Hatis Back: Armenian basketball team mark comeback with a Euro League win

In round two of the women’s basketball European League on Thursday, the Yerevan club Hatis beat Chevakata (Vologda, Russia) 103-99. This was the event Armenian basketball fans have waited for – for nearly 20 years. Attending the game in a packed Mika hall, veteran basketball fans must have remembered full crowds that Soviet-era Hatis, then based in Abovyan, would attract. 

That legendary team included players not only from Armenia, but also from Russia and Ukraine. In 1989 Haits won the USSR Cup and that success in basketball was equal to Ararat’s victories in Soviet soccer competitions. Hatis, brought to life again out of non-existence this year, started off ambitiously, with its players and Georgian-Armenian coach not concealing their desire to score victories rather than just take part in international games. 

They view progressing to the playoff stage of the Euro League as the minimum task for this season. Active efforts to recruit players had been made for several months, resulting in a team that besides a few Armenian players also includes players from Serbia, Croatia, Georgia, Ukraine and even the United States and Jamaica. At the helm of Hatis is a Georgian-Armenian, Gia (Georgiy) Ghazanchian. Specialists say that the financial crisis may have helped Hatis and the Armenian domestic championship to look more attractive for players from other European leagues. Some basketball teams in Europe have been disbanded over the past year because of financial difficulties caused by the global recession. An invitation to play in Armenia became a life-line and an opportunity to participate in a European club tournament for many of the recruited players. 

ARMENIA: PREPARING FOR TURKISH TRADE

As Turkey and Armenia ponder ratification of a pact that would reopen their mutual border, Armenian customs officials are preparing for an influx of Turkish goods. 

Thee chairman of the Armenian parliament’s Committee for National Revenues, Armen Alaverdian, said during a legislative session November 5 that customs checkpoints are preparing to handle goods exported from Turkey, the Kavkazsky Uzel news website reported on November 5. Current trade turnover between Turkey and Armenia amounts to some $100 million, according to data from the Armenian-Turkish Business Development Council. 

Given the lack of direct trade routes, goods must travel via Georgia or Iran. Armenian economic analysts said the reopening of the Armenian-Turkish border could generate as much as an additional $500 million in revenue for Armenia’s treasury, Kavkazsky Uzel reported. Source:eurasianet.org

Sport: Armenia soccer youths in mature play against Estonia, Ireland

A Danish coach’s Armenia provided a surprisingly positive finish to an otherwise failed soccer season as they battled bravely and successfully against visiting Estonia and Ireland. Flemming Serritslev’s Under-21 charges were a whisker away from scoring a deserved victory over Estonian coevals in the Saturday game at Republican Stadium, but after scoring once and missing a lot of good chances to materialize their advantage on the pitch they conceded a goal in stoppage time and had to settle for a 1-1 draw. Armenia’s junior team looked mighty three days later against Ireland. In that game, Serritslev’s youngsters scored their first victory in the current campaign 4-1, with Henrik Mkhitaryan managing a hat-trick. Thus, with four points (in six games) Armenia has managed to unseat Ireland from the fifth spot in the six-nation qualifying group that also includes Switzerland, Turkey and Georgia. 

Armeniaa next travel to Ireland for the second leg in early March. Meanwhile, European soccer’s governing body, UEFA, has announced the composition of six pools of nations for the Euro-2012 qualifying stage draw that will take place on February 7 to form nine qualifying groups. Armenia is in the fifth pool, along with Montenegro, Albania, Estonia, Georgia, Moldova, Iceland, Kazakhstan and Lichtenstein. Azerbaijan is put in the last sixth pool. (Source:armenianow.com

Armavia

Air Company "Armavia" (Armenian: Արմավիա) is an airline with its head office on the grounds of Zvartnots International Airport in Zvartnots, Armenia, near Yerevan. It operates international passenger services from Yerevan to destinations in Europe and Asia. Its main base is Zvartnots International Airport.

History

The Armavia company was established in 1996, but commercial flights to Russia and Turkey only started in 2001. In 2002, a strategic alliance was set up with the Russian airline S7 Airlines which purchased 50% of Armavia's shares from the "Chernomoravia" company under the name of the "Aviafin" company registered in Armenia but which belongs to the leadership of S7 Airlines as natural persons. Later, it bought an additional 18% of shares from Mika Armenia Trading company owned by prominent Armenian businessman Mikhail Baghdasarov. An investment contract between S7 Airlines and Armavia was signed on 14 March 2003, at which point 68% of Armavia's shares were owned by S7 Airlines, and the remaining 32% by Mika Armenia Trading.

In 2003, Armavia overtook a part of the bankrupt Armenian Airlines' flights. In 2005, Mikhail Baghdasarov's Mika Armenia Trading bought S7's 68% of shares and became Armavia's principal shareholder with a 100% stake in the company. In 2005, the airline transported 513,800 passengers with over 550 people in its personnel. The turnover for 2005 amounted to roughly $90 million. In 2007, the airline transported 572,300 passengers by regular and charter flights, which is a 21% increase compared to 2006.

The airline is owned by MIKA Armenia Trading (100%).

In 2010, the airline transported over 800,000 passengers.

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Zvartnots International Airport

Zvartnots International Airport, is located near Zvartnots, 12 km (7.5 mi) west of Yerevan, the capital city of Armenia. The airport was built in 1961. It is now the busiest airport in Armenia and the Caucasus. The draftsmen of the airport included architects M. Khachikyan, A. Tarkhanyan, J. Sheqhlyan, L. Cherkezyan and designers H. Tigranyan, A. Meschyan, and constructor M. Baghdasaryan. The airport was renovated in the 1980s with the development of a new terminal area, in order to meet domestic traffic demands within the Soviet Union.

When Armenia declared its independence from the Soviet Union in the 1990s, the considerable growth of cargo shipments resulted in the construction of a new cargo terminal in 1998, with modern technical equipment that can handle about 100,000 tonnes of cargo annually.

In 2001, a 30-year concession agreement for the management of operations at the airport was signed with Armenia International Airports CJSC, owned by Argentine company Corporation America, which is in turn owned by Armenian Argentine businessman Eduardo Eurnekian. As part of that agreement, Armenia International Airports CJSC committed itself to renovate and expand the airport in order for it to become a vital link for tourism and commerce between Asia and Europe, as well as to modernize its facilities and services.

As part of those commitments, renovation and expansion work began in 2004, culminating in the opening of a new international terminal on June 1, 2007, after 40 months of work. Yet another terminal is going to be built, housing passenger check-in counters and customs control. It is planned to open in November 2011.

In 2006, Zvartnots airport handled a total of 1,125,698 passengers, representing an increase of 1.3% over the previous year.

In 2007, that number grew to 1,387,002 passengers, a 23.2% increase over the previous year. In 2008 the total number of passengers grew to 1.48 million.

Currently, the airport's manager is Juan Pablo Guechigian.

Armenian International Airways

Armenian International Airways (Armenian: Հայկական Միջաջգային Ավիաուղիներ, Haykakan Mijajgayin Aviaughiner; AIA) was a privately-owned airline operating international passenger flights based from Zvartnots International Airport in Yerevan, Armenia.

History

Armenian International Airways was jointly established on July 12, 2002, by Armenian businessmen Gagik Tsarukian, Hrair Hakobian, and Levon Baghdasarian. AIA initially intended to lease three Airbus aircraft by 2003 for flights to Paris, Amsterdam, and Frankfurt. On January 1, 2005, the company merged with Armavia.

Routes

AIA operated scheduled flights from Yerevan to Western Europe, notably many former Armenian Airlines routes.

Fleet

AIA operated one leased Airbus A320-200. This aircraft was destroyed in a fire at Brussels Airport on 5 May 2006 , along with one of Armavia's own A320s.

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Armenia double-digit growth economy

After several years of double-digit economic growth, Armenia is facing a severe economic recession with GDP declining at least 15% in 2009, despite large loans from multilateral institutions. Sharp declines in the construction sector and workers' remittances, particularly from Russia, are the main reasons for the downturn. Under the old Soviet central planning system, Armenia developed a modern industrial sector, supplying machine tools, textiles, and other manufactured goods to sister republics, in exchange for raw materials and energy. Armenia has since switched to small-scale agriculture and away from the large agroindustrial complexes of the Soviet era. Armenia has managed to reduce poverty, slash inflation