Armenian football player Henrikh Mkhitaryan visits Karabakh with presents

Midfielder of Donetsk's Shakhtar and key player of Armenia's national football team Henrikh Mkhitaryan visited Artsakh (Karabakh) on December 21 and handed presents to 21 families.

According to Armenian sports news website Armsport.am, Mkhitaryan paid the visit with an Armenian delegation headed by Ruben Hayrapetyan, the president of the Football Federation of Armenia (AFF).

In Stepanakert, the capital of Karabakh, the delegation was received by NKR President Bako Sahakyan as well as Samvel Karapetyan, Karabakh deputy defense minister and president of the Football Federation of Karabakh.

On behalf of the families of killed freedom fighters, Karapetyan thanked Mkhitaryan for his surprise visit and for the presents he had brought. He also bestowed on Mkhitaryan a medal – "Defender of Homeland".

"We are proud of Henrikh as he expressed willingness to visit us at the age of 22. Hopefully, other sportsmen will follow suit," Karapetyan said.

Speaking about the initiative, Mkhitaryan said that it was his idea.

"I hit upon the idea in summer when I moved to Shakhtar. We want to help Armenia and the Republic of Nagorno Karabakh, the families of freedom fighters, to be more exact, because I think they are in need of such initiatives," Mkhitaryan explained.

"I hope I will be able to help them in future too. I am planning to visit Yerevan-based orphanages when I return Armenia in summer next year," said he.