President of Artsakh Bako Sahakyan signed a decree according to which Major-General Vyacheslav Danielyan has been dismissed from the post of Defense Army deputy commander for armament- armament chief and discharged from military service on the basis of retiring for length of service.
According to the President’s another decree, Viktor Arustamyan has been appointed deputy commander of the Artsakh Republic Defense Army for armament- armament chief.
Wednesday,
Lawyers Appeal Against Ex-Minister’s Arrest
• Nane Sahakian
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian attends a parliament session in
Yerevan, November 16, 2015.
Lawyers for former Finance Minister Gagik Khachatrian on Wednesday appealed
against a law-enforcement agency’s decision to arrest him on suspicion of
corruption.
The National Security Service (NSS) detained Khachatrian late on Tuesday after
searching his and his relatives’ homes and offices. The NSS director, Artur
Vanetsian, said he is suspected of abusing his powers and misusing “tens of
millions of dollars” worth of public funds while in office.
Khachatrian, who had also ran Armenia’s tax and customs services during former
President Serzh Sarkisian’s rule, was indicted on Tuesday as part of a separate
corruption inquiry conducted by another law-enforcement body, the Special
Investigative Service (SIS).
One of his lawyers, Yerem Sargsian, criticized the arrest, saying that his
client had never attempted to go into hiding. It would have been more
“reasonable” to have Khachatrian sign a pledge not to leave Armenia pending
investigation, instead of taking him into custody, Sargsian told reporters.
The NSS did not indict the former official, who is reputed to be one of the
country’s richest men, as of Wednesday evening. Nor did it shed more light on
the criminal case.
In Sargsian’s words, one of the accusations brought against Khachatrian stems
from NSS claims that some employees of the State Revenue Committee (SRC)
systematically did not report for work but still got paid by the government
agency.
“This raises the question of to what extent Mr. Khachatrian was responsible for
that,” said the lawyer. He also suggested that the alleged fraud could not have
cost the state the “tens of millions of dollars” cited by Vanetsian.
Khachatrian, 53, had held various positions in the tax and customs services for
over a decade preceding his appointment as SRC chief in 2008. He headed the tax
collection agency until 2014 and served as Armenia’s finance minister for the
next two years.
Throughout his tenure Khachatrian was dogged by corruption allegations. He
always denied illegally enriching himself and his family.
The NSS said on Tuesday that it began investigating Khachatrian in February
this year. This raised questions about the timing of his arrest. Some
commentators speculated that it is aimed at deflecting public attention from
the Armenian government’s possible decision to allow a Western company to
restart a controversial gold mining project resisted by environmentalists and
some opposition groups.
Two opposition lawmakers opposed to mining operations at the Amulsar deposit
cast doubt on the credibility of that speculation. “If it’s a [government]
ploy, then it’s a failed ploy,” one of them, Naira Zohrabian, told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service.
“Amulsar is a bigger issue than the arrest of [Robert] Kocharian, Serzh
Sarkisian, Gagik Khachatrian or anyone else,” said Edmon Marukian, the leader
of the opposition Bright Armenia Party.
Marukian at the same time welcomed Khachatrian’s arrest. “I hope that
[law-enforcement authorities] will not stop there,” he said.
Moody’s Upgrades Armenia’s Ratings
• Artak Khulian
Armenia - A view of the center of Yerevan and Mount Ararat, February 17, 2013.
Moody’s Investors Service has revised upward its credit ratings for Armenia and
forecast continued economic growth in the country.
In a statement issued on Tuesday, the ratings agency said it has upgraded
Armenia’s “local and foreign currency long-term issuer and foreign currency
senior unsecured debt ratings” to Ba3 from B1. “The outlook has been changed to
stable from positive,” said the statement.
“Moody's has concurrently raised Armenia's long-term local currency bond and
deposit ceilings to Baa2 from Baa3,” it added. “The long-term foreign currency
bond ceiling and long-term foreign currency deposit ceiling have also been
raised to Ba1 from Ba2 and B1 from B2, respectively.”
Moody’s also offered a positive outlook for the Armenian economy, saying that
it should grow by at least 5.5 percent annually in the coming years. “The
sectors that have contributed to 2018 growth will continue expand solidly, such
as tourism, information technology (IT), and light manufacturing, including of
textiles,” it said. “In particular, ongoing investments in hotels will raise
tourism capacity, new textile factories are being built, and the number of IT
sector companies and projects are growing rapidly.”
Moody’s was particularly encouraged by the long-running rapid expansion of the
Armenian IT industry, saying that it is “providing a strong foundation for the
development of a skills- and knowledge-based economy.”
The Western agency went on to praise the Armenian authorities’ fiscal and
monetary policies contributing to macroeconomic stability. “Moody's expects
Armenia's government debt burden to decline steadily from currently moderate
levels of around 51 percent of GDP as of the end of 2018,” it said.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian was quick to seize upon the ratings upgrades.
“This is a really important development which increases international
confidence in the Armenian economy and makes our country considerably more
attractive to investors,” he wrote on his Facebook page.
Bagrat Asatrian, an economist who ran the Central Bank of Armenia in the 1990s,
likewise stressed the importance of the Moody’s statement. “In essence it
reflects positive changes that have occurred in our economy,” he told RFE/RL’s
Armenian service.
Asatrian singled out the easing of the debt burden anticipated by Moody’s. “For
many years our public debt grew,” he said. “That growth has stopped and we have
even started having a reduction [in the debt.]”
But another economist, Suren Parsian, reacted more cautiously, saying that
Moody’s had already assigned the same ratings to Armenia in 2015. Parsian also
said that steady and robust growth forecast by the agency will not necessarily
materialize
“If we want to have dynamic growth in the medium and long terms we have to
revise our economic system and institutions, which has not been done,” he said.
Pashinian Ally Blasts ‘Selective Environmentalism’ In Armenia
• Naira Nalbandian
Armenia -- Deputy parliament speaker Alen Simonian speaks to RFE/RL, Yerevan,
June 24, 2019.
A close political ally of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian on Wednesday hit out
at people vocally opposed to the Amulsar mining project, saying that many of
them know little about it and ignore other environmental issues facing Armenia.
“Many, many people writing ‘Save Amulsar’ on Facebook simply don’t know where
Amulsar is physically located in the territory of Armenia,” said deputy
parliament speaker Alen Simonian. “But when trees were cut down in [forests
around] Dilijan and Ijevan this selective environmentalism was not in action
for some reason.”
The Amulsar issue came to the fore after Pashinian indicated on August 19 his
intention to enable a British-American company, Lydian International, to mine
and smelt gold at the massive deposit located in the southeastern Vayots Dzor
province. He cited the findings of an independent environmental audit that was
conducted by a Lebanese firm, ELARD, contracted by the Armenian government.
In its final report released earlier in August, ELARD concluded, among other
things, that toxic waste from the would-be Amulsar mine is extremely unlikely
to contaminate mineral water sources in the nearby resort town of Jermuk or
rivers and canals flowing into Lake Sevan.
Armenian environmental activists denounced Pashinian’s statement. They as well
as protesters blocking the roads leading to Amulsar maintain that the project
would wreak havoc on the environment.
Opposition politicians and even some parliament deputies from Armenia’s ruling
My Step alliance have also spoken out against the U.S.-backed project. But
other My Step lawmakers have voiced support for Lydian’s renewed operations at
Amulsar disrupted by the protesters in June 2018.
Simonian downplayed those differences when he spoke to reporters after a
meeting of My Step’s parliamentary faction chaired by speaker Ararat Mirzoyan.
He insisted that they will not cause a split within Pashinian’s bloc.
“It’s up to the government, not the parliament faction, to make a decision on
the [Amulsar] issue,” said Simonian. “We will discuss the issue only if it
comes to the National Assembly.”
“Haykakan Zhamanak,” a newspaper owned by Pashinian’s family, commented on the
Amulsar controversy and other challenges facing Armenia in an editorial
published on Wednesday.
“In this situation, the government has to not only solve the problems but also
overcome the resistance of the entrenched [state] system,” the paper
complained. “But one gets the impression that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is
doing that single-handedly or with the help of a handful of ministers and
parliament deputies and that others are waiting on the sidelines to see how all
this ends.”
Simonian would not say whether he thinks that Pashinian warned his loyalists
through the “Haykakan Zhamanak” article to fall in line with the government’s
position on Amulsar.
In his August 19 comments, Pashinian said that Lydian International will have
to stick to “unprecedentedly high environmental standards that have not been
applied in Armenia until now.”
He said that the government will also force other mining companies operating in
the country to gradually comply with those standards. Pashinian suggested that
some of them have sponsored the environmentalists’ campaign against Lydian in
an effort to kill the Amulsar project and thus avoid spending large sums of
money on improving their notoriously poor environmental records.
Press Review
“Haykakan Zhamanak” hits out at Armenia’s former leaders and their allies
accusing the current authorities of failing to address Armenia’s problems and
using former President Serzh Sarkisian as a scapegoat. “It is evident that the
root causes of all existing serious problems lie in the past,” writes the
pro-government paper. It says that it was the Sarkisian administration that
allowed a Western company to develop the Amulsar gold deposit, “drove Karabakh
out of the negotiation process” and failed to counter Azerbaijan’s military
buildup. “In this situation, the government has to not only solve the problems
but also overcome the resistance of the entrenched [state] system,” it says.
“But one gets the impression that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is doing that
single-handedly or with the help of a handful of ministers and parliament
deputies and that others are waiting on the sidelines to see how all this
ends,” continues “Haykakan Zhamanak.” “Solutions to these problems require not
only teamwork but also a full mutual understanding between the [ruling] team
and the public. The establishment of that mutual understanding is incumbent on
not only Nikol Pashinian. This applies to everyone: both the authorities and
the opposition. In a critical situation one cannot step aside, place the entire
responsibility on one man and then complain that he governs the country on his
own.”
Citing comments made this week by a senior official from the Investigative
Committee, “Zhamanak” suggests that the authorities have made a “political
decision” to allow the Lydian International company to restart the Amulsar
project. “Apparently the authorities just need some time to ensure proper
conditions for the exploitation of the mine,” speculates the paper. It says the
protesters blocking Lydian’s access to Amulsar remain unwilling to lift the
blockade, thereby creating an “impasse” for the authorities. A use of force
against them would reflect negatively on Pashinian’s popularity, it claims,
adding that the prime minister risks meeting the fate of other post-Soviet
revolutionary leaders whose tenures proved a “political fiasco.”
“Zhoghovurd” describes as “overdue” the arrest of former Finance Minister Gagik
Khachatrian, arguing that law-enforcement authorities began investigating him
immediately after last year’s “Velvet Revolution.” State prosecutors said as
recently as in March that Khachatrian is not under investigation. “But it turns
out now that not only a criminal case was opened but that Khachatrian
compensated the state for the damage [caused by him] and yet Prosecutor-General
Artur Davtian was not aware of that,” says the paper.
(Sargis Harutyunyan)
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2019 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.
www.rferl.org
ArmInfo.. In the coming days, the National Assembly will receive a bill providing for the repayment of tuition fees for working students by income tax. Head of the parliamentary commission on education, science, culture, Diaspora and sports Mkhitar Hayrapetyan wrote about this on his Facebook page.
He said that the bill was prepared by the head of the "My Step" faction Lilit Makunts and MP Sisak Gabrielyan, and was introduced several months ago. "We expect that the law will be adopted this year, and students will be able to pay income tax as tuition fees already in the academic year 2020-2021," Hayrapetyan noted.
ArmInfo. Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinyan needs to change the statement of the Amulsar problem. By doing this, he would not only overthrow the game imposed on Armenia, but instead of the seemingly inevitable defeat, would gain victory and even a qualitative advantage. This is quite possible. Expert in the field of national security Hrachya Arzumanyan expressed a similar opinion to ArmInfo.
"In his recent speeches regarding Amulsar problem, the Armenian leader finally says what he should say, rather than trying to guess the opinion and mood of the centers of power. Here it becomes critically important who screwed over the Prime Minister of Armenia, who threw him into an impossible dilemma. In light of the fact that the problem and choice seem impossible and losing, regardless of which option is selected, the prime minister needs to change the problem statement, "he said.
Stressing the impossibility of giving specific recommendations in conditions when he is not part of the team and does not directly affect the system of development and decision-making by the new government, Arzumanyan emphasizes only the methodology. "I don't know their reason, what influences them, etc., respectively, I can't talk about the specifics. It would be unprofessional. But if we talk about the methodology, then in case of facing with the lack of good options in developing solutions, it seems necessary to change the statement of the problem, to build another projection of the problem, "the expert is convinced.
Considering that Amulsar's problem that has already turned into a public and political one is caused by the contradictions between investments and the environment, Arzumanyan advises the authorities to reformulate the problem as a socio-political one and seek, respectively, political and public answers and solutions. Given that Pashinyan himself and his power rests solely on the support of society, it is precisely his ability to reformulate the problem as public and social one that will allow him to sharply raise at least his own rating. Having demonstrated that he remains a nationwide public and political figure, the ability to form a public rather than a bureaucratic response to the challenges of society, Pashinyan, according to expert forecasts, will make the situation in Armenia more stable and developing. "Thus, a local loss in the form of the loss of one particular investment will be won back by creating the right atmosphere in the society that will make the investment climate in Armenia better. Money and business love silence and predictability. Having demonstrated the principles supported by the whole society, Armenia will thereby be perceived as a more stable, sustainable and predictable country and society, rather than a post-Soviet colony, the next step will be taken towards Armenia's return to the world political system as an responsible real actor, "Arzumanyan summed up.
ArmInfo.The Armenian authorities, together with other political forces, if there are any, of course, must be able to present their own approaches to Amulsar problem with the aim of making them common. A similar opinion was expressed to ArmInfo by economist Vahagn Khachatryan.
"To this end, balanced discussions are needed. And if in the end it becomes clear that the development of the mine is incompatible with the environment, I am convinced that Nikol Pashinyan will make an appropriate decision. In my opinion, the Armenian prime minister does not have any dependence on anyone in making decisions. This is his biggest advantage, "he said.
Amulsar mine is located 10 kilometers from the resort of Jermuk. According to the explored reserves of gold, the mine takes the second place in Armenia. Geological exploration of the area, which began in 2007, ended in 2015 with an environmental and social assessment of mining at the mine. Civil activists and environmentalists opposed the mine's operation, organizing mass protests in this regard, forcing Lydian Armenia to conduct additional research.
According to the economist, mining has always occupied a special place in Armenia. Khachatryan recalled that large-scale exploitation of the country's subsoil began after 1998, prior to that new permits had not been issued. At the same time, there are no calculations regarding the capabilities of a small country to carry such a heavy load. The economist is convinced of the need for specialized calculations in order to find out whether Armenian citizens are generally able to live normally in such an environment. Another necessary step, in his opinion, is the need to develop a strategy for the mining industry. Khachatryan is convinced that the mere presence of such a document would prevent the emergence of the Amulsar problem.
According to his estimates, from 2000 to 2018 the Ministry of Nature Protection and the Government of Armenia did their utmost to contribute to its destruction, leaving the successors a hopeless system that did not provide for any responsibility. Against this background, the same initiators of the Amulsar project today are trying to earn political dividends on its consequences for the purpose of their own political resurrection.
"For me personally, this is simply unacceptable, since the tasks set for Lydian Armenia in 2011 certainly did not pursue the goal of increasing the welfare of Armenian citizens. Nobody asked us, our opinion did not interest them. Today, people have come to power who enjoy trust and, accordingly, the support of society. However, these people also experience certain restrictions, as they represent the state with all the attendant consequences: responsibility, rules of the game, international principles, etc. The main difference in the situation between the "noughties" today is the possibility of discussing the problem and reaching a mutually acceptable consensus. And in my opinion such an opportunity should not be neglected, "the economist concluded.
PanARMENIAN.Net – "I am not alone" — a full-access feature documentary about Armenia's miraculous 2018 velvet revolution — will have its world premiere at the Toronto International Film Festival.
Directed by filmmaker Garin Hovannisian, the chronicle of the 2018 Armenian revolution combines front-line reportage with new interviews that describe incidents the cameras could not capture. '
"Hugely informative, briskly paced, and offering a laudable balance of perspectives, I Am Not Alone is a feat of nonfiction storytelling and a must-see for anyone eager to make sense of recent history," the description posted on TIFF's website reveals.
"I Am Not Alone extracts fascinating commentaries from an array of individuals on both sides, including Pashinyan and, most surprisingly, [former President and PM] Sargsyan. Defying one interview subject's characterization of Armenians as a people "who had forgotten how to dream," the film ably demonstrates that fundamental change brought about by the people can be made manifest."
The Armenian Prime Minister and former opposition lawmaker Nikol Pashinyan led massive demonstrations in April-May 2018 to oust former authorities.
After a civil disobedience campaign that lasted several weeks, the then Prime Minister Serzh Sargsyan resigned, which led to the dissolution of the parliament, snap elections and the subsequent election of Pashinyan as the country's new Prime Minister.
“I am happy to live in the same country and in the same city where Tigran Mansuryan lives. I am happy to sit next to the maestro,” Yerevan Mayor Hayk Marutyan stated on Wednesday at a press conference on the launch of series of concerts dedicated to the 80th birthday anniversary of the leading Armenian composer of classical music and film scores Tigran Mansuryan.
His music appears from silence, from the struggle between silence and noise. The year of 2019 is full of jubilee cultural events particularly dedicated to Maestro Mansuryan. The RA People’s Artist, composer Tigran Mansuryan is 80. “When we were discussing the format of events Maestro didn’t want any films dedicated to him or other events in any format but concerts”, said Deputy Mayor Tigran Virabyan.
As the Yerevan Municipality reports, on the initiative of Yerevan Municipality and with the support of the Government Armenian audience will have an exclusive opportunity to participate in the series of concerts dedicated to the Maestro’s jubilee. “The city didn’t have such a budget and the Mayor applied to the Government. The program will become the cultural pulse of the year”, added Tigrn Virabyan.
The art director and conductor of the State Symphonic orchestra of Armenia Sergey Smbatyan stressed that they were greatly inspired with the support of Yerevan Municipality.
“Mansuryan-80” musical festival starts on September 1, at Revival square in Artsakh. The symphonic orchestra will perform Mansuryan’s soundtracks at the open-air concert. The famous compositions by Mansuryan will be performed in a new arrangement.
“ The notes of some my works are not kept even in my personal library. Once I hand them to the Union of Cinematographers of Moscow, and significant works has been done in this regard”, told Tigran Mansuryan.
On September 4, the music by Maestro will be performed at Chamber Music House after Komitas. The compositions will be performed by the State Symphonic Orchestra of Armenia. the String Quartet after Saryan, piano players Pavel Dombrovski, Isabella Melkonyan, alt player Sergey Poltavski and soprano Anna Avdalyan.
On September 5, the State Symphonic Orchestra will perform Tigran Mansuryans instrumental concerts at Aram Khachaturyan Concert Hall.
On September 6, the same orchestra will perform Maestro’s music at the National Academic Theatre of Opera and Ballet.The admission is by tickets.
“I have never felt so much care and I am really grateful for it”, said Maestro. The festival will be completed in Gyumri, on September 13 at “Sev Berd” (“Black Castle”) monument. Within the frames of the program dedicated to Maestro’s jubilee limited edition of exclusive silver souvenirs will be issued to remind the guests arrived in Yerevan to participate in the concert of the special music event.
Anush Grigoryan has lost the first bout of the Women’s European Boxing Championship underway in Madrid, the National Olympic Committee reported.
European U22 champion started the struggle from the 1/8 final where lost to a Serb opponent and left the competition.
Armenia’s another representative, European U22 silver medalist Ani Hovsepyan still continues the competition. On August 28 the 64 kg weight class boxer will fight for reaching the semifinal.
Ararat-Armenia FC faces Luxembourg’s Dudelange in the second leg of Europa League play-off round. The match will take place on August 29. As the press service at the club reports, the squad left for Luxemburg on Wednesday morning.
To remind, in the first leg, the Armenian champion won Luxembourg side Dudelange 2:1. The match took place at Vazgen Sargsyan Republican Stadium in Yerevan.