Month: February 2020

SRC: Keeping tax secrecy is not an end in itself for Armenian authorities

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 4 2020

ArmInfo. For the Armenian authorities, maintaining tax secrets is not an end in itself. This was stated by Chairman of the State Revenue Committee of the Republic  of Armenia David Ananyan at a hearing in the parliamentary commission  on financial-credit and budgetary issues of the National Assembly on  February 4.

According to him, expanding the list of issues related to tax  secrecy, which the group of deputies of the Armenian parliament  insists on, should be the subject of public discussions. Ultimately,  the country’s main tax official continued, tax secret is understood  as commercial secret. “More recently, we opened administrative  proceedings in connection with the appeal of one of the business  entities that complained about data leakage to one of our  competitors,” said David Ananyan. He also stated that the issue of  maintaining tax secrecy is also a subject of internal security, and  tax officials are personally responsible for this. Nevertheless, the  head of the SRC called for a public discussion on this issue, based  on the results of which, perhaps, a reasonable decision will be made.  “The problem does not rest on whether the SRCemployees are ready or  not to disclose information, but whether the public is ready for  this,” said David Ananyan.

It should be noted that at present only the draft amendments to the  law “On Bank Secrecy” are in circulation, according to which the  court will be able to receive information from banks about the  accounts of financial offenders and their relatives. 

Book: Peter Balakian, Aram Arkun to present book about medieval Armenian capital

Bedik Zaminian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 4 2020

Culture 14:15 04/02/2020 Armenia

The National Association for Armenian Studies and Research (NAASR) will host a presentation by Dr. Peter Balakian and Aram Arkun entitled “The Ruins of Ani: From Sacred Landscape to Political Soil,” on Thursday, February 27, 2020, at 7:30 p.m., in Batmasian Hall on the third floor of the new NAASR Vartan Gregorian Building, 395 Concord Ave., Belmont, MA.The program is co-sponsored by the Tekeyan Cultural Association Boston Chapter and the NAASR/Calouste Gulbenkian Foundation Lecture Series on Contemporary Armenian Issues, Massis Post reports. 

From the tenth to the thirteenth centuries, the city of Ani was the jewel of the Armenian kingdom, renowned far and wide for its magnificent buildings. By the fifteenth century, Ani was virtually abandoned, its stunning buildings left to crumble. Yet its ruins have remained a symbol of cultural accomplishment that looms large in the Armenian imagination.

Today, Ani is a popular tourist site in Turkey, but the city has been falsified in its presentation by the Turkish government in order to erase Armenian history in the wake of the Armenian Genocide. Krikor Balakian’s “The Ruins of Ani”, first published in Armenian in 1910 as “Nkaragrut‘iwn Anii aweraknerun” and now available in English, is a unique combination of history, art criticism, and travel memoir. This timely publication and program raise important questions about the preservation of major historic monuments in the face of post atrocity campaigns of cultural erasure. Balakian and Arkun served as editor and translator, respectively, of “The Ruins of Ani” (Rutgers Univ. Press).

Dr. Peter Balakian is the Donald M. and Constance H. Rebar Professor of the Humanities in the department of English at Colgate University in Hamilton, New York. He is the author of many books, including “The Burning Tigris: The Armenian Genocide and America’s Response”, winner of the Raphael Lemkin Prize; “Black Dog of Fate”, winner of the PEN/Albrand Award for Memoir; and “Ozone Journal”, winner of the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry.

Aram Arkun is the Tekeyan Cultural Association of the United States and Canada and assistant editor at the Armenian Mirror-Spectator. He is the author of numerous academic articles and book chapters and translations, and has served as Director of the Zohrab Center in New York City and as editor of Ararat Quarterly.


Gevorg Kostanyan: I am ready to return to Armenia and publicly answer all the questions of the investigation

Emil Karabekian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 3 2020

ArmInfo. I am ready to return to Armenia and publicly answer all the questions of the  investigation. This is stated in the statement of the former Prosecutor General of Armenia Gevorg Kostanyan, who, to recall, who is accused in the case of the events of March 1, 2008.

The statement in particular notes: “Despite the fact that the charge  brought against me is devoid of any legal, logical and substantive  basis, I express my readiness to return to Armenia and publicly  answer all questions of the preliminary investigation body, given the  large range of the” March 1 case”, including the unilateral  presentation of this issue by the authorities at various  international venues. I propose organizing a public discussion with  the Prime Minister of the Republic of Armenia or with his direct  participation on-line, as well as with the participation of the head  of the SIS, the Prosecutor General, lawyers and international  experts. I also insist that representatives of the Council of Europe  and the EU in Armenia be invited to and participate in this public  discussion, as well as other ambassadors, whose presence I am ready  to ensure if necessary. I leave the number of participants in the  discussion and their choice to the discretion of the Prime Minister.

Although I am not a supporter of public discussion of criminal cases,  nevertheless, my demand to answer questions publicly is due to two  main reasons. The first is a unilateral discussion of the “March 1  case”, including at international venues and at the level of  ambassadors of different countries. The second is that law  enforcement agencies, without any justification, publish decisions on  bringing charges and other procedural documents in the media, and  through one-sided coverage by pro-government media, they give the  public the impression of guilt of specific people, hiding the real  circumstances of what happened in my case.

I’m even ready to return, realizing that after this meeting I will be  arrested, but our society should be informed not only about the  grounds and reasons for charging me with the question and answer  format, but also about those especially important circumstances of  the March 1 case, who are hiding from the public under the guise of a  “secret investigation”.

The Prime Minister of Armenia should be especially interested in such  a public discussion for two reasons. Firstly, since transparency and  open discussion with the people has been declared by him as a  priority, and secondly, since such a discussion will give him the  opportunity to assess the level of professionalism in the work of law  enforcement agencies subordinate to him, as well as the reliability  and validity of the legal subtleties reported to him in the office.  

If in the course of this public discussion the RA law enforcement  agencies succeed in presenting at least one more or less reasonable  evidence or the justification of the charges against me (not to  mention the totality of evidence), then I am ready to bear criminal  responsibility to the fullest extent of the law. I am also ready to  bear any responsibility, even if during this public discussion I can  not justify every word I say, based on the legislation, the  Constitution and the provisions of international criminal law>.  

To recall, on September 25 last year, former police chief Alik  Sargsyan was charged in the framework of the case of March 1, 2008.  The names of Gevorg Kostanyan and Gevorg Mheryan are mentioned in the  text of the charge. According to investigators, Sargsyan also  participated in hiding the facts of the participation of the military  in dispersing the opposition. A few years ago, from the Republic  Square in Yerevan a video goes viral on the Network, where vehicles  with the numbers of the Ministry of Defense,  as well as military  personnel were recorded. 

In addition, from the point of view of the investigation, the police  leadership and representatives of the Armed Forces drew up documents  stating that the army vehicles were transported not by soldiers, but  by police officers. Correspondence between the police and the  Ministry of Defense was fabricated for this. 

Armenia actively cooperates with a number of countries to implement a program for planting 10 million seedlings

Emil Lazarian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 3 2020

ArmInfo.Armenia launched the implementation of a program for planting 10 million seedlings.

As RA Deputy Minister of Environment Vardan Melikyan said at a  February 3 press conference, in order to acquire the necessary  planting material, relevant requests were sent to Russia, Belarus,  Georgia, Kazakhstan and Iran. In particular, the Belarusian side  announced its readiness to provide 10 million pine seedlings and up  to one million birch seedlings. Collaboration with Poland and Finland  is also planned.

The territories where the seedlings are planned to be planted are  already mapped, and at the next stage, the specialists will have to  select the plots taking into account which climate and soil will be  more preferable for a particular breed. As noted, the areas under  planting do not need to provide additional irrigation.  According to  Melikyan, tree planting will start tentatively on October 10,  however, this program will also have an educational component in  order to increase awareness of environmental aspects.

We add that by ratifying the Paris Agreement, Armenia committed to  increase the size of forest territories by 285 thousand ha by 2050,  which implies the planting of 800-900 million trees. This means that  up to 30 million seedlings should be planted at an annual rate. This  process automatically implies the creation of new nurseries of  seedlings, the creation of additional jobs, active interaction with  communities adjacent to forests, and so on. According to experts, the  large-scale planting program will enter the active phase around  2025-2026.

Venice Commission President calls for restraint to de-escalate the worrying situation around Armenia’s Constitutional Court

Greg Madatian
Panorama, Armenia
Feb 3 2020

President of the Venice Commission Gianni Buquicchio issued a statement over the current situation around Armenia’s Constitutional Court. “Following my statement of 29 October 2019, I remain preoccupied about the open conflict involving the Constitutional Court of Armenia. I share the concerns of the rapporteurs of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe in this respect,” the President said in a statement, published in the Commission’s website.

G. Buquicchio recalled the recommendations made in the opinion of the Venice Commission adopted in October 2019 that any early retirement scheme at the Constitutional Court has to remain truly voluntary, exclude any undue political or personal pressure on the judges concerned and must be designed not to influence the outcome of pending cases.

“Recent public statements and acts do not meet these criteria and will not be conducive to deescalating the situation. Democratic culture and maturity require institutional restraint, good faith and mutual respect between State institutions,” the statement said.

“I call again on all sides to exercise restraint and to de-escalate this worrying situation in order to ensure the normal operation of the constitution of Armenia,” the statement concluded.

Armenia`s Television and Radio Commission issued a statement in connection with television piece about Hrayr Tovmsyan

Maral Takmazian
Arminfo, Armenia
Feb 3 2020

ArmInfo.Armenia’s Television and Radio Commission issued a statement in connection with the scandalous television piece about Hrayr Tovmsyan, released on the Public  Television Channel on January 29 in the “News” program.

Given the criticism of the Commission, its representatives examined  this report and decided to make a statement. In particular, the  statement notes: “The Commission reiterates that it is not authorized  to intervene in the content policy of the public broadcaster, as well  as other private broadcasters.

At the same time, the commission shares the position of the Ombudsman  that this television piece violated the principle of the presumption  of innocence, the requirement of which applies to everyone, including  the media. However, we consider it necessary to state that in this  case the SIS bears the primary responsibility for violation of the  above principle, “the statement emphasizes.

It is also noted that the violation of the principle of the  presumption of innocence is not regulated by the Television and Radio  Law and does not provide for the imposition of a fine or other  punishment. “We would like to remind you that the Commission has  repeatedly drawn the attention of executive and legislative bodies  and the public to the fact that these and similar gaps in the  legislation (in many other countries these issues are regulated by  law) reduce the Commission’s ability to regulate and limit the right  of citizens to obtaining objective and impartial information, “the  statement says.

The Commission also regretted that violations of the presumption of  innocence, as well as the principles of impartiality of information,  diversity of opinion, right of reply, and journalistic behavior are  more common among private broadcasters, however, such behavior does  not receive political or public attention. 

“We express concern that the Council of Public Television and Radio  refused to provide its explanations to the public in connection with  the above mentioned video. Since, according to the law, it is the  Council that is responsible for the program policy, as well as for  observing the rules of professional conduct for journalists. Thus,  the Council was obliged to investigate cases of violation of the  rules of professional conduct of journalists on the basis of  complaints or on their own initiative.

Therefore, in cases of public appeal, the Council is obliged to  respond, maintain constant communication with the public, “the  statement of the commission notes. Regarding the allegations of some  persons, including the adviser to the Presidentof the Constitutional  Court of Armenia, to the Commission, its representatives stated:” The  Commission notes that it is an independent state body, and the  adviser to the President of the Constitutional Court should know that  before such public statements as “the Commission performs its  functions poorly” walk was to compare the current work of the  Commission to the fact that it was before. Or, clearly articulate the  norms stipulated by the Commission, according to which it was obliged  to bring to responsibility the program of the Public Television  Company. Moreover, the adviser is obliged to comply with the  standards of conduct of a public servant provided for by law, ” the  statement notes.

It should be noted that on January 29 a broadcast about the new  details revealed by the SIS regarding the head of the Constitutional  Court Hrayr Tovmasyan was broadcast on the Public TV channel on the  News program. In turn, on the same evening, Tovmasyan’s lawyers  circulated a statement accusing the country’s television channel of  disseminating investigation materials, as well as of flagrant  violation of the presumption of innocence.

In turn, the Media Defender initiative also condemned the unilateral  propaganda information policy of the state-owned television channel,  existing at the expense of taxpayers. Representatives of the  initiative demanded that the Commission on Television and Radio of RA  “immediately stop its disgraceful information policy.”

Chess: Armenian chess players to compete in Aeroflot Open

Emil Lazarian
MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 3 2020
 
 
Armenian chess players to compete in Aeroflot Open
 
 
The annual Aeroflot Open chess tournament kicks off in Moscow on February 18. It is held in three groups: A, B and C.
 
In the main tournament, Armenia will be represented by men’s national team member Gabriel Sargsyan and young grandmasters Hayk Martirosyan and Shant Sargsyan.
 
In the B tournament, Armenia will have women’s national team members Elina Danielyan, Lilit Mkrtchyan and Anna Sargsyan, as well as international player Davit Gevorgyan.
 

Sports: Andranik Karapetyan wins gold for snatch in Fajr Cup

Baghdasarian Karlen
MediaMax, Armenia
Feb 3 2020
 
 
Andranik Karapetyan wins gold for snatch in Fajr Cup
 
 
Fajr Cup, a qualification event in weightlifting, is underway in Rasht, Iran.
 
The first member of Armenian national team to perform was Andranik Karapetyan (81kg). He lifted 160kg in snatch and won the gold medal for the exercise. In clean and jerk, Karapetyan lifted 185kg. The Armenian athlete finished 4th with combined result of 345kg.
 
Later, another Armenian weightlifter, European and World champion Hakob Mkrtchyan (69kg) will enter into the competition.
 
  

Azerbaijani press: Armenia making fraudulent attempt to distort int’l public opinion on Karabakh conflict

Hovhannisian John
3 February 2020 17:24 (UTC+04:00)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3

By Leman Zeynalova – Trend:

The Armenian Foreign Ministry is making a fraudulent attempt to distort the international public opinion on the Armenia-Azerbaijan Nagorno-Karabakh conflict, Peter M. Tase, strategic adviser on international affairs and public diplomacy to governments, universities and corporations in Europe and the Americas, told Trend.

The fact that Armenian high ranking officials are recently issuing controversial statements is nothing new in their ill-intentioned strategy towards continuing with the occupation of sovereign territory of Azerbaijan and causing more harm to regional economic and tourism prospects in the Caucasus, Tase noted.

“The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Armenia is making a fraudulent attempt to distort the international public opinion by pretending that in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan there are elected officials,” the US expert said. “What we really have in occupied territories of Nagorno-Karabakh Republic of Azerbaijan, is simply an illegitimate autocratic puppet regime that is installed by Armenian government.”

Armenian government is making another futile attempt to show to international community and the OSCE that local-medieval rulers in the occupied territories of Azerbaijan, are trustworthy elected officials, Tase added.

“The fundamental challenge is that Armenian government has committed crimes against humanity in sovereign territory of Azerbaijan,” said the expert. “The Armenian local authorities in occupied territories of Azerbaijan are not legitimate, are the authors of animosity and unlimited hostilities that are incongruent to principal democratic processes and to effective public policies, government transparency.”

“The statements made by Minister Mnatsakanyan are a ruthless crime against the democratic principles of consolidated societies and reflect the stereotypes of Armenian government that are grossly harming the regional security matrix in the outskirts of Europe,” Tase noted.

Armenian leadership is not transparent and strives to maintain the current status-quo, said the expert, adding that it is time for Armenian troops to go home.

“Azerbaijan is keen, deeply committed, to solve this conflict by peaceful means and has made every effort to secure a full integrity of its sovereign territories under the framework of UN Security Council and the principals of international public law,” Tase added.

In turn, Nathalie Goulet, French senator and vice-chair of the Senate’s Foreign Affairs Committee, told Trend that the dissemination of such statements contrary to international law is a sign of a misunderstanding of history and a fraud.

“I believe that the OSCE Minsk Group should pay attention to the formulations used in this issue in order to avoid misunderstanding and mistrust,” Goulet said.

The conflict between the two South Caucasus countries began in 1988 when Armenia made territorial claims against Azerbaijan. As a result of the ensuing war, Armenian armed forces occupied 20 percent of Azerbaijan, including the Nagorno-Karabakh region and seven surrounding districts.

The 1994 ceasefire agreement was followed by peace negotiations. Armenia has not yet implemented four UN Security Council resolutions on withdrawal of its armed forces from Nagorno Karabakh and the surrounding districts.


Azerbaijani press: Political analyst: PACE doesn’t distinguish between occupied country and aggressor country

Aram Torosian
3 February 2020 17:28 (UTC+04:00)

BAKU, Azerbaijan, Feb. 3

Trend:

The PACE resolution on so-called “political prisoners” in Azerbaijan on the eve of parliamentary elections in the country and its adoption by a majority of votes to recommend to the CoE Committee of Ministers is another step designed to strike at Azerbaijan’s reputation, Ilyas Huseynov, a political analyst, told Trend, commenting on the PACE resolution adopted at its winter session.

According to Ilyas Huseynov, PACE, where deputies with pro-Armenian position make up the majority, has once again demonstrated a biased approach towards Azerbaijan.

“It is regrettable that PACE does not distinguish between the occupied country and the aggressor country. It is unacceptable that people arrested in Azerbaijan for specific criminal acts are called political prisoners,” Huseynov said.

“Why was PACE silent when Dilgam Asgarov and Shahbaz Guliyev were taken hostages by the Armenian armed forces, while they wanted to visit the graves of relatives in the Kalbajar district on July 11, 2014, when an illegal “court” sentenced Dilgam Asgarov to life imprisonment and Shahbaz Guliyev to 22 years of imprisonment? Therefore, this biased position taken towards Azerbaijan by PACE, which turns a blind eye to the inhuman attitude towards Azerbaijani “prisoners” and the conditions of their detention, can not be understood,” the Azerbaijani political analyst added.

Ilyas Huseynov emphasized that some organizations demonstrate an anti-Azerbaijani position in their reports and decisions that are not based on the real situation and facts in the country, but mainly on the speculations by the radical opposition.

“The pro-Armenian forces, using the information of the radical opposition, which aims at discrediting the democratic electoral environment in the country, continue the campaign against Azerbaijan,” Huseynov concluded.