Deputy Director of FC "Urartu" for Medical Affairs Mikhail Vartapetov gave a big interview to the "RIA Novosti" news agency, in which he also spoke about the "Urartu" football club and life in Armenia. Below are excerpts from this interview:

- How do you like it at "Urartu"? Judging by your Instagram, you live a full life.

- It's right. From time to time I try to spread something on Instagram to show that I’m still alive (laughs). I'm really doing fine. Preparing for the restart of the championship. The first camp is held in Yerevan, then we will go to Cyprus. I am satisfied with all conditions: the club rents me a great apartment in the center of the city with a beautiful view of Yerevan. You can say I work for my pleasure. It is clear that the level of Armenian football is different from Russian. But there is where to move.

- What is surprising in the Armenian Championship in the first place?

- It’s a little unusual that the whole championship is essentially within the same city. When I was moving in here, I was ready for flights, but it all about two hours by bus to reach the furthest point in Armenian Championship. Most clubs train and play in Yerevan, even if they are registered in other cities. Another interesting fact: the Armenian championship has a real intrigue: out of ten clubs in the Premier League, six teams immediately claim the first place. There are no obvious leaders; here everyone can beat everyone.

- After “Spartak” are working conditions difficult for “Urartu”? Probably less opportunities than in Moscow?

- I had no ambitions, and I should be no lower than in Moscow. I understand that everything needs to be correlated with local capabilities. It is difficult to compare with "Spartak", it's still a top club. But I believe that, for example, the training ground of the same "Urartu" is no worse than the "Spartak" one, and in some aspects even better. The territory is larger. There is a compact stadium. We have a clear development plan, much attention is paid to youth. The local academy has almost 900 football players, there is a second team. Interesting.

- It turns out that you returned to your historical homeland?

- I was born in Moscow, but I consider Armenia my historical homeland. In general, I feel comfortable here, it is pleasant to communicate with local residents. There is something to see around. People’s life is completely different, very different from Moscow, and the mentality is positive: people are inclined to communicate, show less aggression and negativity. Some training seminars are organized here. There are few specialists, especially in the field of sports medicine. By the way, this is the biggest problem here today.

You can read the full interview here.