Author: Vardan Badalian

Armenpress: In major move to boost morale,Tsakhkadzor Mayor gifts flowers to women on March 8 at quarantine zone

Vardan Badalian

In major move to boost morale,Tsakhkadzor Mayor gifts flowers to women on March 8 at quarantine zone

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 11:42,

YEREVAN, MARCH 10, ARMENPRESS. In a major move to boost morale and show support, Mayor of Tsakhkadzor Artur Harutyunyan has visited the Golden Palace hotel in the resort town to congratulate on International Women’s Day the women who are among the 31 quarantined people in the facility.

“The Mayor of Tsakhkadzor went to the Golden Palace hotel on March 8 with flowers to congratulate the women on the holiday. There is nothing unusual,” Governor of the Kotayk Province (which includes Tsakhkadzor) Romanos Petrosyan said at a news conference. Petrosyan called on tourists to continue visiting the famed resort town.

He did not elaborate on the precautionary measures taken during the mayor’s visit.

He said there are many tourists in the town, even on business days.

“We had little panic moods on the first day, but then when we visited the town with the prime minister and our other colleagues the panic fully subsided,” Petrosyan said, adding that the resort town is living its normal life.

Armenia reported its first novel coronavirus case on March 1. The virus was confirmed in an Armenian man who traveled to Iran. He was hospitalized in Yerevan, while his direct contacts were taken to the Tsakhkadzor resort town’s previously defunct Golden Palace hotel. The hotel was quickly re-launched by healthcare authorities and the 31 quarantined people have all necessary conditions, including food service, internet etc.

Shortly after the news, there were unconfirmed reports that tourists are leaving the town and cancelling hotel bookings. However, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan and his family personally visited the town to show support and dismissed the concerns.

UPDATES:

15:48 – Tsakhkadzor mayor clarifies the report, says he hasn't personally entered the hotel but gave the flowers to the hazmat personnel and asked to convey them to the women who are quarantined. 

Edited and translated by Stepan Kocharyan

Artsrun Hovhannisyan steps down as Defense Ministry Spokesman

Vardan Badalian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 6 2020


Artsrun Hovhannisyan has announced he is stepping down as Spokesman for the Ministry of Defense.

In a Facebook post Hovhannisyan expressed gratitude to his bosses, to each and every soldier and officer of the Armed Forces for authorizing him to present their interests to the public. He also thanked media representatives for the joint work.

“During my 23 years of service, I dreamed of pursuing a military education. I am happy to continue my service in the Armed Forces of the Republic of Armenia in the field of military education,” he said in a statement.

Sports: Mkhitaryan reveals brutal thing Mourinho accused him of after Man Utd exit

Vardan Badalian
Team Talk
March 3 2020
 
 
Mkhitaryan reveals brutal thing Mourinho accused him of after Man Utd exit
 
Date published: Tuesday 3rd March 2020 1:04
 
Henrikh Mkhitaryan has spilled the beans about a brutal confrontation he once had with Jose Mourinho just a matter of months after the Armenia playmaker had left Old Trafford.
 
Mkhitaryan joined United during Mourinho’s first season in charge at Old Trafford, but struggled to make a lasting impression at United with the Portuguese firebrand struggling to get the best out of the former Borussia Dortmund man.
 
Mkhitaryan made 63 appearances during 18 months with the Red Devils, scoring 13 times, before being sacrificed in an ill-fated swap deal for Alexis Sanchez with Arsenal in January 2018.
 
Mourinho spoke of his regret after Mkhitaryan’s departure, admitting perhaps it would be something he comes to regret, saying: “I believe Mkhi is going to be even better than he was with us. With one and a half years in England, adapted, knows, Arsenal play the way they think, I think is a good move for everybody, that’s why I’m also happy for Mkhi.
 
Could he perform better with us, could I take more from his talent, maybe, could he give a little more also to adapt to us, maybe but I don’t think regrets, he’s in our history, so good feeling for everybody and a very specific transfer between rivals in a big country which I have to say must happen more times.”
 
However, Mkhitaryan also failed to live up to expectations at Arsenal, with the player on the move again 18 months later when he left the Gunners to join Roma in a season-long loan deal.
 
Mourinho himself went on to leave United when he was sacked by the club in December 2018 and Mkhitaryan claims the Portuguese somehow blamed the player for the bad press he received during the latter stages of his time as manager at Old Trafford.
 
“Once Mourinho saw me at breakfast and said to me: ‘Because of you, the press criticises me,’” he told Forza Roma.
 
“I replied: ‘Really ,mister? I’m not doing it on purpose’.
 
“Back in Manchester United there were paparazzi three days a week. They filmed you as you got in the car, how you were dressed.
 
“Once you arrived at the sports centre they were already there. Every step was controlled.”
 
 Mkhitaryan has also admitted Mourinho is a difficult manager to play under and says pleasing him was always tough to achieve.
 
“Yes, I could say yes,” the Roma winger added.
 
“He’s a winner by nature. He wants you to win and you do what he asks you.
 
“It’s difficult for anyone. There have been differences and conflicts, but they have not had a strong impact on good work and the three trophies won.”
 
 Mkhitaryan opens up on Arsenal move
 
The Armenian has since found better form with Roma, scoring six times in 17 appearances for the Serie A side and has suggested he is happy to make the move permanent at the end of the season.
 
Discussing his move to Arsenal, the club he joined in a swap deal for Sanchez, Mkhitaryan said: “I knew that Wenger and Arsenal were interested in me at the time of the conflicts with Mourinho.
 
“Wenger wanted me with the Gunners. Going to them was fulfilling the dream I had as a child.
 
“Many French players had worn that shirt in the past: Henry, Pires, Bergkamp, Petit, Vieira.
 
“I was very passionate. Then, with the arrival of the United Arab Emirates, they started having economic problems and started investing in young people.
 
“Moving to Wenger’s Arsenal was a dream, a fairytale.”
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

Sen. Menendez demands justice for anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku

Vardan Badalian
Public Radio of Armenia
March 1 2020

See Senator Menendez (D-NJ) has demanded justice for victims of anti-Armenian pogroms in Sumgait, Kirovabad, and Baku and called on the Azerbaijani government to end its aggression against Armenians.

“On the 32nd anniversary of the three-day anti-Armenian pogrom at Sumgait, we remember the horrors of that attack and the subsequent tragedies at Kirovabad and Baku. The United States, international community, and government of Azerbaijan must ensure that Armenians, and other minority groups, never fall victim to such violence again,” Sen. Menendez said in a statement

“On this day 32 years ago in Soviet Azerbaijan, a brutal anti-Armenian pogrom began in Sumgait. Media reports from that time tell of mobs murdering peaceful Armenians in the street. Residences were looted, vehicles were set on fire, and thousands of Armenians fled their homes in fear. Hundreds of innocent Armenians were attacked or killed because of their ethnicity. Through three days of terror in Sumgait, Azerbaijani authorities failed to intervene and end the violence,” he continued.

he added that the pattern of violence against Armenians in Azerbaijan continued with the pogroms at Kirovabad in November 1988 and Baku in January 1990.

“In both cities mobs again targeted and killed Armenian civilians and burned Armenian residences, driving thousands of Armenians from their homes. Human rights activists at the time warned that the pogrom in Kirovabad represented a possible genocide, and eyewitnesses reported that local Azerbaijani police did not stop the violence. The inhuman violence committed during these pogroms, and the failure of Azerbaijani authorities to stop it, is inexcusable,” the Senator said.

“As the Senate did with the resolution commemorating the Armenian genocide, we must tell the truth about these horrific acts in order to prevent them from happening again. The international community, led by the United States, must be unequivocal in condemning violence against Armenians regardless of whether it happened in 1915, 1988, or any other time in history,” Sen Menendez stated.

“The government of Azerbaijan today must acknowledge that these pogroms occurred and that Azerbaijani authorities failed to stop them. Furthermore, I call on the government of Azerbaijan to ensure that the victims and their families see justice and to commit to never permitting such acts of aggression against Armenians, or any other minority group, again. No one can change the past, but we can and must do everything in our power to prevent history from repeating itself,” he concluded.

Sports: Salita Promotions Signs Undefeated Armenian Featherweight Aram Avagyan

Vardan Badalian
RingNews24
Feb 19 2020
Salita Promotions Signs Undefeated Armenian Featherweight Aram Avagyan

Press Release

Dmitriy Salita of Salita Promotions proudly announces the signing of undefeated Armenian featherweight Aram Avagyan to a promotional contract.

Avagyan (9-0-1, 4 KOs) hails from the Armenian capital of Yerevan and currently fights out of Moscow, Russia. The former amateur star started boxing at age 10 and went on to win two bronze medals at the European Championships and participate in the 2016 Summer Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro. Known as a smart tactician in the ring, 29-year-old Avagyan holds a master’s degree in International Relations from the Armenian State Institute of Physical Culture and Sports at the Russian-Armenian University.

A three-year professional, Avagyan won the WBC International Silver Feather Title with a unanimous decision over proven Mexican veteran Emanuel Lopez in 2018. He made his US debut and successfully defended his title for the second time in Las Vegas last May with a unanimous decision over fellow undefeated prospect Francisco Esparza on the undercard of the Canelo vs. Danny Jacobs fight.

“I have high expectations with Salita Promotions, and I believe that we will soon reach great heights,” said Avagyan. “I am glad that the head of the company is a former professional boxer since he understands very well what to be an athlete. My goal with every fight is to win and move closer to my goal of becoming a world champion. I have chosen this path and I want to fight with anyone in the top 10 and all the champions. I’m always ready anywhere and with anyone!”

Promoter Salita says Avagyan will soon start working with Sugarhill Steward at the Kronk Gym in Detroit to prepare for his upcoming debut under the Salita Promotions banner. That fight will be announced shortly.

“Aram has the resume and skills to be a force in the featherweight division,” said Salita. “His exciting style and desire to face the best will create a lot of exciting fights in the talent-packed division.”



Azerbaijan’s positions deny rights of people of Artsakh – FM Mnatsakanyan meets with Toivo Klaar

Vardan Badalian

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 19:48,

YEREVAN, FEBRUARY 18, ARMENPRESS. Foreign Minister of Armenia Zohrab Mnatsakanyan met on February 18 with Toivo Klaar, the European Union Special Representative for the South Caucasus and the crisis in Georgia, ARMENPRESS was informed from the press service of the MFA Armenia.

The interlocutors referred to Nagono Karabakh peace process and the recent meetings over it. The sides highlighted the real steps towards the implementation of the agreement of preparing the peoples for peace. In this context FM Mnatsakanyan particularly highlighted the public peace messages by the leaders of the countries and noted that the Azerbaijani side continues to express maximalist positions denying the rights of the people of Artsakh, which hamper the progress of the peace process.

The sides also exchanged views on the multi-dimensional agenda of Armenia-EU partnership, as well as referred to urgent international and regional issues.

Edited and translated by Tigran Sirekanyan

The Netherlands completes ratification of Armenia-EU Agreement

Vardan Badalian
Public Radio of Armenia
Feb 14 2020


On 12 February 2020, the Netherlands notified the General Secretariat of the European Council and the Council of the EU about the completion of its internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the Armenia-EU Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement.

Twenty-one EU member states – Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Bulgaria, Poland, Luxembourg, Denmark, Malta, Romania, United Kingdom, Hungary, Slovakia, Czech Republic, Cyprus, Germany, Ireland, Croatia, Sweden, Slovenia and the Netherlands – have now informed the European Council and the General Secretariat of the Council of the European Union of the completion of the internal procedures necessary for the ratification of the Agreement.

Belgium and France have also completed domestic procedures necessary for the ratification of the Agreement, but are yet to inform the EU Secretariat.

Azerbaijani press: Armenia’s agriculture declines in 2019

Vardan Badalian
18:46 (UTC+04:00)
611

By Abdul Kerimkhanov

The Armenian Cabinet of Ministers were disappointed by the agricultural indicators of 2019 as negative indicators of total gross agricultural output were observed in the country throughout the year, according to the data of Statistical Committee of Armenia.

The country’s agriculture decreased by 7.4 percent year-on-year in January-June. This indicator continued to fall by 4.8 percent, according to the results of three quarters.

Meanwhile, one of the first significant steps of the new Armenian government was the formation of a new cabinet structure, as a result of which 12 ministries were formed from 17. The purpose of this "revolutionary" innovation was to increase the effectiveness of the government.

However, the new government turned out to be as ineffective as the previous one. Pashinyan himself admitted this, saying at one of the cabinet’s last meetings in 2019: “We have large ministries with many unemployed people who care about one thing: when the time is right to go home.”

The structure optimization of the Armenian government was most strongly criticized precisely in terms of the abolition of the Ministry of Agriculture and the transfer of its functions to the Ministry of Economy. Chairman of the Agrarian-Peasant Union of Armenia Hrachya Berberyan believes that the first blow to agriculture was the closure of the Ministry of Agriculture. At the same time, the expert noted that the fall in this area in 2019, according to their estimates, is double the official figures.

“Armenia exported 56 tons of potatoes 4 years ago, and this year [2019] it began to import it from Belarus and some other countries,” Berberyan noted bitterly, seeing the intent to destroy the national economy.

Today, the main specialized structural units of the Ministry of Economy include 14 departments, however, department for food safety and agro-consulting, innovation and monitoring still do not have heads.

Thus, in such conditions it is difficult to expect effective activity of the Ministry of Economy of Armenia in the agricultural sector.

—

Abdul Kerimkhanov is AzerNews’ staff journalist, follow him on Twitter: @AbdulKerim94 

Follow us on Twitter @AzerNewsAz

Soldier killed in Artsakh

Vardan Badalian

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 22:09,

STEPANAKERT, FEBRUARY 14, ARMENPRESS. Soldier of the Defense Army of Artsakh Hayk Asryan, born in 1997, received a fatal gunshot wound in one of the military positions located in the eastern direction on February 14, at around 19:00, the defense ministry of Artsakh told Armenpress. The circumstances of the incident are yet to be determined.

Investigation is underway to clarify the details of the incident.

The Artsakh defense ministry extends condolences to the family and fellow servicemen of the soldier.

Edited and translated by Aneta Harutyunyan




NGO: Armenian Journalists Under ‘Growing Harassment’

Vardan Badalian
Voice of America
Feb 14 2020
By RFE/RL
07:29 PM

FILE – The Reporters Without Borders logo.

Reporters Without Borders (RSF) is raising alarm over an "increase in the harassment" of journalists in Armenia, who the watchdog says are being subjected to defamation suits and attacks on their right to protect their sources. 

"We are disturbed by the tendency for Armenian media to be sued or prosecuted," Jeanne Cavelier, the head of RSF's Eastern Europe and Central Asia desk, said in a statement Wednesday. 

Cavelier said Armenia's judicial system "is being manipulated for partisan purposes to bring abusive legal proceedings designed to gag and obstruct media by forcing them to dedicate a lot of resources to defending themselves." 

The number of lawsuits alleging defamation or insult has tripled in the past four years, with Armenia's justice department reporting 74 cases last year compared with 24 in 2016, RSF said. 

It said the lawsuits against journalists and media outlets were usually brought by politicians or businessmen, and sometimes by other media. 

Nonjudicial methods urged

Cavelier urged the authorities to promote the use of existing nonjudicial solutions to settle disputes in order to "avoid criminalizing journalism." 

RSF cited the case of Sona Harutyunian, a journalist working for the news website 1in.am, who was sued by pro-opposition news site News.am for suggesting in a Facebook post that News.am was owned by former President Robert Kocharian. 

A court has ruled that she should have "quoted her source" and "verified the facts" although she was "just expressing an opinion on an informal platform," the Paris-based media freedom group said. 

As a result, Harutyunian had to post a retraction of her comments on Facebook on January 31. 

Another victim of harassment is Qnar Manukian, the editor of the daily Zhoghovurd, who is facing criminal proceedings for refusing to reveal her sources, RSF said. 

"More and more journalists are being summoned for questioning about stories they have covered although Article 5 of Armenia's mass-media law supposedly guarantees the confidentiality of their sources," according to RSF.