed members of his security detail unleashed a vicious attack, targeting non-violent protestors and American Diplomatic Security Officers, resulting in severe neurological, oral, and maxillofacial injuries. Unfortunately, this is only the latest in a series of disturbing attacks by President Erdogan's security forces in the United States, including a brawl at the United Nations, and a series of physical fights in Washington, DC in May 2016. This same security force now stands to be the beneficiary of a potential arms deal. On June 6, 2017, the House of Representatives spoke strongly and swiftly, voting unanimously to pass House Resolution 354, condemning the violence that took place outside the Ambassador's residence on May 16, and calling on the perpetrators to be brought to justice under U.S. law. We can no longer enable Turkey to compromise our democratic values, and this proposed arms sale is nothing short of an endorsement of the actions of President Erdogan's security force. As such, we strongly urge you to reject this proposed sale and any potential weapons transfer to President Erdogan's security detail. Thank you for your prompt attention to this important matter. Read this original document at: https://urldefense.proofpoint.com/v2/url?u=https-3A__trott.house.gov_media-2Dcenter_press-2Dreleases_reject-2Dweapons-2Dsale-2Dturkish-2Dbodyguards-2Dtrott-2D35-2Dmembers-2Durge-2Dtillerson&d=DwIBaQ&c=clK7kQUTWtAVEOVIgvi0NU5BOUHhpN0H8p7CSfnc_gI&r=LVw5zH6C4LHpVQcGEdVcrQ&m=bQ7XED32rQhBhXMtPFt7rhvVsuJmhxru00VQihfdQRE&s=gJ1gg-QIaClSxMiOVVv2vbD5i5idbZZ1bjp-GJf-3Lk&e=
‘Co-chairs must consider steps to restrain Azerbaijan’, Narek Minasyan
Aravot, Armenia ‘Co-chairs must consider steps to restrain Azerbaijan’, Narek Minasyan “Azerbaijan’s adventurism can be described as an attempt to pressure the Armenian side in the process of negotiations. It expresses Azerbaijan’s recent impudent behavior. One reason is that the international community has expressed a neutral attitude towards Azerbaijan’s actions, which created a false perception of impunity in Azerbaijan”, touching upon the Artsakh-Azerbaijan border provocations by the enemy, said political analyst Narek Minasyan. Let us remind that within 2 days Armenia suffered 4 losses. Narek Minasyan reminded that on June 19 the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs are visiting Baku, “Of course, such an adventurism right before the visit affects the co-chairs’ image. I believe that in the summarizing statement on the visit to region Azerbaijan’s actions will be considered, otherwise, the effectiveness of the Minsk Group operation will be under doubt”. The expert noted that on the same day military exercises are expected in Azerbaijan, through which the enemy will again try to pressure the Armenian side. According to Narek Minasyan, it is noteworthy that in a given situation the actions of the Armenian side will be responded, “They should be more than perceptible for the co-chairs”. In response to the question whether the co-chairs will again make an addressed statement in the result of the visit to Baku, Minasyan said, “We should not be happy about addressed statements. These are prerequisites for the effective functioning of the Minsk Group. In order to achieve efficiency, the Minsk Group should have made the addressed statements as his style a long while ago, but this rarely happens. Even if they make an addressed statement this time as well, experience has shown that it does not have enough potential to restrain Baku. Here arises a problem of taking another step. I think the co-chairs should consider steps to restrain Azerbaijan in their internal discussions. Within the framework of their mandate, there are possible measures to restrain Baku. Moreover, Russia, the USA, and France in their bilateral relations with Azerbaijan can force the latter to take a constructive position in the Artsakh conflict”. Luiza SUKIASYAN
BAKU: Official: Azerbaijan expects more serious work from OSCE MG
Baku, Azerbaijan, June 14
By Elchin Mehdiyev – Trend:
Azerbaijan expects more serious work from the OSCE Minsk Group co-chairs for reaching a fair decision as they will visit the region, Azerbaijani Deputy Prime Minister Ali Ahmadov told reporters in Baku June 14.
He noted that the Minsk Group should not consider its mission accomplished by paying visits to the region.
“The OSCE Minsk Group members have long been carrying out activities, but no proper steps have been taken to find a fair solution to the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict,” said Ahmadov.
“They carry out certain work and I don’t want to give an unfair assessment to their activities. However, the main work to resolve the conflict and improve the lives of IDPs has not been done. Azerbaijani lands have not been liberated and the conditions for the return of our compatriots to their homes have not been created,” he said, adding this is what Azerbaijan expects from the OSCE Minsk Group.
Ahmadov added that the unresolved conflict increases tension in the region.
The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, in 1992 Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.
The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from the Nagorno-Karabakh and the surrounding districts.
Chess: Armenian GM Artashes Minasian among leaders at European Individual Championship
The games of Round 3 at European Individual Chess Championship 2017 have been played in Minsk, Belarus. Armenian GM Artashes Minasian claimed the third victory in the round, outplaying Daniele Vocaturo from Italy.
As the Chess Federation of Armenia told Panorama.am, another Armenian player Hovhannes Gabuzyan drew his game against Andrei Volokitin.
Hrant Melkumyan, Tigran Harutyunyan, Gevorg Harutyunyan, Vahe Baghdasaryan, Arman Mikaelyan and Artur Davtyan also secured victories in Round 3.
After three rounds, nine chess players have scored 3 points apiece and are leading the table with Armenia’s Artashes Minasian being among the leaders.
Hrant Melkumyan and Hovhannes Gabuzyan have scored 2.5 points each.
To note, European Individual Chess Championship 2017 is a qualification event for the next World Cup. According to FIDE regulations and the decision of the ECU Board, 22 participants will be qualified for the world chess tournament.