Month: February 2015

REPORT: STATE CARRIES ECONOMIC LOSSES DUE TO LGBT MIGRATION

02.17.2015 14:30 epress.am

>From 2011-2013, the Armenian budget has lost approximately $20 million
from the migration of LGBT individuals, while within the coming 12
years the state’s budget could lose as much as $370 million. These
results are from a joint research project by the Public Information
and Need for Knowledge and Socioscope Societal Research and Consultancy
Center NGOs.

These losses are explained by a number of factors. The damages society
carries from one person migrating is tied to the migrant’s childhood
years and to the loss of public investment in his/her education (Brain
Drain), to the lost capital that migrant’s take with them when leaving
the country, the decline in integral demand and psychological impact.

In addition, the report’s authors noted that the major difference
between LGBT and other migrants is that LGBT individuals often do
not send remittances or send insignificant amounts to the country,
they often severe ties with their relatives in Armenia, which is
cuases economic losses.

The questions reveal that in difference to other migrants, who
cited economic issues for migrating, LGBT individuals leave due to
being subject to discrimination. Most experts, especially noted
discrimination against LGBT people in multiple examples of being
refused employment or being fired from work.

The interview participants described multiple examples of physical
threats (arson attempts, home or material belonging arson, expulsion
from home, assault and other types of violence) of LGBT individuals.

These threats take place in the family, public places, medical and
educational institutions, law enforcement, and the army. In actuality,
in all aspects of public life, relations with institutions, LGBT
individuals are subject to violence (even in those institutions that
call to defend them), instigate the decision to leave the country. The
majority of LGBT individuals would not migrate if such issues did
not exist.

The report’s authors made policy recommendations to Armenia’s state
bodies, Government, and the National Assembly.

1. Implement a common state policy based on the principle of
non-discrimination in all spheres of public life.

2. Implement RA Government social policy and human capital development
envisaged by RA Government 2012-2017 program based on the principle of
non-discrimination in various fields towards society’s most vulnerable
groups, in this case LGBT persons.

3. Adopt a separate piece of legislation prohibiting discrimination,
which will prohibit discrimination on any basis in labor market and
all spheres of the society, ensuring equal rights and opportunities
for all.

4. Adopt effective law enforcement mechanisms. Anti-discrimination
legislation is, of course, necessary, but it is not enough and without
effective mechanisms discrimination will not just disappear.

5. Take into consideration the principle of non-discrimination when
adopting laws and normative-legal acts as a basic rule for ensuring
the realization of rights and freedoms of a citizen.

Report in entirety here.

ARMENIA CHANGED THE TURKISH MECHANISM FUNCTIONING FOR FIVE YEARS

Siranuysh Papyan, Interviewer
Interview – 17 February 2015, 16:06

A few months ago Serzh Sargsyan sent the protocols to hell from the
UN floor, and he has now recalled them from the parliament.

There may be an impression that the decision made on February 16
stemmed from the declaration made on January 29. In reality, Turkey’s
steps did not let us alternatives. On the other hand, the anniversary
of the genocide accelerated some processes or produced the impression
that any step is automatically linked to April 24. Now let us have
a retrospective look and try to understand whether this step was
inevitable or not. I think national security and dignity are at stake.

In April 2010 it was clear that insurmountable obstacles have occurred
which forced the Armenian president to announce about suspending
the process of ratification of the protocols. During the next five
years Turkey did not take any essential step. Moreover, since Armenia
needed opening of the border, it used every pertinent and impertinent
occasion to remind about its pre-conditions. Turkey led the process
into an impasse, stereotypes were even more crystallized, lack of
understanding deepened, and lack of confidence aggravated.

How will the world react to this step?

The reaction depends on how its presentation to the world will look
like. In reality, this is one of the cases when Armenia has no reason
to worry. Moreover, if the “world” that you mentioned is surprised or
startled, it should recall the steps that it took to prevent this. The
impression was that everybody was fine with the suspended situation
except Armenia. This perceived satisfaction created a misunderstanding
that some process was going on between Armenia and Turkey, and the
sides should not have been disturbed. In reality, Turkey was using
the process to create an impression, and for Armenia the processes
moved not in the best direction. The passive role of the international
community and the tendency to tolerate Turkey’s willfulness resulted
in a complicated process. This was the mistake and shortcoming of the
international centers of power. One of the illustrations was September
3 when “choice of civilization” and flexibility was expected from
Armenia in blockade and at war. It is difficult to tell what lessons
the “world” you mentioned has learned from all this and whether it
has learned anything or not.

When did the representatives of the countries and political
organizations standing behind Nalbandyan and Davutoghlu on 10 October
2009 last urge Turkey to fulfill its commitments? How often does the
EU bring up the issue of blockade of Armenia by a country aspiring
to the EU membership? When did the OSCE, the PACE, the CoE and other
organizations last condemn the blockade of Armenia by Turkey?

Unfortunately, all the answers to these questions have negative
answers. The international community left Armenia alone in
normalization of its relations with Turkey, and the bilateral format
failed because the relations between Turkey and Armenia had become
so bad that they needed a third party. Indeed, the United States was
trying to help but the issue of the Armenian-Turkish relations was
deemed secondary to other geopolitical developments, namely the Arab
spring, the civil war in Syria, the Iran-West relations, the rise
of the Islamic State, the Turkey-West controversies etc. Obviously,
there was no room for the problems of Armenia in this line.

How may Turkey react and what should our response be?

Turkey will try to blame the Armenian government indeed, describing it
as a step made in the context of the centenary of the genocide. There
may be an impression that Turkey was happy that Armenia took the lead
and suspended the process. I think it is the contrary. Turkey has a
reason for concerns because Armenia has changed the mechanism of the
Turkish denialism designed and functioning for over five years.

Now that the protocols actually do not exist, Turkey has frozen them,
and we have recalled them, what should the new model of normalization
of Armenian-Turkish relations be? What new projects can be proposed
by us or by them?

At this stage, it is hard to tell what form and content these
initiatives will acquire. One thing is clear – it is necessary to
learn lessons from the past process. It is advisable to refrain from
large-scale commitments in the future initiatives. The previous process
demonstrated that the Armenian-Turkish relations are complicated and
multifaceted. It is difficult to normalize relations with vows and
protocols. Turkey should mature for normalization, the government of
that country must have political will.

FRENCH ARMENIANS ADVISE CAUTION FOR EU PARLIAMENT’S GENOCIDE PROPOSAL

February 17, 2015 – 17:13 AMT

PanARMENIAN.Net – The co-chair of the Co-ordination Council of
Armenian Organizations of France Ara Toranyan urged to take a cautious
approach for the Motion ofArmenian Genocide submitted to the European
Parliament.

Several months ahead of the Genocide centenary, such an initiative
might have been welcomed by the Europe’s Armenian community, if there
wasn’t for one “if,” RFI said.

“The victims of the Armenian Genocide do not belong to us, or some
political force. We can’t strip someone of a right to act. Our
organization tried to prevent political forces from assuming the
right to speak on behalf of the victims. We were always attempting to
promote a compromise between French political forces, lest the issue
of Genocide became a subject of political speculation,” Toranyan said.

“As for the initiative of far-left politicians – I believe that the
Genocide was a result of a discrimination-based totalitarian ideology.

So we should take a cautious approach to such initiatives, especially
since the latters are offered by movements with a questionable position
on discrimination practices,” he noted.

According to RFI, the wary attitude of Armenian Diaspora is quite
understandable: back in 2012, on Jan 29, Marine Le Pen stated at
one of her presidential election campaigns, “this whole Genocide
recognition movement outrages me.”

The leader of the Front National also stated, “First we must deal with
our own issues, without the French parliament trying to interfere
in the Armenian-Turkish history.” At the same time, she stressed
that Turkey, an official candidate for the EU accession since 2005,
does not belong with Europe, the Genocide recognition being among
key conditions to join the EU.

In early February, Belgian MEP Gerolf Annemans, chairman of Vlaams
Belang party, submitted to European Parliament a motion calling on
Turkey to recognize the Armenian Genocide.

From: Baghdasarian

KOCHARYAN SAYS: EX-PRESIDENT CALLS ON GOVERNMENT TO RETURN TO “POLITICAL DIMENSION”

POLITICS | 16.02.15 | 17:55

RELATED NEWS

Raising the Stakes: Sargsyan ushers in new political conditions by
tackling former coalition partner

The government still can stop and return to the political dimension
of dealing with opponents, former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan
said in an interview with his unofficial website, 2rd.am, on Monday.

Commenting on the internal political developments of recent days,
Kocharyan, in particular, said: “I cannot explain why the president
needed that. If the calculation was that pressure on the Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan will disintegrate the
PAP, then this effect has not been achieved. On the contrary, there
are clear signs of consolidation in the opposition field, a sharp
radicalization of vocabulary and objectives.”

Kocharyan described the arguments of President Serzh Sargsyan voiced
in his February 12 speech as “unconvincing”. “Any action against the
PAP leader will be now regarded by everyone as political persecution,
which lacks any legitimacy. And taking into account the degree of
social tensions and discontent in the country, as well as the PAP’s
and its leader’s wide popularity, the more vigorously the government
tries to “clean up” the political field, the stronger will be the
consolidation against the government and the more so real will be the
prospect of political upheavals. It is not hard to predict how this
all will affect the economy, the situation on the Line of Contact in
Karabakh and the holding of events marking the 100th anniversary of
the Genocide,” Kocharyan said.

Answering the website’s question on whether the government has a
way-out of this situation, the former president said. “I think it
still has. To stop and not to take any administrative action against
the PAP leader, to remain solely within the limits of a verbal duel,
to return to the political dimension of dealing with opponents.”

Kocharyan also expressed the opinion that the intentions expressed
at the ruling Republican Party council meeting “do not fit into the
framework of the Constitution” and “the PAP and the opposition are
literally forced to organize mass street actions, the consequences
of which are unpredictable.”

“Our country is already overloaded with serious problems and their
solution is possible only through the greatest possible consolidation
of society, on the basis of restoring people’s faith in the future
of the country.

What has happened, unfortunately, has become a strong signal in the
opposite direction,” said Kocharyan.

From: A. Papazian

DISTRACTION?: PAP SAYS ATTACK ON TSARUKYAN TAKES FOCUS OFF BIGGER GOVERNMENT CONCERNS

POLITICS | 16.02.15 | 15:22

GOHAR ABRAHAMYAN
ArmeniaNow reporter

The President’s harsh comments and accusations toward Prosperous
Armenia Party (PAP) leader Gagik Tsarukyan have stirred unrest within
the party, while members of the “alternative” party say that the
government should be focusing on greater matters of concern rather
than trying to bring down Tsarukyan.

PAP faction MP Mikayel Melkumyan told reporters on Monday that the
party’s activities were solely oppositional; they moved along the
path with no turbulence, however, these latest events will accelerate
their activities.

“At the (Republican Party of Armenia) meeting there was not a word
about the country’s grave social state; are they trying to distract
people’s attention? Is Gagik Tsarukyan to be blamed that there are
no investments in Armenia, that there are more than a million poor
people in Armenia, is Gagik Tsarukyan to be blamed that there is
officially 20 percent of unemployment . . .”

Melkumyan said, adding that there is an exceptional chance now to
follow the people’s desire.

Christian-Democratic Renaissance party leader Sos Gimishyan spoke
about the situation saying that it is the first time he does not
agree with either side, he believes in neither the government nor
the other side and even sees a political game in this situation.

“One side said that this is the evil, the other one – the opposite,
they had the government in their hands together once, and today’s state
is the result of those years. I do not exclude the option that this is
a political game, an attempt to clarify the political field between
the two forces, and behind these political forces I can clearly see
Serzh Sargsyan and Robert Kocharyan,” Gimishyan said.

Melkumyan dismissed the statement as “nonsense”.

Gimishyan said that the two sides with their actions made the situation
in the country tense, which, on the background of current geopolitical
processes, is unnecessary for the country.

SPEAKER TO REQUEST CEC TO STRIP TSARUKYAN OF HIS MANDATE

Roza Hovhannisyan, Reporter
Country – 16 February 2015, 16:30

The staff of the National Assembly is studying the attendance records
of Gagik Tsarukyan, head of Prosperous Armenia Party, and the reasons
of his absenteeism.

Armtimes.com informed that the speaker of the National Assembly
is likely to request the Central Electoral Commission to strip
Tsarukyan of his mandate. The head of the NA Public Relations and
Media Department Arsen Babayan did not dismiss news on applying to the
CEC in an interview with Lragir.am. “Once the process is completed,
everything will be clear,” he said, noting that there is no clear
decision on the day.

In answer to the question why the National Assembly applies to the CEC
instead of putting the issue of stripping Tsarukyan of his mandate
to vote in the National Assembly, Babayan said: “For the beginning,
I can say that there is a decision of the Constitutional Court revoking
the provision on putting this issue to vote.”

Babayan also added that the process will be completed as soon as
possible.

The secretary of the CEC Press Secretary Hermineh Harutiunyan told
Lragir.am that the commission has not received any letters or protocols
from the National Assembly.

In answer to the question on how long it takes to make a decision after
receiving one, the secretary said they will refrain from comments as
long as no such a letter has been received.

Note that Gagik Tsarukyan missed 133 meetings of parliament during the
past session, which means 100% absenteeism. Most absences, however,
were then considered valid by the speaker.

ROBERT KOCHARYAN COMMENTS ON SARGSYAN-TSARUKYAN DISPUTE, SAYS GOVERNMENT CAN STOP HERE

18:33 | February 16,2015 | Politics

Former Armenian President Robert Kocharyan has commented on the
internal political developments of recent days. In an interview with
his unofficial website, 2rd.am, Kocharyan said the authorities can
stop here and avoid escalating the situation any further.

“I cannot explain why the president needed that. If the calculation
was that the pressure on BHK Leader Gagik Tsarukyan would disintegrate
the BHK, then this effect has not been achieved. On the contrary,
there are clear signs of consolidation in the opposition field with
a sharp radicalization of vocabulary and objectives.

The arguments Serzh Sargsyan voiced in his February 12 speech were
rather unconvincing and did not defame the BHK. Any action against the
BHK leader will now be regarded [by everyone] as political persecution,
which lacks any legitimacy. Considering the degree of social tensions
and discontent in the country, as well as the popularity of Gagik
Tsarukyan and his Prosperous Armenia Party, I can say that the more
vigorously the government tries to ‘clean up’ the political field,
the stronger will be the consolidation against the government and
the more real will be the prospect of political upheavals. It is not
difficult to predict how this will affect the economy, the situation
on the Line of Contact in Karabakh and the events dated to the 100th
anniversary of the Genocide,” said Robert Kocharyan.

When the reporter observed that many in Armenia believe that the
standoff between the BHK and ruling Republican Party of Armenia
(HHK) can further escalate the political situation in the country
and asked whether the government has a way out of this situation,
the ex-president said, “I believe they have. They can stop here and
avoid taking administrative actions against the BHK leader. They can
remain within the limits of a verbal duel and return to the political
dimension of dealing with opponents. The intentions voiced at the HHK
sitting do not fit into the framework of the Armenian Constitution
and make the BHK, and opposition in general, is forced to start mass
street actions which might have unpredictable consequences. The
ensuing arrests and repressive actions will lead the country into
a deep and prolonged crisis. Our country is already overloaded with
serious problems and their solution is possible only through possible

From: Emil Lazarian | Ararat NewsPress

VICTORIA NULAND TO VISIT ARMENIA, GEORGIA AND AZERBAIJAN

18:19, 16 February, 2015

On February 16, Assistant Secretary Nuland will travel to Baku,
Azerbaijan, to meet with senior government officials to work to
strengthen bilateral relations on trade and investment, energy
diversification, security and counter-terrorism, and democracy
and civil society, as well as toward advancing a just and lasting
settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. She will also meet with
representatives from civil society groups.

As reports “Armenpress” citing the official site of U.S. Department
of State, assistant Secretary Nuland will travel to Tbilisi, Georgia,
on February 17 for meetings with senior Georgian government officials,
opposition political figures, and civil society representatives to
discuss a broad range of bilateral and regional issues, including
Georgia’s path toward European integration and Georgia’s efforts to
defend its territorial integrity and sovereignty.

On February 18, Assistant Secretary Nuland will travel to Yerevan,
Armenia, where she will meet with senior government officials, civil
society groups, and youth representatives to discuss strengthening
our political, economic, and people-to-people ties with Armenia
and advancing a just and lasting settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh
conflict.

GEORGIA STANDS BY THE ARMENIAN PEOPLE’S SIDE NO MATTER WHAT-USUPASHVILI MEETS WITH GALUST SAHAKYAN

14:49, 16 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 16 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. Georgia and Armenia share the view
that peace in the region needs to be achieved through negotiations,
not weapons. This is what Speaker of the National Assembly of Georgia
Davit Usupashvili declared during a press conference following
negotiations with Speaker of the National Assembly of the Republic of
Armenia Galust Sahakyan. “We discussed the situation in the region
and shared the view that relations in the region need to be hinged
on friendship. We also shared the view that the arms race needs to
be stopped, and that peace needs to be achieved through negotiations,
not weapons,” Usupashvili mentioned, as “Armenpress” reports.

Usupashvili emphasized the fact that the Georgians and the Armenians
have fought side-by-side for freedom for centuries and assured that
at this moment, Georgia also stands by the Armenian people’s side
no matter what. “We stand by your side and share your sorrow over
the tragedy that took place in Gyumri,” the Georgian parliamentary
speaker declared.

TURKISH CITIZEN TRIED TO SMUGGLE NARCOTICS INTO ARMENIA VIA GEORGIA

15:00, 16 February, 2015

YEREVAN, 16 FEBRUARY, ARMENPRESS. Georgian police officers have
seized 9.6 thousand pills of the Tramadol drug from Turkish citizen
Yusuf O, who was traveling to Armenia via Georgia. This is what the
press service of Georgia’s Ministry of Internal Affairs reported on
February 16, as “Armenpress” reports. According to the press service,
the Turkish citizen was arrested at Sarpi control point right after
crossing the Georgian-Turkish border.

“While searching the arrestee’s truck, police officers seized 9,600
pills of the Tramadol drug which, based on the conclusion provided
after the expert examination, contain 480 grams of the Tramadol
narcotic,” as stated in the press release.

From: Baghdasarian