Category: 2018

Senior Saudi royal on hunger strike over purge

Lara Antonian
News.am, Armenia
Jan 3 2018
Senior Saudi royal on hunger strike over purge Senior Saudi royal on hunger strike over purge

16:23, 03.01.2018
                  

Prince Talal bin Abdulaziz, the father of Alwaleed bin Talal and first progressive reformer in the House of Saud, has gone on a hunger strike in protest at the purge being carried out by his nephew Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and the detention of three of his own sons, Middle East Eye reported

The 86-year-old prince, who is the half brother of King Salman, stopped eating on 10 November, shortly after his first son, Alwaleed, was arrested on 4 November, and has lost 10 kilos in one month.

Last week, a feeding tube was inserted into him, but his condition at the King Faisal Hospital in Riyadh remains weak, according to several people who have visited him.

It was noted that the prince had made no public statement about his refusal to eat. When his half brother King Salman visited him in late November to express his condolences about the death of their sister, Madawi, the king was pictured kissing the hand of Talal, who was then in a wheelchair.

The visitor said that the prince did not raise the issue of the arrest of his three sons with the king on that occasion because Talal did not want to use his access to the king to press for the release of his sons, while others remained in prison.

As the "The return of Saudi Arabia's Red Prince"  article noted, the family of Talal's mother Munayer were most likely Armenian Christians from eastern Anatolia. In 1915, the family had been forced to flee in terror before the vast anti-Armenian massacres of that year. Unlike the hundreds of thousands of Armenians who fled west to Athens or Beirut, Munayer, her father, mother, and two other siblings traveled southward, along old caravan routes, deep into the interior of Wahhabi Arabia. It was a strange choice for a Christian family. They may have been too terrified to reason carefully. Or perhaps they intended to head for Lebanon or even Persia – safe havens then for fleeing Armenians – and simply got lost. 

Armenia to focus on solar energy

Emil Lazarian
Steel Guru, India
Jan 3 2018
     

Armenia to focus on solar energy

Economic Times reported that landlocked Armenia has long relied on Russia for its energy needs, but the government is hoping to reduce that dependence by tapping a resource that is plentiful in the region: the sun. With few fossil fuel resources of its own and its sole nuclear power plant nearing the end of its working life, Armenia is banking on renewable energy to reduce its dependence on its former Soviet master, which accounts for nearly 83% of gas imports.

And with Armenia much sunnier than most of Europe according to government figures, it receives 1,720 kilowatt hours per square metre of sunlight every year, compared to an average of 1,000 in Europe solar energy looks to be the most promising.

The ex-Soviet republic's Deputy Energy Minister Hayk Harutyunyan told AFP that "To ensure its energy security and independence, Armenia, like any other country, strives to diversify energy sources.”

Within four years, up to eight percent of the country's energy needs will be covered by renewables, according to the government's policy paper.

The document estimates the country's potential capacity of solar energy production at up to 3,000 megawatts enough to meet domestic demand and even make Armenia a net electricity exporter.

Mr Harutyunyan said that a consortium of investors from 10 countries will soon start building a solar plant capable of producing 55 megawatts of electricity.

One of the backers, the World Bank, has earmarked some USD 60 million for the project, as part of its initiative to reduce global greenhouse gas emissions.

So far, three solar power plants with capacity of one megawatt each have been built across the country and seven more will follow by the end of 2018.

Next year, the headquarters of the Armenian cabinet of ministers will fully switch to solar energy, subsequently followed by all governmental buildings.

A pilot project was launched in March to install rooftop solar panels in remote villages across the country to provide households with electricity and hot water.

In late 2015, an Armenian tycoon with business interests in Russia, Samvel Karapetyan, bought out Armenia's indebted electricity distribution company from a Kremlin-controlled holding, Inter RAO.

Karapetyan's Tashit Group is investing in solar projects and has already spent some USD 500,000 in building a solar power plant in the mountainous tourist town of Tsaghkadzor.

In addition to increasing the share of renewables, the Armenian government is seeking to reduce that of natural gas and oil by more than a third by 2020, compared with 2010 levels.

Source : Economic Times

Tehran: Armenians in Iran Mark Christian New Year

Christine Harutyunian
Iran Front Page
Jan 3 2018
January 3, 2018 – 08:33

Iranian Armenians living in Tehran have celebrated the advent of Christian New Year at an iconic church in the capital city.

Armenians celebrated Christian New Year at Targmanchats Church in Tehran. The church building was initially constructed by the International Council of Christian Churches in cooperation with the Armenian Diocese of Tehran for the Armenians whose homes were destroyed in the 1962 earthquake in Boeen-Zahra region in Iran and, therefore, were forced to migrate to Tehran.

The church building was first nothing more than a simple hall. Later on, a church bell tower and a dome as well as other parts were added to it.

The facade of the church is made of red bricks, but the interior walls are covered with plaster.

The church has been extended through years.

The Christian New Year begins on January 1, marking the birth of Jesus Christ. In the West, Christians celebrate New Year’s Eve as the seventh day of Christmas.

Here are ISNA’s photos of the ceremony held a few days ago in Tehran:

Serzh Sargsyan’s Tbilisi message – Batono Margvelashvili: "Georgia must use Armenia’s potential"

Tania Jagharian
Aravot , Armenia
Dec 28 2017
Serzh Sargsyan's Tbilisi message – Batono Margvelashvili: "Georgia must use Armenia's potential"
by Emma Gabriyelyan
[Armenian News note: the below is translated from the Russian edition of Aravot]

Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan, together with his wife, arrived in Georgia for an official visit on 25 December. A face-to-face conversation between presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Giorgi Margvelashvili started in the Georgian president's residence after the official welcoming ceremony. It was followed by broadened Armenian-Georgian negotiations at the top level with delegations of the two countries participating. Presidents made statements for the press thereafter.

Serzh Sargsyan said in his speech that there were numerous promising projects on the bilateral agenda and confirmed his readiness to develop cooperation with Georgia: "With my Georgian counterpart, we discussed today a broadening trade and economic agenda, paying particular attention first and foremost to the ongoing cooperation in such important spheres as energy and transport, as well as development of the transit potential of the countries and its efficient use… [ellipsis as published] Creation of joint industrial enterprises was also on the agenda of our meeting and I said that, in my opinion, the Georgian side should use Armenia's potential and the existence of free economic zones in order to sell their products in the markets of the Eurasian Economic Union [EEU]," Sargsyan noted. He said that in this sense, any company registered in Armenia could be very useful. "I would particularly like to focus on the new free economic zone set up on the border with Iran and it offers big opportunities for exporting Georgian goods and services also to another financially reliable market – the Islamic Republic of Iran," Sargsyan said. He reminded that at all negotiations, Armenia always took efforts to obtain documents, statements, and wording that would by no means damage Georgia's interests. Maintaining such a position by both Armenian and Georgian sides can only bring benefits to both nations.

Thus, Yerevan stated that relations between the states are based on a firm foundation at the top level and, as Serzh Sargsyan noted, "are duly described as fraternal". In the year, when the 25th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between Armenia and Georgia is marked, Yerevan and Tbilisi stated a high level of cooperation in all spheres of mutual interest.

"We are not just neighbours", Giorgi Margvelashvili assures

The fact that Yerevan expects Tbilisi to use Armenia's potential probably means that Serzh Sargsyan regards Armenian-Georgian relations in a new context and expects relations of new quality and level from Tbilisi. This is an extremely important message. The Georgian president's delicate hint was no accident in this context. The Armenpress [news agency] reported from Tbilisi that Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili noted at the briefing for journalists held after his meeting with Serzh Sargsyan: "Armenia's membership in the EEU and Georgia's signing of the Association Agreement with the EU have not reduced the level of economic cooperation between Armenia and Georgia.

An official dinner was given on 25 December on behalf of Georgian President Giorgi Margvelashvili and [first lady] Ms Maka Chichua to honour Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan and Mrs Rita Sargsyan, who were paying an official visit to Georgia. Presidents Serzh Sargsyan and Giorgi Margvelashvili raised toasts, in which they touched on Armenian-Georgian intergovernmental relations based on respect and mutual trust as well as on centuries-long friendship between the Armenian and Georgian nations and prospects for strengthening bilateral ties in all fields that are of mutual interest.

"We are not just neighbours. Traditions of our cooperation have a history of thousand years and it is developing successfully now too. The secret of our friendship lies not only in the legendary brotherhood of Kartlos [legendary ancestor of all Georgians] and Hayos [legendary ancestor of all Armenians, who were brothers]. Our cultures, arts, folklores, and traditions are mutually connected and history is full of examples of mutual help. This is what provides us with the opportunity to overcome numerous trials, uniting us in the face of numerous challenges and preserving the uniqueness our nations are so proud of," the Georgian President noted.

Margvelashvili assured that Georgia appreciated and fostered friendship with Armenia and congratulated his Armenian counterpart on the signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement with the EU: "Georgia will always promote peace, stability, and cooperation in the region. We are ready today and will be ready in the future to share with our friends benefits of our European and Euro-Atlantic integration and the opportunities Georgia is creating in terms of cooperation between regions and continents".

Will Armenia finally get rid of Verkhny Lars?

It is worth noting that Serzh Sargsyan's visit to Tbilisi took place in a very interesting atmosphere. A statement was made in Tbilisi last week that Armenia can transport goods from Russia via [Georgia's breakaway] South Ossetia. The agreement signed between Georgia and the Swiss SGS company allows transportation of goods to Russia along the Qazbegi-Verkhny Lars road [in reality, Kvirikashvili mentioned the Roki tunnel that connects Georgia's breakaway South Ossetia with Russia] in force majeure situations, Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili said in his speech in parliament. According to him, the agreement is in line with Georgia's interests: "We signed it, because this is in our country's interests and Turkey, Armenia and other countries that are using this country's transit potential can use this corridor in force majeure situations. However, I would like to reiterate that the agreement was signed unilaterally. But we are continuing talks, because certain conditions Russia had put forward are unacceptable to us," Kvirikashvili said. In other words, Turkey, Armenia and other countries can use the transport corridor via Tskhinvali (the Roki tunnel) in force majeure situations.

The Georgian prime minister's statement caused indignation in Georgian opposition circles. In particular, representatives of the United National Movement party led by former Georgian President [Mikheil Saakashvili] said that the use of the corridor by third countries violated the 2011 agreement, which served to remove Georgia's veto on the Russian Federation's joining the WTO.

Georgia and Russia reached in 2011 an agreement on mechanism for customs administration and monitoring of cargoes on the borders, when the Georgian side (under President Saakashvili) withdrew its veto on Russian Federation's joining the WTO. The condition was that trade corridors from Russia were established across the territories of Abkhazia and the Tskhinvali region (South Ossetia), which the Georgian government does not control, and the sides invited international mediators to control flows of cargoes and mark them. It was the Swiss SGS company that was chosen.

In other words, Russia and Georgia are trying to overcome some complicated political and economic problems and cooperate in the fields of trade and communications. And Tbilisi intends to open corridors to Armenia too, if force majeure situations take shape at Verkhny Lars. The Georgian opposition is now urging the government to disclose details of the agreement signed with the Swiss company on 19 December. At the same time, the Georgian opposition's dissatisfaction has caused enthusiasm in Azerbaijan.

Major importance of Georgian Prime Minister Giorgi Kvirikashvili's statement becomes evident if we take into account how important the problem of an alternative to Verkhny Lars is for Armenia. Tbilisi is effectively offering Armenia an alternative route [for transporting goods from and to Russia] and it is possible that Georgia's decision will be criticised in Baku and Ankara. It will become clear later, whether this step by the Georgian government is a result of negotiations between Yerevan and Tbilisi. A new situation that has taken shape around Armenia has most likely played a certain role here: By all appearances, the signing of the Comprehensive and Enhanced Partnership Agreement between Armenia and the EU is a new stage in Armenia's European integration and Armenia's increased role and importance in the regional context have shaped a new situation. It cannot be ruled out either that an agreement was reached at the Tbilisi-Brussels level. It is a fact that Armenia has a chance of getting rid of Verkhny Lars.

Former Bemrosian receives honour in adopted French city

Hovik Karapetian
Derby Telegraph, UK
January 2, 2018 Tuesday
Former Bemrosian receives honour in adopted French city
 
 
A NATIVE of Derby and former pupil of Bemrose Grammar School recently received an unusual honour in the southern French city of Valence.
 
Last month, Roger D'Arcy, a former recording studio designer turned singer-songwriter who was at Bemrose from 1968 to 1975, was presented with an award for "integration" by the Mayor of Valence.
 
He was among ten foreign nationals who were judged to have contributed positively and significantly to multi-national integration in the town and the region.
 
The award was sponsored by the local Armenian Heritage Centre. The city's Armenian community is one of the largest in France, as Valence is where hundreds of Armenians re-located, particularly following the "genocide" in their own country from 1915-17.
 
Their community now totals around 7,500 of the city's 63,000 inhabitants.
 
Roger, whose father Patrick lives in Two Dales, Matlock, was the sole UK recipient, with his activity in the local Napoleon Bonaparte Society particularly recognised, together with the release of two music albums of songs written and performed by him, the CD covers and some song content of which reference historical events and landmark buildings in Valence.
 
Other recipients included the Japanese chef/proprietor of a local restaurant, and the Irish proprietor of an Irish pub in the town.
 
During the reception prior to the presentation, Roger's latest album, "House of Heads" (Maison des Têtes), was played over the public address system. Maison des Têtes is a landmark building in the older part of Valence where Napoleon spent long hours studying as a young military officer.
 
During the presentation, the personal history, activity and local achievements of each recipient was described.
 
They each received a sculptured award on which their name had been etched, a framed picture of city scenes, an illustrated history in postcard art of Valence over the last 100 years and a book describing the Armenian genocide.

Tehran: Armenians wish prosperous New Year for fellow-Iranians

Raffi Khondkarian 
Mehr News Agency (MNA), Iran
January 2, 2018 Tuesday


Armenians wish prosperous New Year for fellow-Iranians


TEHRAN, Jan. 02 (MNA) – The following is the report recounting my
visit to a church in Tehran where Iranian Armenians observed the rites
of the Eve of the New Year.

Late on Sunday (on the Eve of the New Year of 2018) I went to
Vahidiyeh district in eastern Tehran where a community of Armenian
Iranians live in a somehow big neighborhood.

I was accompanied by Mehr News photographer Majid Hamed Haghdoust and
political desk contributor Mohammad Mahdi Maleki.

The main church of the area was Surp Targmanchats Church opened in
1968. After the 1962 earthquake ravaged the area, the International
Council of Churches funded the Armenians of the neighborhood to buy a
big area of land and rebuild their community. A land of 6000 square
meters was specified to erecting the new venue.

Before the opening of Surp Targmanchats Church in 1968, the Armenians
of the district used to go to the Church of Holy Mary to do their
religious chores, but the Church of Holy Mary was at a distance of 15
kilometers from where they lived. In 1945, the number of Armenians
residing in the area was around 20,000.

It was a sweet night full of wishes for a good New Year and people who
were making resolutions for the new era ahead of them.

In addition to my fellow Iranians of the religion of Christianity,
there were Muslims who were attending the event to show homage to
their compatriots. There were also some other non-Armenian
participants who were interested in how the ceremony was held and the
kind of music played.

The walls were decorated by religious painting hung, most of them
about the life of Prophet Jesus Christ. Upstais was a balcont where
three female vocalist performed choral music accompanying the rite.

The Holy Communion rite kicked off with the ringing of the bells.
Everybody looked happy and smiling.

Some were pondering deep to think about their New Year’s resolutions,
maybe praying for their dear ones.

Ghazal was a teenage Muslim girl who was attending the event along
with her mother and sister. They came early and left around 02:00 a.m.
after the event was over. She said that she wished good things happen
to all people, regardless of their religions, whether Muslims or
Christians, in the New Year.

Vana Gharibian was a young ethnomusicology student at Iranian State
University of Art at the level of master’s degree. She told me that in
2017 she found the real value of life and wished health for those who
are bed bound.

Another person in the community, was a middle-aged gold-smith who had
lost his sister just some days before, but he was attending the event
to respect his fellows in the church. He wished peace for all people
of the world saying that it is no use to have peace in somewhere and
war in somewhere else because all the world is interconnected and
anything unpleasant sat anywhere can sooner or later affect the other
parts of the world.

There were a young Armenian couple who told me that the best thing
they heard in 2017 was the news that they were going to have a baby.
The pregnant lady said that she is expecting for the best event of her
life, the birth of her expected baby, to happen in 2018.

Another middle aged man told me that he was happy that he met his
sister’s children, returning from abroad, in 2017. He described it as
the best event of his last year.

American Armenian float takes home Judges Award at Rose Parade

Arpi Talalian
Los Angeles Times, CA
Jan 1 2017
American Armenian float takes home Judges Award at Rose Parade

Raul Roa /
The American Armenian Rose Float Assn. participated in the 129th annual Pasadena Tournament of Roses Rose Parade and won the Judges Award with its entry titled Armenian Roots in Pasadena on Monday.
Anthony Clark Carpio Contact Reporter

Three local entrants in the 2018 Rose Parade walked away with awards for their floats during the chilly annual New Year’s Day parade.

The Burbank Tournament of Roses Assn., the La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn. and the American Armenian Rose Float Assn. received awards for their impressive floats, which impressed the thousands of parade-goers on Monday.

The American Armenian Rose Float Assn.’s entry, titled “Armenia Roots,” received the Judges Award.

The entry is a tribute to Armenian women, whether they be a mother, daughter, grandmother or aunt, who work tirelessly to be the foundation of their family, said Noubar Derbedrosian, a board member of the association.

“There is no one like the women in our lives — our moms, our sisters, our wives — that will give of themselves without ask for anything in return,” he said.

Derbedrosian added that this is the third award the association has received out of the four float entries the organization has submitted. Last year, the group was given the Past President Award for its float titled “Field of Dreams!” in which the entry represented the American-Armenia experience in literature, music and science.

“This is an honor for us,” he said. “We’re a small group of people that do this, and we’re trying to represent all of the Armenian people, not just in Glendale, Pasadena or the L.A. area.”

After not receiving an award for its float “Home Tweet Home” last year, the Burbank association bounced back and was given the Founder Award for its nautical-themed float “Sand-Sational Helpers,” in which sea animals team up to clean a beach, coinciding with this year’s Rose Parade theme, “Making a Difference.”

Steve Edward, the Burbank association’s vice president, said that most of the pieces fell in the right place this year. The jump start on construction and decoration week going off without a hitch, he said, resulted in a solid float this year.

“Everyone pulled together and got this thing finished,” Edward said before the start of the parade. “We got it decorated very well, and it looks great. And it’s always a big break to have [an award] banner in front of our float.”

Though the float came together smoothly, there were some mechanical issues with its animation components.

Jon Reeves, a longtime volunteer with the Burbank association and former construction chair, said the wave mechanism that was created on the side of the float ended up not functioning the way it was designed.

Additionally, an arm of the octopus that was supposed to move up and down stopped working during the judging period over the weekend and was not functional for the parade.

“It’s unfortunate that our two big camera-side animations are not working, but the float turned out great and looks fantastic,” Reeves said.

Edward added that he is particularly proud of 14-year-old Catherine Glandon, the eight-year volunteer whose design was chosen to be this year’s float.

“Now we have to add a new title to her name — she’s now an award-winning float designer,” Edward said.

The La Cañada Flintridge Tournament of Roses Assn.’s float, titled “Panda-Monium,”was given the Bob Hope Humor Award.

It is the second year in a row the association has received that particular award, which is no surprise to longtime volunteer Dwight Crumb, who said that the group’s bylaws state that the float must be humorous.

Crumb added that Monday’s award marks the 30th time out of 40 entries that the association has been recognized by the Pasadena Tournament of Roses Assn.

“So we have a 75% [award] banner record,” he said. “I think that’s a darn-good record.”

Of the six self-built floats in the Rose Parade, five of them, which includes Burbank and La Cañada, walked away with an award this year.

Crumb said seeing the self-built floats being recognized each year is a testament to the hard work and dedication that the thousands of volunteers put into their floats.

“Self-built [floats] are the heart of the parade,” he said.

Apricot and Red Lentil Soup

Emil Lazarian
Washington Post
Jan 1 2017
Apricot and Red Lentil Soup 4.000

Goran Kosanovic for The Washington Post

Dried apricots give a wonderfully bright flavor to this simple, surprising soup, which has roots in Armenia.

Tested size: 4-6 servings; makes 8 cups

  • 4 medium tomatoes (1 1/4 pounds)
  • 3 tablespoons extra-virgin olive oil
  • 1 large onion, cut into 1/4-inch pieces (2 1/2 cups)
  • 2 medium carrots, scrubbed and cut into 1/4-inch pieces (1 1/2 cups)
  • 3 cloves garlic, finely chopped
  • 1/2 cup dried apricots, cut into 1/2-inch pieces
  • 1 teaspoon cumin seed
  • 2/3 cup dried split red lentils
  • 4 cups no-salt-added vegetable broth, warmed
  • 2 tablespoons fresh thyme leaves
  • 3 tablespoons fresh lemon juice
  • 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt, or more as needed
  • 1/2 teaspoon freshly ground black pepper, or more as needed
  • 1/4 cup finely chopped fresh flat-leaf parsley, for serving

Hull and halve the tomatoes. Use the large-holed side of a box grater to grate the tomato halves, cut sides down, over a bowl until nothing is left but the skins. Discard the skins.

Heat the oil in a large pot over medium heat. Once the oil shimmers, add the onion and carrots; cook, stirring occasionally, until they soften and turn sweet, 10 to 12 minutes. Add the garlic, apricots and cumin seed; cook until fragrant, 2 to 3 minutes. Stir in the tomato pulp and cook for a few minutes.

Add the lentils, pour in the broth and increase the heat to medium-high. Once the mixture comes to a boil, reduce the heat to medium-low so the liquid is barely bubbling. Cover and cook until the lentils are tender, 20 minutes.

Stir in the thyme leaves and lemon juice, then remove from the heat.

Use an immersion (stick) blender to blend about half the soup in the pot, leaving the rest to give the soup texture. (Alternatively, you can transfer half the soup to a blender, puree, and return it to the pot.) Add the salt and pepper, taste, and add more as needed.

Divide the soup among bowls, top with the parsley and serve hot.

Adapted from "Samarkand: Recipes & Stories From Central Asia & the Caucasus," by Caroline Eden and Eleanor Ford (Kyle Books, 2016).

Tested by Joe Yonan.

Sports: Recent injuries put Manchester United deal on hold, could end up being a late January transfer

Garnik Tadevosian
Sport Witness, UK
Jan 2 2018
By Tom Coast –
2nd January 2018

It wouldn’t be a day of the week ending in Y if there wasn’t some mention of Henrikh Mkhitaryan to Inter somewhere in the Italian media, and, like most times, it’s Corriere dello Sport who provide it.

The Italian newspaper remain confident there is a real interest from the Serie A side in the Armenian, but some of what they have to say doesn’t add up with previous claims.

Right at the start, when the rumour first appeared, it was a case of either Ramires, currently at Jiangsu Suning, or the Manchester United attacking midfielder coming in January as the squad only had one non-EU space left in it.

Now, with no exits, Corriere dello Sport state Inter want both, with the Brazilian’s arrival getting closer.

Considering the rules haven’t changed, this might just be a slip from Corriere, and we’ll see if they return to their original claims in the future.

However, the recent injuries to Zlatan Ibrahimovic and Romelu Lukaku means that José Mourinho isn’t interested in seeing him go just yet, meaning we could end up with a late deal if all parties eventually do agree.

If that does happen, then it would still be a loan, but Inter face competition from Borussia Dortmund, who are also said to be ‘pressing’ for the Armenian’s return.

Sports: Borussia Dortmund CEO slams Mkhitaryan rumors

Parkev Tvankchian
BVB Buzz
Jan 2 2018


by Joel MacDonald 

Various outlets suggest that the Armenian will once again don the black and yellow armor, possibly as soon as the end of January. It would seem the winger is surplus to requirements at Old Trafford. Jose Mourinho has preferred to play other midfielders, wingers, and strikers in place of Mkhitaryan.

Jose Mourinho’s exclusion of Mkhitaryan has raised a few eyebrows and given way to much speculation. However, he has given his reasons behind not playing the Armenian in an interview on the official Manchester United website.

LIVERPOOL, ENGLAND – JANUARY 01: Jose Mourinho, Manager of Manchester United gestures from the sideline during the Premier League match between Everton and Manchester United at Goodison Park on January 1, 2018 in Liverpool, England. (Photo by Chris Brunskill Ltd/Getty Images)

The Portuguese manager has made the decision to give playing time to other members of the squad. This list includes Anthony Martial, Jesse Lingard, Juan Mata, Ashley Young, and others. Mkhitaryan is quite far down in the pecking order, and may be looking for a way out in this transfer window.

Many have suggested he could make a return to Germany, and the question remains “Will it happen?”

Obviously, the word got out about Mkhitaryan being linked with a move away from Manchester. Bild caught up with Watzke, and he spoke his mind about the situation.

“Like no one else, I know the economic data of his transfer to Manchester United and that’s why it’s imaginable only with great imagination.” 

Well you heard it. I also don’t think that’s the only reason the Armenian won’t be returning. It’s a familiar story in the Dortmund camp where a player leaves, doesn’t perform, and returns with their best years behind them. Götze, Kagawa, and Sahin are all examples of this.

It doesn’t look good for a club when management continues to let this happen. At some point, a line has to be drawn. A certain level of respect must be tolerated and upheld. The Dortmund hierarchy won’t let Mkhitaryan back out of pride, and I don’t blame them.

If the reports are true, then his transfer was messy, and that’s not surprising, considering his agent Mino Raiola. Needless to say, when a man throws a chair during negotiations, business relations suffer.

Borussia Dortmund is currently Dortmund hospital and it would be wise to bring in an experienced winger. If he wants his career to continue, Mkhitaryan will have to hit good form. That can only be done through consistent playing time.

Andre Schürrle looks to be on his way out and Reus is still waiting to come back. Christian Pulisic is promising but he isn’t the player we saw break onto the scene last season. Maximilian Philipp will be out for a while, and Mario Götze has once again injured himself.

Perhaps Borussia Dortmund management will need to swallow their pride for the best interest of the club. Maybe we don’t need him and all this talk is for nothing. We’ll have to wait and see.