Thursday,
Ter-Petrosian Urges Multi-Party Talks On Snap Elections
Armenia - Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian casts a ballot at a polling
station in Yerevan 2 April, 2017.
Former President Levon Ter-Petrosian urged Armenia’s leading political groups
on Thursday to reach an agreement on fresh general elections, saying that they
are vital for ending what he sees as a continuing political crisis.
Ter-Petrosian said the newly appointed Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian will have
trouble governing the country because the Armenian parliament is still
controlled by Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party (HHK).
“Until now Pashinian has imposed his will on the parliament through the popular
protests and revolt, something which the international community understood as
a manifestation of democracy,” he said in written remarks posted on Ilur.am.
“But can he keep influencing the parliament with the same method? It’s obvious
that he can’t because that resource has been exhausted.”
Ter-Petrosian said foreign powers “will not tolerate” similar pressure on the
National Assembly that could be exerted by Pashinian in his new capacity not
least because they recognized the legitimacy of the last Armenian parliamentary
elections held in April 2017.
The only way to end “this situation extremely dangerous for the country” is to
“radically” amend the Armenian Electoral Code and hold snap elections, said the
73-year-old ex-president whose Armenian National Congress (HAK) party has been
in opposition to the Sarkisian government.
“Let’s hope that in order to overcome legal obstacles to pre-term parliamentary
elections resulting from the current complicated constitution, influential
political forces will … find a way out of this difficult situation threatening
our statehood through negotiations, dialogue and mutual understandings,” he
added.
Pashinian and parliamentary minority factions supporting him have also
repeatedly called for such elections since massive protests led by Pashinian
forced Sarkisian to resign as prime minister on April 23. But they have so far
avoided speculating about possible election dates.
It remains unclear whether Sarkisian’s HHK will agree to the parliament’s
dissolution and the conduct of snap polls in the coming months. Ter-Petrosian
suggested that HHK lawmakers fear they would not be reelected in that case.
Pashinian, 42, was a prominent and influential member of Ter-Petrosian’s
opposition movement until falling out bitterly with the latter in 2012. This
might explain why the ex-president did not congratulate his erstwhile ally on
being elected prime minister by the parliament on May 8.
On May 6, Ter-Petrosian issued a stern warning that seemed primarily addressed
to Pashinian. He claimed that the ongoing political transition in Armenia may
be marred by a violation of the country’s constitution. Ter-Petrosian pointed
to the resignations of two lawmakers who broke ranks during an earlier
parliament vote on Pashinian’s bid to become premier.
EU Leaders Congratulate New Armenian PM
• Emil Danielyan
BELGIUM -- European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker (L) and EU Council
President Donald Tusk hold a joint news conference during a European Union
leaders summit meeting in Brussels, October 20, 2017
Top representatives of the European Union have congratulated Nikol Pashinian on
becoming Armenia’s prime minister and pledged to work with his government in
implementing a landmark EU-Armenia agreement signed last November.
The EU foreign policy chief, Federica Mogherini, also invited Pashinian to
visit Brussels “at the earliest opportunity” when she telephoned him on
Wednesday.
“They agreed on the importance of the partnership between the European Union
and Armenia and looked forward to meeting in person,” a spokesperson for
Mogherini said in a statement.
“They discussed the next steps following the Prime Minister's election by the
Armenian Parliament, including the future formation of a government, and
touched on further opportunities to strengthen links between European Union and
Armenia,” added the statement.
On Thursday, Pashinian received a congratulatory message from EU Council
President Donald Tusk and European Commission President Jean-Claude Juncker.
“We look forward to cooperating with you in your new position to further
strengthen the relations between the European Union and Armenia, particularly
through the implementation of the EU-Armenia Comprehensive and Enhanced
Partnership Agreement (CEPA),” read the telegram posted on the Armenian
premier’s website.
ARMENIA - Newly elected Prime Minister of Armenia Nikol Pashinian (L) greets
supporters during a meeting in Republic Square in Yerevan, Armenia May 8, 2018
Tusk and Juncker also renewed EU calls for a “comprehensive dialogue among all
political stakeholders in Armenia” following the resignation of Prime Minister
Serzh Sarkisian. The latter stepped down on April 23 amid massive
anti-government protests led by Pashinian.
Pashinian called for a quick ratification of the CEPA by all EU member states
when he addressed Armenian lawmakers shortly before they voted to elect him
prime minister on Tuesday. He also said his government will strive for the
lifting of the EU’s visa requirements for Armenian nationals.
The CEPA, which was ratified by Armenia’s parliament last month, commits the
Armenian authorities to carrying out political reforms that will democratize
the country’s political system and boost human rights protection. They must
also gradually “approximate” Armenian economic laws and regulations to those of
the EU.
Armenia - Serzh Sarkisian, Edward Nalbandian, Federica Mogherini and Donald
Tusk at the signing ceremony of the CEPA in Brussels.
The 350-page accord came as a less ambitious substitute for an Association
Agreement which was nearly finalized by Armenian and EU negotiators in 2013.
Sarkisian, who was Armenia’s president at the time, precluded the signing of
that agreement by unexpectedly deciding to seek his country’s accession to the
Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
Pashinian criticized that volte face and called for Armenia’s withdrawal from
the EEU as recently as last October. However, he made clear right after
Sarkisian’s resignation that he will not pull the country out of the trade bloc
comprising five ex-Soviet states.
Pashinian is due to attend an EEU summit that will be hosted by Russian
President Vladimir Putin in Sochi next week. The two men spoke by phone on
Tuesday.
Armenian Police, Security Service Chiefs Sacked (UPDATED)
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia - The Armenia police chief Vladimir Gasparian (L) and National Security
Service Director Georgi Kutoyan.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian initiated on Thursday the dismissal of the heads
of Armenia’s police and National Security Service (NSS) who had been appointed
by his predecessor Serzh Sarkisian.
The police chief, Vladimir Gasparian, and the NSS director, Georgi Kutoyan,
were formally relieved of their duties by President Armen Sarkissian. The
presidential decrees were requested by Pashinian earlier in the day.
Gasparian, 59, has headed the national police service since 2011, while the
36-year-old Kutoyan was named to run the NSS in 2016. Kutoyan previously worked
as an assistant to Serzh Sarkisian, who was Armenia’s president from 2008-2018.
The NSS is the successor agency to the former Armenian branch of the KGB, the
Soviet secret police.
Pashinian gave no reasons when he announced the impending dismissal of the two
men in the morning. He named their replacements later in the day.
The new NSS chief, Artur Vanetsian, is a 38-year-old officer who has worked for
the powerful security agency for the last 15 or so years. Vanetsian has the
rank of NSS colonel.
Armenia - President Serzh Sarkisian awards a medal to Yerevan's deputy police
chief, Valery Osipian, 21Sep2015.
Gasparian will be succeeded as police chief by Valeri Osipian, until now a
deputy head of Yerevan’s police department responsible for public order and
crowd control. Osipian has been a fixture at just about every major
anti-government rally staged in the Armenian capital in the past decade.
He frequently warned and argued with Pashinian during the anti-government
protests which the former opposition leader launched on April 13 in a
successful attempt to topple Serzh Sarkisian. Osipian publicly congratulated
and hugged Pashinian after the latter was appointed as prime minister on
Tuesday.
Pashinian emphasized the “symbolic significance” of Osipian’s unexpected
appointment. “It’s a good symbol for us to try to eliminate that culture of
barbed wire in Armenia,” he wrote on Facebook.
Pashinian has yet to appoint any members of his cabinet. He has promised to
form a “government of accord” as a result of consultations with political
forces represented in the Armenian parliament. He met on Thursday with Vahram
Baghdasarian, the parliamentary leader of Serzh Sarkisian’s Republican Party
(HHK).
Baghdasarian said after the meeting that the HHK, which holds the majority of
seats in the parliament, will not propose any ministerial candidates. He made
clear at the same time that it will not prevent HHK members, among them several
acting ministers, from joining Pashinian’s cabinet. They would only be ordered
to suspend their membership in the party, Baghdasarian told RFE/RL’s Armenian
service (Azatutyun.am).
Baghdasarian also indicated that the parliament majority is ready to vote for
the new government’s policy program which Pashinian is expected to submit to
lawmakers later this month. “I don’t think that the newly elected prime
minister could bring a program containing provisions that will lead us to vote
against it,” he said.
The HHK majority reluctantly agreed to Pashinian’s becoming prime minister on
Tuesday after weeks of massive protests organized by the opposition leader in
Yerevan and other parts of the country. The protests forced Serzh Sarkisian to
resign as prime minister on April 23.
Press Review
“Haykakan Zhamanak” reacts to statements made by Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian
during a visit to Nagorno-Karabakh on Wednesday. He said in particular that
from now on Armenia will only represent itself, and not Karabakh, in peace
talks with Azerbaijan. The paper describes this as a “very important” policy
change.
“168 Zham” also reports on Pashinian’s calls for Karabakh’s direct involvement
in Armenian-Azerbaijani negotiations. “This is an absolutely correct position,”
Denis Dvornikov, a Russian political analyst, is quoted by the paper as saying.
“You can’t decide the fate of a republic without the participation of its
representatives in negotiations.”
According to “Zhoghovurd,” Deputy Foreign Minister Shavarsh Kocharian said on
Wednesday that Armenian foreign policy will become “more dignified” under
Pashinian even if the latter is unlikely to change Armenia’s geopolitical
orientation. The paper says Kocharian thus admitted what opposition politicians
and other critics of Serzh Sarkisian have been saying for years.
“It is now time to get down to business and forget a little the frantic days
when we all poured into the streets to passionately reject Serzh and demand the
election of a prime minister close to our hearts,” writes “Hraparak.” The paper
says that this euphoria must give way to “much more serious thoughts and
programs.” “We need to understand that the main function of the person
occupying the post of prime minister is not to go live on air on Facebook,
appoint ministers, hold news conferences or pay friendly visits,” it says.
“There is a lot that needs to be done in our country.”
(Tigran Avetisian)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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