Tag Archives: Armenia

Manchester United signs Armenian striker

JULY 5 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Manchester United finalised the £26m ($33.7m) signing of Armenia’s Henrikh Mkhitaryan, a deal that puts Armenian football at the forefront of the planned renaissance of one of England’s most famous and most successful clubs.

Mkhitaryan, 27, will be the first Armenian player to play in the English Premier League, widely credited with being the most competitive football league in the world, and only the second player from the South Caucasus. Georgi Kinkladze, a Georgian midfielder whose dribbling skills left opposition players flat-footed, played for Manchester City in the Premier League in the 1995/6 season.

Unveiling Mkhitaryan at Manchester United’s Old Trafford ground, manager Jose Mourinho said that his new attacking midfielder will make an immediate impact.

“Henrikh is a real team player with great skill, vision and also has a good eye for goal,” he said.

Mourinho, who took over as the Manchester United manager in the summer, has been given the task of rebuilding the team after they finished fifth last season, missing out on a place in the UEFA Champions League, Europe’s top club football competition.

Mkhitaryan, who had played in Germany for Borussia Dortmund, said it was a dream come true.

“I am excited to play for a club with such an illustrious history and hope to be part of it for a long time,” he said.

Mkhitaryan was born in Yerevan in 1989. His father was Hamlet Mkhi taryan, one of the most prolific Armenian strikers in the 1980s. Mkhitaryan is now considered one of the best Armenian players and has won international 59 caps, the first when he was 17-years-old, and scored 19 goals.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 288, published on July 8 2016)

Armenia’s power production drops

JULY 4 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia’s Statistics Committee said that electricity production shrank by 1.9% in Jan.-May 2016 compared to the same period last year. Overall, the Metsamor nuclear power plant produced more than a third of Armenia’s 3.2b kWh output. Importantly, hydropower stations surpassed thermal power plants in their share of total electricity output for the first time.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 288, published on July 8 2016)

Obama and Putin discuss Azerbaijan and Armenia

JULY 7 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — US President Barack Obama and his Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin said they would intensify efforts to resolve the stand-off between Azerbaijan and Armenia-backed forces over the disputed region of Nagorno-Karabakh. The White House said Mr Obama and Mr Putin discussed the South Caucasus during a wide-ranging telephone conversation.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 288, published on July 8 2016)

Armenia’s finance minister refuses does not respond

JULY 6 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia’s finance minister Gagik Khachatryan refused to respond to an investigative article that questioned his role in his sons’ real estate purchases in the US. His sons, Gurgen and Artyom, bought two houses in Los Angeles in 2010 for $11m and are now selling them for $35m. Transparency lobby groups have said there could be ties betweenMr Khachatryan’s ministerial position and his sons’ business deals.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 288, published on July 8 2016)

Mudslide blocks Russia-Georgia trade routes

JUNE 30 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – A major mudslide has blocked one of the most important trade routes between Georgia and Russia for more than a week, media reported. The mudslide on June 23 at the Upper Lars checkpoint is especially important for Armenia. It is the only major route linking Russia and Armenia. Armenia is largely reliant on goods being imported in from Russia. It has decent relations with Iran to the south but poor relations with neighbours Azerbaijan and Turkey.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 287, published on July 1 2016)

Armenian MP’s approve Russian air defence deal

JUNE 30 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — MPs in Armenia approved the government’s decision to join its air defence system with Russia’s. The move pulls Armenia further into Russia’s sphere of influence. Russia already maintains one of its largest overseas bases in Armenia. It has been increasing cooperation with its neighbours since relations with the West deteriorated over fighting in Ukraine.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 287, published on July 1 2016)

Pope pays visit to Armenia

JUNE 26 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – On a three day trip to Armenia, Pope Francis called for closer links between the Vatican and the Armenian Orthodox Church and also described the killings of over 1m Armenians at the end of the First World War by Ottoman Turks as a genocide. The Pope has been one of the most outspoken proponents of Armenia’s insistence that the killings 100 years ago constitute a genocide. Turkey furiously denies the allegations and has said that the deaths were part of the chaos of WWl.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 287, published on July 1 2016)

Armenia’s CB cuts interest rates

JUNE 28 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) — Armenia’s Central Bank cut its key interest rate to 7.5% from 7.75% because of continued deflationary pressure on its economy. Armenia’s interest rate is now at its lowest level for 18 months. It had aggressively increased its interest rate to prop up its currency. Now prices are falling and the economy is slowing, forcing the Central Bank to try to stimulate business and economy activity.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 287, published on July 1 2016)

Pope Francis prepares to visit Armenia

JUNE 23 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Pope Francis is set to visit Armenia on June 24, a trip that will further strain relations with Azerbaijan and Turkey.

The Vatican has already had to modify the trip, originally planned to include both Armenia and Azerbaijan, after the most serious violence in the disputed of Nagorno-Karabakh region for 20 years broke out in April. The Pope will now only visit Armenia, where he will deliver a liturgy on June 25.

Last year, Pope Francis labelled the mass killings of Armenians in 1915 by Ottoman Turks as a genocide, a diplomatic victory for Armenian lobby groups. The declaration damaged Turkish-Vatican relations. Turkey has denied the genocide.

In the past few years, the Roman Catholic Church has tried to boost ties with Armenian Apostolic Christians.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 286, published on June 24 2016)

Utility cost rise in Armenia

JUNE 17 2016 (The Conway Bulletin) – Armenia’s state regulator said it will consider a 5% reduction in the price it charges homes for electricity, currently in the 38.8 – 48.8dram range (8-10 cents), adding to the deflationary pressure in the economy. In April, Russia’s Gazprom agreed to apply a 9% discount to the gas it supplied to Armenia. Rising electricity costs for households had sparked a popular protest in the summer of 2015.

ENDS

(News report from Issue No. 286, published on June 24 2016)