The president of the National Olympic Committee of Armenia, Gagik Tsarukyan welcomed the year's best athletes at the final meeting of the year-end.

''Dear Mr. President, dear athletes, coaches and sports officials, every year we gather around holiday table to congratulate each other and to look back on our achievements, the work we did and the work we didn't manage to do. The year was both interesting and tough. We came out with honor at the Baku European Games and thus increased our reputation in the worldwide Olympic family.

This year the new Olympic village was launched in Yerevan which with its capabilities and solutions doesn't concede to similar structures of the world's leading countries. This program is not only for today but also for the future, it is for generations, it is an investment in the future. I really felt proud of my country and our sport when our guests from abroad who had seen everything in their lives were walking around our Olympic village, astonished and admired.

This year there were organized major sporting conferences in Yerevan and signed new cooperation memoranda. My principle position is that our sporting world has to be constantly in touch with other countries, and all new achievements in coaching, science, medicine should reach Armenia in short terms. We have much both to learn and to teach. I don't think that we lack problems or future plans. I am not the person to close eyes on it. It's easier for me to acknowledge that there is a problem and find its solution than to ignore its existence. I set a goal to reveal talented children and young people in our regions and create conditions for their development. We have a very talented generation but for its development and success we have to work hard and create conditions. With the joint efforts of the state and the National Olympic Committee we are going to do our best for having good sports schools and good conditions. I want to give special thanks to our respected and experienced coaches. Your work is invaluable. You really create history. I encourage young specialists to learn continually, improve and never get satisfied with the accomplishments. In turn, I promise to create every condition. The rest depends on you. I'm not specially talking about the upcoming Olympics of next year. It's a topic of a serious and hard work. We have a hard work to do with athletes and coaches. Therefore, we should talk less and work more. Now let me congratulate all of you on the coming New Year, I wish it will bring peace and new achievements to our country'', said the president of the NOC of Armenia.

ANOC press office