Author: Tatoyan Vazgen

ArmenPress News Agency , Armenia
February 8, 2018 Thursday


 Armenia's Katya Galstyan vows top performance at PyeongChang 2018



YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 8, ARMENPRESS. In just a few hours the XXIII Olympic
Winter Games Flame will be lit up in PyeongChang.

This year, Armenia is represented by three athletes at the Winter Olympic Games.

One of them is skier Katya Galstyan. In an interview to ARMENPRESS she
spoke about her experience at the previous Olympics and expectations
from PyeongChang 2018.

“I began skiing since I was 15-16”, Katya says, adding that she began
to be professionally involved in the sports 10 years ago.

Asked by she chose skiing, she mentioned that there is no opportunity
for others sports in the village where she comes from – Hartashen.

The biggest dream of athletes is to participate in the Olympic Games.
What should you learn from these Games?

Back at the Sochi Olympics I wasn’t thinking that I would take part
and I didn’t train well. But this time I told myself that I should
train to be sent to PyeongChang. I began training for this back from
previous winter.

“I will try to exceed my best results at the Olympics”, she said.

Full interview available in Armenian.

By Varvara Hayrapetyan

ARMINFO News Agency, Armenia
 Friday


Ashotyan: Foreign policy priorities of Armenia in 2018 should be
development of relations with the Islamic world

Yerevan December 22

Mariana Mkrtchyan. Among the foreign policy priorities of Armenia in
2018 should be the development of relations with the Islamic world. On
December 22, in Yerevan, summing up the results of the year, stated
the head of the parliamentary commission on foreign affairs of the
National Assembly of Armenia Armen Ashotyan.

According to him, against the backdrop of Moscow-Yerevan relations,
Brussels-Yerevan, a very important challenge is escaping attention,
namely, the situation in the Middle East, which is at the side of
Armenia. "It seems to me that in 2018 we should pay serious attention
to the three directions in foreign policy, namely, deepening and
expanding relations with the Islamic world, increasing the recognition
of Armenia, which is very important in light of the dangerous efforts
that Azerbaijan is making to set up countries in the region against
Armenia As you know, this year the President of Armenia visited India,
an important country for us and a serious player in the Asian region.
In this regard, we need deepening and capitalization of relations with
the Asian world, "said Ashotyan.

And in this context, he added that the third direction is the
Armenian-American relations. According to him, new realities are
opening with the arrival of the new US president, and Armenia should
be vigilant for the development of relations with the states.

Armenpress News Agency , Armenia
 Tuesday


Servicemen, prostitutes and shepherd – 400 arrested in Azerbaijan for
conspiring with Armenian intelligence services



YEREVAN, DECEMBER 12, ARMENPRESS. Hundreds of people are arrested in
Azerbaijan who are suspected of cooperation with the special services
of Armenia, ARMENPRESS reports Azerbaijani meydan.tv informs.

New details have been published by Azerbaijani news outlets over the
scandalous case launched in May regarding the spying for Armenia.
Hundreds of people have been interrogated in the region of Aghdam
being suspected in cooperation with Armenian special services. Dozens
of servicemen have been arrested and interrogated, as well as one
shepherd and civilians who are charged with state treason.

A former officer of the Azerbaijani army told in the sidelines of the
investigation that a shepherd and his sheep are involved in the case.
According to the source, the incident took place in Aghdam region,
near the contact line.

“Early in the morning we suddenly heard someone was captured at the
watch post. But it wasn't a soldier. Instead it was a shepherd who
told us he was grazing his sheep. We reported it to our commander."

According to the soldier, the commander took one sheep, and then told
the soldiers to leave the shepherd and the rest of the sheep alone.

The soldiers argued with the commander. They said the Armenian border
watchers could see where the sheep traveled, and they would know there
were no land mines in those spots. They told the commander he was
endangering all his soldiers.

“The other side (Armenian soldiers) watch us just like we do. It’s
simple: if there is a mine, either the sheep or the shepherd himself
will be blown up. The Armenians are not going to shoot the shepherd.
He and the sheep are giving them good information”.

Accusations of cooperating with the enemy were reported to a commander
in a nearby military unit, and quickly an investigation began. It
expanded from the original incident as hundreds of soldiers and
citizens were held and interrogated. Some have been released; others
are still awaiting trial on treason charges.

A local government official says rumors of treason spread quickly.
“Imagine that you wake up in the morning, and you start hearing that a
lot of your neighbors are working for Armenians," the official said.
"You start to suspect everyone. The local people were horrified by
these stories. People that you used to know for a long time, the
people that you see everyday, accused of working for Armenia.”

The official said that in addition to soldiers, shepherds, taxi
drivers and even prostitutes were arrested. Some of these civilians
remain in jail along with some of the soldiers, awaiting trial on
treason charges.

"A lot of people were arrested," the official said. “One person who
was accused, Mehman Huseynov, was beaten to death by interrogators.
His relatives wanted to bury him next to his father. But villagers
protested, so he was buried outside the cemetery”.