Monday, Ruling Party Figure Wants Sarkisian To Stay In Power . Harry Tamrazian Armenia -- Armen Ashotian, a deputy chairman of the Republican Party of Armenia, speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan. President Serzh Sarkisian should continue to govern Armenia after completing his final presidential term in April, a deputy chairman of his Republican Party (HHK) said over the weekend. "I think that given the security, foreign policy and economic challenges [facing Armenia,] the best solution would be to continue the ongoing work in the existing internal and external environment under Serzh Sarkisian's leadership," Armen Ashotian told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am). Ashotian said he is therefore ready to nominate Sarkisian's candidacy for the post of prime minister at the end of the latter's decade-long presidency. Ashotian stressed at the same time that he is only expressing his personal opinion and that the president and the HHK have still not made a "final decision regarding April." "There has also been no reaction yet from [foreign] diplomatic circles," he added. In an interview with the Armenia TV channel aired late on Thursday, Sarkisian again declined to clarify what he is planning to do after serving out his second five-year term. He said that "the time has not yet come" for him to announce whether he will become prime minister or take up another state post. Armenia will also switch in April to a parliamentary system of government, meaning that most of the sweeping powers currently enjoyed by the head of state will be given to the country's prime minister. The current Armenian premier, Karen Karapetian has repeatedly indicated his desire to retain his post. Sarkisian said on Thursday that Karapetian is "very acceptable and useful to us as a prime minister and as a person." But he said the HHK leadership will weigh up all factors before deciding "who can do a better job where." The televised remarks were construed by another senior HHK lawmaker, Khosrov Harutiunian, as a further indication that Sarkisian will stay on in power as prime minister. That is "the most likely and logical" scenario, he said. Student Leader Resumes Protests Against New Law On Military Draft . Narine Ghalechian Armenia - Student leader Davit Petrosian gives a press conference in Yerevan, 23Nov2017 An Armenian youth activist went on hunger strike on Monday in protest against the government's controversial decision to essentially abolish temporary exemptions from military service that have long been enjoyed by many students of state-run universities. The activist, Davit Petrosian, was one of the organizers of a series of street demonstrations held by disgruntled students this fall. The protests did not stop the Armenian parliament from passing a relevant government bill. Petrosian and several other protesting students already went on hunger strike on November 14. Although the bill was passed in the second and final reading the following day they ended the protest and agreed to hold talks with representatives of the government and the National Assembly. The first such meeting took place on November 22, with the protest leaders submitting proposals relating to an Armenian law on compulsory military service. Government officials insisted afterwards that the amended law will not undergo more changes. Announcing the fresh hunger strike in a video message posted on the Internet, Petrosian complained that the government has refused to make any major concessions. He dismissed government assurances that students boasting "remarkable achievements" will be exempt from military service on a case-by-case basis. Draft-age male students having government scholarships have until now been allowed to perform the two-year service after completing their undergraduate or graduate studies. Under the amended law, draft deferments will be granted only to those students who will agree to undergo parallel military training and serve in the Armenian army as officers for three years after graduation. Armenia - Students demonstrate outside Yerevan State University, 8Nov2017. Defense Minister Vigen Sargsian, the key author of the controversial bill, said during parliament debates in October that it would close a key loophole for evading military service and reduce "corruption risks" among military and university officials. He said that less than one-fifth of recipients of such deferments have eventually served in the army. Other officials argued that the vast majority of male students have already been drafted to the armed forces in the past several years because of having to pay tuition fees. The protesting students, backed by the opposition Yelk alliance, say the new rules will prevent many students from becoming scientists or scholars. They also say that the amended law will not prevent sons of many senior government officials, pro-government politicians and wealthy businesspeople from dodging military service. Joined by another student, Petrosian began the hunger strike inside an auditorium of Yerevan State University (YSU), the focal point of the recent protests.The YSU rector, Aram Simonian, criticized the protest action as "untimely" and said it "cannot have any positive outcome." Speaking to RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am), Simonian also said that Petrosian and other protest leaders attended last week a conference in Poland organized by U.S. philanthropist George Soros's Open Society Foundations. "They probably got some assignments there," he claimed. Vahan Hovtanian, another protest organizer, laughed off Simonian's claim. U.S.-Based Firm Gears Up For Gold Mining In Armenia . Anush Mkrtchian Armenia - The U.S.-based company Lydian International builds a gold mine at the Amulsar deposit, 9Dec2017. (Photo by Lydian Armenia) A U.S.-British company said on Monday that it expects to finish next year the ongoing construction of a massive gold mine in Armenia that will sharply increase the country's gold exports. The company, Lydian International, started building its gold mining and smelting facilities at the Amulsar deposit in the southeastern Vayots Dzor province in August 2016 after years of preparation and a licensing process administered by the Armenian government. It has since hired more than 1,000 Armenian workers for the construction which it says will cost $370 million in investments. "We are constructing the mine and we are about half way through the construction," Howard Stevenson, Lydian's chairman and chief executive, told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatutyun.am) in an interview. Stevenson said the company has already become Armenia's 19th largest corporate taxpayer. "Amulsar's success will also be a success for Armenia because our positive economic impact on this country will be significant," he said. Hayk Aloyan, the executive director of Lydian's Armenian subsidiary, said last month that the company plans to produce 210,000 ounces of gold annually, which will be worth over $260 million at current international prices. According to government statistics, Armenia exported around $100 million worth of gold in 2015. The bulk of that export revenue, equivalent to 6.5 percent of overall Armenian exports, was generated by a Russian company operating big gold mines at Sotk, eastern Armenia. The company, GeoProMining, also owns a gold processing plant in Ararat, a small town 50 kilometers southeast of Yerevan. The Armenian government gave the green light for the Amulsar project despite strong opposition from local environment protection groups which say that it poses a serious threat to the local ecosystem and livelihoods of farmers living in nearby villages. They also point to the gold deposit's proximity to Jermuk, the country's most famous spa resort. Armenia- Lydian International CEO Howard Stevenson speaks to RFE/RL in Yerevan. Stevenson, whose company is registered in a British tax haven but headquartered in the U.S. state of Colorado, sought to allay those fears. He insisted that the forthcoming mining operation is a "zero emissions project" that will use advanced technology and meet environmental standards. "Our project will have no impact on water resources in the area and on Jermuk as well," he said. Stevenson also ruled out any potential impact on Armenia's ecologically vital Lake Sevan which is fed by one of the rivers flowing through Vayots Dzor. "There is no risk that even if we have an industrial accident we would impact Lake Sevan," he said. Levon Galstian, one of the environmentalists fiercely resisting the project, dismissed these assurances. He insisted that with the kind of technology that it is planning to use Lydian cannot guard against contamination of soil and water with toxic waste from the Amulsar mine. That will put Jermuk's famed resorts and mineral water industry at serious risk, Galstian told RFE/RL's Armenian service (Azatuyun.am). The U.S. and British governments strongly support the Amulsar project. The U.S. ambassador to Armenia, Richard Mills, said earlier this year that it has been deemed "fully compliant" with environment protection standards set by the World Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development (EBRD). A senior EBRD executive said in August 2016 that that Lydian has committed itself to meeting "the strictest environmental conditions" set by the London-based lending institution. Top NATO Official Sees Closer Ties With Armenia . Anush Muradian Armenia - NATO's Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller at a news briefing in Yerevan, 18Dec2017. NATO's Deputy Secretary General Rose Gottemoeller praised Armenia's increased cooperation with the U.S.-led alliance and said it will deepen further when she visited Yerevan on Monday. Gottemoeller met with President Serzh Sarkisian and other Armenian leaders for talks that touched upon Armenia-NATO ties and the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict. "We spoke about current security challenges and how we can take our cooperation farther," she said after the talks with Foreign Minister Edward Nalbandian which preceded her meeting with Sarkisian. "NATO and Armenia have developed partnership over 25 years," she said. "Cooperation between NATO and Armenia is in both of our interests." "Earlier this year, Armenia agreed to a new Individual Partnership Action Plan (IPAP) with NATO, and we will be working together more closely on interoperability, defense education and defense reform," added Gottemoeller. The first Armenia-NATO IPAP was launched in 2006. The current, fifth such plan approved by NATO in April lists joint activities planned for 2017-2019. In addition to this policy framework, Armenia has stepped up its involvement in NATO-led security missions. It currently has 121 Armenian soldiers deployed in Afghanistan and 35 others in Kosovo. A senior Armenian Defense Ministry official said last week that Yerevan will continue to participate in these multinational missions in the years to come. "We are grateful for Armenia's important contribution to our Resolute Support mission in Afghanistan and our KFOR peacekeeping mission in Kosovo," Gottemoeller told reporters. Sarkisian likewise noted with satisfaction the "developing" Armenia-NATO ties when he met with the senior NATO official. He also thanked the alliance for its "assistance provided to Armenia." The two also discussed recent developments in the Karabakh peace process. Meeting with students and professors of Yerevan State University earlier in the day, Gottemoeller welcomed progress reportedly made at high-level Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations held in October and November. NATO hopes for further progress in the peace process, she said, adding that a Karabakh settlement would have a very positive impact on the region. Press Review (Saturday, December 16) "Zhamanak" says that President Serzh Sarkisian's latest televised interview only raised more questions about his political future. "The situation is really noteworthy," writes the paper. "Serzh Sarkisian said that he has no idea what he is going to do, has no decision [to that effect] and will have one `when the time comes.' And yet representatives of the [ruling] HHK continue to speak of his premiership and `undisputed' leadership." It suggests that Sarkisian's decision to become prime minister is still not a forgone conclusion. "Zhoghovurd" notes that Sarkisian also did not exclude that some of the former senior state officials will return to government soon. "Serzh Sarkisian just said that everyone will be looked at on a case-by-case basis," the paper says, pointing to his remark that "I have a lot of respect for those people who have served the Republic of Armenia." "But I don't mean to say that those persons are irreplaceable," the president added. The paper speculates that he may have referred to people such as former Prime Minister Hovik Abrahamian, former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian, former Defense Minister Seyran Ohanian, former Transport Minister Gagik Beglarian. "Haykakan Zhamanak" writes on serious problems with the implementation of an expensive government project to refurbish Armenia's main highways. The paper says that the so-called North-South project cannot move forward without the government taking more and more multimillion-dollar loans. "For that reason, they will cut funding for other spheres and that trend will constantly deepen," it claims. "But the most terrible thing is that there has still not been a serious and convincing analysis on how that highway will contribute to Armenia's economic development. The debt incurred for the sake of building it is so large that in order to repay it Armenia needs not just economic growth but rapid economic growth. And such a prospect does not await Armenia, at least in the short term." (Artur Papian) Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL Copyright (c) 2017 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc. 1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036. www.rferl.org