Month: February 2015

NOTHING NEW: ARF MEMBER SAYS TER-PETROSYAN REMAINS TRUE TO FAILED POLICY ON TURKEY

Genocide | 12.02.15 | 10:39

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

related news

Ter-Petrosyan: ‘Genocide Centennial Declaration’ to affect
Armenian-Turkish normalization

A chief foreign-policy spokesman for the Armenian Revolutionary
Federation (ARF) sees nothing new in the criticism of Armenia’s
first president regarding the Pan-Armenian Declaration on the 100th
Anniversary of the Armenian Genocide. According to Giro Manoyan,
Turkey’s president would readily sign under many of the thoughts
voiced by Levon Ter-Petrosyan.

Ter-Petrosyan, who led Armenia as its first president in 1991-1998
and today heads the opposition Armenian National Congress party,
voiced criticism regarding some points and aspects of the Declaration
in an article published by the Ilur.am news website and the Chorrord
Ishkhanutyun newspaper on Wednesday.

His main criticism concerned the paragraph of the 12-point Declaration
that “expresses the united will of Armenia and the Armenian people
to achieve worldwide recognition of the Armenian Genocide and the
elimination of the consequences of the Genocide, preparing to this
end a file of legal claims as a point of departure in the process of
restoring individual, communal and pan-Armenian rights and legitimate
interests.”

Ter-Petrosyan suggested that the policy of claims will “extremely
complicate and, for a long time, suspend Armenian-Turkish
normalization, a process that is very necessary for Armenia’s future.”

Giro Manoyan, Director of the International Secretariat of the ARF
Bureau in Yerevan, says that although Ter-Petrosyan’s policy in the
matter of relations with Turkey had failed to produce the expected
result, he still remains committed to his stance and continues to
insist that Armenia should continue that way.

“He says that no one can speak on behalf of all Armenians. It means
that we can never have a pan-Armenian view and present anything as
a pan-Armenian view. This is also his [Ter-Petrosyan’s] approach to
seeing Armenians as separate parts,” Manoyan told ArmeniaNow.

To Manoyan it is also unclear why Ter-Petrosyan thinks that by
supporting representatives of Turkish society who recognize the
Armenian Genocide the Declaration puts them in danger.

“In other words, according to Ter-Petrosyan, we have nothing to do,
everything is up to Turkey to decide. It is Turkish nationalists who
should be deciding, and we have to follow obediently,” he commented.

“There is nothing new in what he [Ter-Petrosyan] said, just as there
is nothing new in the Declaration. When Ter-Petrosyan says that it is
a “fruitless” document, if it is really so, it is regretful that he
wasted his time for writing an article about it. But, nonetheless,
he expressed his view, a view that has proved wrong based on his
own experience.”

Vartan Oskanian, who served as Armenia’s foreign minister in
1998-2008, also made a comment following Ter-Petrosyan’s article. He,
in particular, pointed out contradictions between the Declaration
and the Turkish-Armenian protocols that were signed in 2009 and are
now still on the “big agenda” of the Armenian parliament.

“The contradictions between the two documents, to put it mildly,
weaken the affirmation in the Declaration of the issues related to
the Armenian Genocide recognition and legal claims regardless of what
we think about the expedience of raising them in the Declaration,”
Oskanian wrote on his Facebook account.

Ara Papyan, a lawyer, historian and diplomat who heads a Yerevan-based
think tank, Modus Vivendi, also considers the Declaration to be
realistic only if the Armenian parliament revokes the Zurich protocols.

TSARUKYAN IN MOSCOW: PAP LEADER MEETS WITH POLITICAL FORCES IN RUSSIA

Politics | 12.02.15 | 14:55

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

A two-day visit to Moscow by Prosperous Armenia Party leader
GagikTsarukyan in which the powerful businessman met with political
leaders in the Russian capital has raised speculation in Yerevan over
the oppositional party’s intentions at home.

PAP – which calls itself the “alternative” party – is the powerbase
of the “troika”, which including Armenian Revolutionary Federation
and Heritage parties, form the core of Armenia’s political opposition.

Last week,Tsarukyan called a conference during which he said that
the country needs early elections.

The massage spread by the conference secretariat summarized
the results, and among other questions, it addressed President
SerzhSargsyan’s initiative of constitutional changes which was
considered unacceptable and it said that if “the government,
nevertheless, does not listen to the social and political opinion and
turns to a referendum, then that day must be declared a NO referendum
day and start 24-hour national protests, with a demand for a change
of government.”

StepanSafaryan, a political analyst, the founder and president of the
Armenian Institute of International and Security Affairs, thinks that
the very question of constitutional reforms took Tsarukyan to Russia.

“March is symbolic in the sense that SerzhSragsyan’s final position on
constitutional reforms will be announced. In Autumn, GagikTsarukyan
probably blocked the protest movement, because he considered the
delay of adopting constitutional reforms a victory of the troika,” the
political analyst said. He added that now when the ruling Republican
Party of Armenia (RPA) is discussing the question of reforms at its
Supreme Body meetings and it seems like an answer will soon be heard,
and junior Republicans are hinted about constitutional changes, another
mobilization of forces is taking place in the non-political field.

“The PAP takes a few steps, the first being the conference as an
act of unifying the opposition, the second – the hint about early
elections, and the third – the visit to Russia and meetings,” the
political analyst said.

ARMENIA URGED TO FULFILL COMMITMENTS UNDER INT’L COVENANT ON CIVIL AND POLITICAL RIGHTS

Human rights | 12.02.15 | 11:32

By Gayane Lazarian
ArmeniaNow reporter

The Center for Civil and Political Rights, which is in close
cooperation with the UN Human Right Committee, announces: Armenia
has not completed three primary commitments provisioned by the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights.

“We urge the government and the civil society members to take up
additional measures and ensure progress by the deadline set for
the next report, by July 2016,” said Vincent Ploton, the head of
International Relations of the Center for Civil and Political Rights.

Armenia is one of 167 countries that ratified the International
Covenant on Civil and Political Rights, which, according to Ploton,
means: Armenia has committed to fulfill all conditions.

In August 2012, the Human Rights Committee studied and discussed
the process of Armenia fulfilling the conditions provisioned by the
International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights. As a result,
they approved 25 instructions giving four years to the government
and the officials to work toward realizing the instructions. Three
among 25 were set as primary by the Committee, thus only a year was
given to fulfill them, however, till now they are not completed.

The first instruction refers to the study of the 2008 events, the
impunity related to them, the second one – to violence, the third –
to providing independence of jurisdiction.

According to Armenian Helsinki Committee Chairman Avetik Ishkhanyan,
during recent years attempts have been made to achieve results in
all direction, but there are few positive results.

“The UN Universal Periodic Review (UPR) results are a good opportunity
for Armenia and Armenian law enforcement bodies to achieve success in
the field of human rights, but it is alarming that the provision about
peaceful protests and rallies is not included in the new instruction
of Armenia. This is disturbing, because in Armenia, although there
is a corresponding law, but for peaceful protests not the law, rather
the political will works – in a negative sense,” Ishkhanyan said.

In terms of human rights, according to the human rights activist,
abuse and excessive use of violence by the police is an important
issue. The chief of police speaks loudly about reforms, but that
practice continues, while in order to register progress in the field
courts must be separated from the government.

“The SIS, the prosecution, judges, the police chief are appointed
by the president, the Investigation Committee is appointed by the
president. This is a common pot, and you want them to supervise each
other? The police are the true pillar of the government. This is the
main Armenian problem,” Ishkhanyan said.

According to Anna Innocenti, International Advocacy Officer of the
Secretariat of Human Rights House, Armenia should adopt laws preventing
domestic violence, as well as provide open and free investigation of
complaints regarding deaths in the army caused by hazing.

According to Artur Sakunts, the head of the Helsinki Citizens’
Assembly Vanadzor office, all main problems in the sphere of human
rights were presented during the January 22 discussion of the UN UPR
Armenia national report, however, Armenian officials do not show due
willpower toward implementing their commitments.

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

REPLY TO ERDOGAN: IMPOSSIBLE TO CLOSE DOOR LOCKED FROM INSIDE

Genocide | 12.02.15 | 10:13

It is impossible to close the door that is locked from inside,
Armenian Foreign Ministry spokesperson Tigran Balayan said on
Wednesday, commenting on the latest statement by Turkey’s President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan, reports News.am .

During his visit to Colombia, Erdogan said it was Armenia that closed
“the door of peace”.

“We know that the Armenian Diaspora has launched a negative campaign
against Turkey. We have spared no efforts for opening a new chapter.

On the 100th anniversary we offered to transfer the issue from the
political into a scientific level. We have invited [the Armenian
president] to Gallipoli on April 24, but Armenia closed the door of
peace,” the Turkish leader said.

In the past Turkey marked the anniversary of the Gallipoli Battle
on March 18, but this year it decided to stage commemoration events
on April 24, the day when Armenians around the world will be marking
the Centennial of the Armenian Genocide committed in Ottoman Turkey.

Months before Erdogan’s invitation, Armenian President Serzh Sargsyan
had already invited his Turkish counterpart to visit Yerevan on April
24, 2015, “to face up to history”. Erdogan has not responded to the
invitation yet.

KARABAKH MOVEMENT FIRST-EVER ‘ANTHROPOCENTRIC’ MOVEMENT IN WORLD – ASHOT MANUCHARYAN

16:03 * 12.02.15

Something that had never occurred in the world before happened in
Armenia 27 years ago – an “anthropocentric movement,” which was
appreciated 5-6 years later, after the war ended in 1994, public and
political figure Ashot Manucharyan told reporters on Thursday.

The Artsakh movement accounts for many other phenomena in Armenia.

First, it was the first-ever congress of democratic forces in the
post-soviet area, first-ever alternative elections in the post-soviet
area and in Eastern Europe.

ERDOGAN NO LONGER BELIEVES IN HIS OWN WORDS – ARMENIAN EXPERT

10:43 â~@¢ 12.02.15

Though Armenia and the Armenian diaspora have been unanimous on
issues of pan-national importance, their efforts to rebuff the
Turkish authorities and propaganda have been always met a failure,
a Turkologist has said, commenting on a recent statement made by
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

Speaking to Tert.am, Ruben Melkonyan, a deputy dean at the Yerevan
State University’s Oriental StudiesÕ~[ Department, particularly
focused on the Turkish leader’s words saying that “… our peace hand
has always been rejected by the influence of Armenian Diaspora” .

“I don’t think Erdogan any longer believes in his words deep in his
heart; if there had been a desire between Turkey and Armenia to embark
on building normal relations, there were the 2009 Zurich protocols
for that,” he noted.

Melkonyan said he doesn’t find that a politician seeking to establish
relations with a neighboring state should choose lyric digressions for
doing so, leaving aside a process that requires diplomatic procedures
and corresponding documents.

“As for the other invitations, sentimental, emotional and sensual
statements and propaganda based on fabrications – about lending a hand
and getting no reply, – they are all from a different genre that has
nothing to do with the truth, reality and logic,” said the Turkologist.

He described Erdogan’s apparent attempts to split Armenia and the
Diaspora as yet another failure, noting that any address to Armenia
is a message to a 10 million community (not just the a population of
3 million) which has fair demands anchored on universal human values.

“So Erdogan keeps playing the old music, with no single line in his
statement reflecting any norm or sound logic,” he added.

In his statement issued Wednesday, Erdogan also referred to the
invitation sent earlier to different world leaders, asking them to
visit Turkey on April 24 to join the Gallipoli Campaign’s centenary
events.

“We would like them to come and be in Canakkale on April 24, to
breathe in that atmosphere and try to understand that happened among
our hundreds of thousands of martyrs. But they didn’t do that,”
the Turkish leader said.

Commenting on the message, Melkonyan said he sees that it is absolutely
unrelated to either politics or ethics. “The Turkish officials and
presidential spokesperson made statements far beyond the limits of
politeness; secondly, Erdogan’s rhetoric was replete in terms unrelated
to politeness, and his discourse is known with its ill-bred nature,”
he noted.

Melkonyan said at the end that he doesn’t find Erdogan to be the
right person to demand respect for rules of politeness.

ARMENIAN OPPOSITION MP’S LAND PROPERTY BILL REJECTED

11:47 * 12.02.15

The Armenian cabinet on Thursday rejected an opposition lawmaker’s
bill raising land property demands.

In the draft law proposed, Zaruhi Postanjyan (Heritage parliamentary
faction) condemned the occupation of Armenian lands by Turkey and
the Great Dispossession of Armenians.

Justifying the executive’s position, a deputy minister of foreign
affairs, Shavarsh Kocharyan, described the initiatives as untimely.

The bill will be sent to the National Assembly for further
consideration.

From: Baghdasarian

CENTRAL BANK FORCED TO TAKE STEP THAT’LL MAKE THINGS WORSE

Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Business – 12 February 2015, 13:01

The Central Bank has set a refinancing rate at 10.5%, which will make
the situation in the Armenian economy worse, the economist Vardan
Bostanjyan told Lragir.am, commenting on the Central Bank’s decision.

On February 10 the Central Bank increased the rate of refinancing by
1%, setting the rate at 10.5%. The reason for such a decision was the
inflation rate in January which exceeded the rate target. According
to the clarification of the Central Bank, in January 2015 inflation
was at 2.5%, 12-month inflation by the end of January was 4.3%,
being very close to the rate target.

The Central Bank finds that over the next months the 12-month inflation
will rise a little.

“A 10.5% refinancing rate is an obviously negative indicator but the
monetary authorities are not doing it for their pleasure. The bad
scenario of current inflation in the country, as well as instability
in the financial market supposes and requires increase of the interest
rate. The monetary authorities have no alternative to this step but
this is a very negative phenomenon for the economy,” Bostanjyan says.

A raised rate of refinancing means that banks will increase interest
rate on loans.

Vardan Bostanjyan notes that the Armenian economy is facing lack of
investments, SMEs are paralyzed, about 10,000 SMEs have closed.

“At the moment, statistics indicates that inflation is higher than
the projected rate. In reality, it is a bigger number than official
statistics states. In this situation the monetary authorities were
forced to increase the refinancing rate,” he noted.

The economist thinks the efforts of the organizations in charge of
the financial sector are not enough, a coordinated economic policy
must be conducted.

“Without coordination we should simply expect the negative consequences
what we are seeing now,” Vardan Bostanjyan said.

Note that according to the NSS, in January 2015 inflation reported
in the consumer market was at 2.5% compared with December 2014 due
to a 4.5% increase of food prices. In January prices of almost all
kinds of food increased compared with January 2014. Mostly the prices
of necessity goods increased. Prices of bread increased by 10.4%
compared with last January.

U.S. POINTED TO WAY OF WITHDRAWAL OF RUSSIAN BASE

Hakob Badalyan, Political Commentator
Comments – 12 February 2015, 11:42

The U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary for European and Eurasian Affairs
Eric Rubin said that a Russian military presence in Armenia should
restrain neither the Armenian nor the American sides. Rubin announced
that the United States intends to strengthen bilateral relations in
these spheres because Armenia and the South Caucasus are very close
to the world’s most dangerous spots. Rubin said they therefore intend
to deepen relations with the Armenian government, the military and
security agencies.

He announced that they intend to deepen cooperation and implement new
bilateral projects in this sphere. As to the Russian military presence,
Rubin said the Russian military presence is reality conditioned on
the current situation in Armenia and is not a hindrance.

In other words, Rubin hints that the situation must be changed to
change the reality. This is not an easy task, considering that this
situation has formed for decades. This change is a must for Armenia
because withdrawing Armenia from dominance of Russia, full dependence
on Russia stems from the national interests and sovereignty of Armenia.

In this sense, the United States is an important partner to Armenia,
there is harmony of interests which opens up opportunities that
should be used. Security is a primary sphere, it is the basis for
relationship, cooperation, partnership. Efficient and long-term
relations in other spheres depend on it. Here the spectrum is
broad, ranging from methodological support to technological and arms
assistance. In this regard, the United States which is an undisputable
leader of the security system in Armenia is a key partner to Armenia.

The problem is limited to opportunities to promote cooperation.

Russia is jealous. But perhaps jealousy is overestimated, and as Rubin
hints, everything depends on the situation: once situation changes,
risks related to jealousy will decrease.

In this sense, practical expressions of cooperation over security
are important to change stereotypes that affect the situation in
Armenia considerably and are regularly manipulated by Russia and
certain Armenian governmental and non-government circles serving
its interests in Armenia. The stereotype that Russia is the “only
deliberator” must be destroyed. The Armenian public has been made
believe that only Russia can protect Armenia from danger. In addition,
dangerous manipulations are in place, which produce a deep effect
not only on information and propaganda but also fundamental social
and national psychology.

The problem is that Armenia is a security consumer in the
Armenian-Russian security relationship. In other words, Armenia itself
is not capable of anything, and only Russia generously protects us.

And in return for this “generosity” the opinion is spread that even if
Armenia is not noticed, is ignored, hit or steps are taken behind its
back which infringe on its interests, Armenia must tolerate everything
for the sake of “generous imperialistic security.”

Meanwhile, Armenia has a different objective and must: change public
psychology by busting stereotypes and, instead of instilling the
psychology of security consumer develop Armenia into a subject of
international security system. It means methodological assistance
besides direct assistance to defense, which lies at the basis
of the U.S.-Armenia cooperation. This cooperation is aimed at the
modernization of the defense system in Armenia, reforms of methodology
and values and structures.

Security in the modern world is a broad and multi-component notion,
it is strong in the wholeness of its system. The United States offers
Armenia the model of systemic security, when Armenia is not under
someone’s strong care but becomes part of the international modern
security system. This is the change of situation in which case the
Russian military base in Armenia automatically loses its mythical
importance because it has lost its practical importance or has never
had such importance from the point of view of the interests of Armenia.

In other words, the problem is to withdraw Armenia from the Russian
military base.

HRAPARAK: YET ANOTHER SCANDAL BREWING AROUND ARAGATSOTN GOVERNOR

11:21 12/02/2015 >> DAILY PRESS

“Yet another scandal is brewing around the governor of Armenia’s
Aragatsotn province,” Hraparak writes.

“The checks in the regional administration’s department of health
revealed violations in the Ashtarak Medical Center whose management,
in order to come off clear, stated that nothing was done without the
knowledge of governor Sargis Sahakyan,” the newspaper says.

“Around one year ago, in the wake of checks former head of education
and sports department of regional administration Pargev Hambartsumyan
said goodbye not only to his position, but also to freedom: he was
arrested last February on charges of abuse of official power. It
is rumored that Hambartsumyan has begun to testify against the
governor and other department heads, and also mentioned the regional
administration’s department of health.”