Wednesday,
Another Armenian Town Sealed Off Due To Coronavirus Outbreak
• Narine Ghalechian
Armenia -- Police officers enforcing a coronavirus lockdown check cars leaving
Yerevan, April 1, 2020.
Authorities blocked on Wednesday all roads leading to Vartenis, a small town 160
kilometers northeast of Yerevan, after registering 47 cases of coronavirus there
in recent days.
Acting on a government order, Armenia’s police and National Security Service
(NSS) set up roadblocks early in the morning to prevent people leaving or
entering Vartenis. Only vehicles carrying food, fuel and medicine as well as
individuals having special permissions issued by the regional administration
were allowed to pass through the checkpoints.
Gnel Sanosian, the governor of the surrounding Gegharkunik province, told
RFE/RL’s Armenian service that 21 of the infected people are employees of the
local hospital and policlinic. He said one of them, a policlinic doctor, was the
primary source of the COVID-19 outbreak recorded late last week.
“We still cannot establish where the disease entered Vartenis from,” said
Sanosian. “But have we have ascertained the circle of the infected people’s
contacts.”
Sanosian confirmed that some of the other local residents who tested positive
for coronavirus are members of a non-traditional religious group. He did not
deny rumors that the group, which he refused to name, has held religious
services despite a ban on any gatherings imposed by the Armenian government last
month.
“If necessary, relevant bodies will deal with that and we will find out where
those people went and in which gatherings they participated,” added the
governor. “Our main task right now is to treat and take care of everyone.”
As part of the one-week lockdown, the authorities quarantined 150 other Vartenis
residents who came into contact with the infected people. They will spend the
next two weeks in hotels in other parts of the country. Dozens of other locals
were ordered to self-isolate.
Another small town, Maralik, was sealed off for on Monday after 18 doctors and
other employees of a local hospital were diagnosed with the potentially lethal
disease. Three other Maralik residents are among 24 people who have died from
the virus in Armenia so far.
The Armenian Ministry of Health reported 72 new coronavirus cases across the
country in the past day. The total number of such cases thus reached 1,473.
According to the ministry, a total of 633 people recovered from COVID-19 to date.
Sarkisian’s Son-In-Law Indicted On Corruption Charges
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Armenia -- Mikael Minasyan.
Armenian tax authorities have brought corruption charges against Mikael
Minasian, former President Serzh Sarkisian’s son-in-law and reputed confidant
highly critical of the current government, it emerged on Wednesday.
The State Revenue Committee (SRC) gave no details of the accusations of illegal
enrichment, false asset disclosure and money laundering which were leveled
against him one month ago. Minasian’s lawyers rejected them as unfounded and
politically motivated.
Minasian served as Armenia’s ambassador to the Vatican from 2013 to 2018. He was
sacked in November 2018 six months after Sarkisian was toppled in the “Velvet
Revolution” led by Nikol Pashinian, the current prime minister.
Minasian, 42, enjoyed considerable political and economic influence in the
country throughout Sarkisian’s decade-long rule. He is also thought to have
developed extensive business interests in various sectors of the Armenian
economy.
One of the defense lawyers, Amram Makinian, said the money laundering charge
stems from large sums of cash which Minasian transferred from one of his bank
accounts to another in 2017-2018. He declined to specify the total amount of
that money.
“The investigating body has noted that documents at his disposal prove the legal
origin of the money and that money resulted from the sale of his stake in a
property,” Makinian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service. “The transfer of the
proceeds from the totally legal sale of those assets is now deemed money
laundering. This is one of the most pathetic accusations I have ever seen.”
The lawyer also insisted that the other accusations are based on a “technical
error” committed by the employee of a private firm which drew up and filed
Minasian’s income declarations. He said that SRC investigators are refusing to
summon that person for questioning.
“The investigating body and prosecutors realize that the criminal case will
collapse if they are interrogated,” claimed Makinian.
Vatican - Armenian Ambassador Mikael Minasian (R) speaks at an event during
President Serzh Sarkisian's visit to Rome, 19Sep2014.
In his first income declaration filed with a state body in 2013, Minasian said
that he owns an apartment in Yerevan, four villas and shares in two companies in
addition to having more than $2.5 million in cash in his bank accounts. He also
declared ownership of an expensive collection of more than 200 artworks.
In Makinian’s words, the investigators have asked a court in Yerevan to allow
his client’s arrest.
Minasian apparently left Armenia shortly after his sacking. Since then he has
increasingly attacked Armenia’s current leadership and Pashinian in particular
with articles posted on his Facebook page and disseminated by Armenian media
outlets believed to be controlled by him. He has accused the government of
incompetence and misrule.
For his part, Pashinian has repeatedly accused Minasian of illegally making a
huge fortune during Sarkisian’s rule. Pashinian most probably referred to
Sarkisian’s son-in-law when he pledged, during a November 2019 visit to Italy,
to bring to justice Armenia’s “best-known corrupt individuals” who he said are
“hiding in Vatican basements.”
In a January 11 article, Pashinian’s “Haykakan Zhamanak” daily accused Minasian
of masterminding a smear campaign against the prime minister family.
Minasian’s father Ara is a renowned doctor who ran a state hospital in Yerevan
until the Armenian Health Ministry accused him of embezzlement in July 2018. Ara
Minasian strongly denied the allegations. He apparently fled Armenia before
being formally charged in November 2018.
Sarkisian, who still leads the former ruling Republican Party of Armenia, is
also facing embezzlement charges which he rejects as politically motivated. The
ex-president’s trial began in late February.
Moscow Dismisses Complaints About Russian Gas Price For Armenia
Switzerland -- Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov attends the Human Rights
Council at the United Nations in Geneva, February 25, 2020.
Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov has defended Moscow’s reluctance to cut
the price of its natural gas supplied to Armenia and criticized Armenian
criminal investigations into major Russian companies operating in the country.
The Armenian government effectively requested a price cut in a letter to
Russia’s Gazprom giant sent late last month. The letter argued that
international oil prices, which essentially determine the cost of Russian gas
supplied to Europe, have fallen sharply due to the coronavirus pandemic.
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian also discussed the matter by phone on March 31
with President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus, which is also heavily dependent
on Russian gas. According to Lukashenko’s press office, the two men agreed that
the current gas prices set for their countries are “inflated.”
Lukashenko has since repeatedly complained that European Union member states are
now paying less for Russian gas than Belarus or Armenia, which are part of the
Russian-led Eurasian Economic Union (EEU).
Kazakhstan - Belarusian President Alexander Lukashenko (L) and Armenian Prime
Minister Nikol Pashinian talk at a CSTO summit in Astana, 8 November 2018.
Lavrov dismissed such complaints during a video conference on Tuesday. He argued
that unlike EU consumers, Armenia and Belarus buy Russian gas at fixed prices
that had been set well below international market-based levels.
“When the existing price for Armenia and Belarus was two or three times lower
than the international price this was taken for granted and nobody said that
it’s politics,” he said.
While acknowledging that the two ex-Soviet states allied to Russia are entitled
to privileged treatment by Gazprom Lavrov stressed that they must also honor
their “contractual obligations.”
Lavrov also said that internal gas prices set by Armenian utility regulators
make it harder for Gazprom to agree to a deeper discount. He complained that
this “chronic” problem is “not being solved for several years running.”
The retail prices have remained unchanged since Gazprom raised its wholesale
tariff for Armenia from $150 to $165 per thousand cubic meters in January 2019.
Armenia’s Gazprom-owned gas distribution network has incurred additional losses
as a result.
Last month the Gazprom Armenia network formally asked the Public Services
Regulatory Commission (PSRC) to allow a roughly 11 percent rise in the gas
prices set for Armenian households and businesses. The commission has to approve
or reject the application by June 19.
Deputy Prime Minister Mher Grigorian said on April 15 that in response to his
letter Gazprom Chairman Alexei Miller indicated that it is up to the two
governments to agree on the new wholesale price. Pashinian discussed the issue
with Russian President Vladimir Putin in an April 6 phone call.
Lavrov mentioned that conversation, saying that Putin and Pashinian “see ways of
developing our alliance and strategic partnership.” But he did not clarify
whether the two leaders reached any agreements on the gas issue.
Armenia -- A commuter train at Yerevan's railway station, February 27, 2018.
The Russian minister promised that Moscow will continue to take into account
“our allied relations” in deciding the gas price for Armenia. But, he said,
Yerevan too should demonstrate its commitment to the Russian-Armenian alliance
by dropping “inappropriate” criminal proceedings launched against major Russian
corporations.
Lavrov singled out Armenia’s railway network managed by the Russia Railways
(RZD) giant.
An Armenian law-enforcement agency effectively accused the network called South
Caucasus Railway (SRC) of investment-related fraud after raiding its offices and
confiscating company documents in August 2018. Both SRC and its Russian operator
denied any wrongdoing.
Russia’s Deputy Transport Minister Vladimir Tokarev said last September that the
continuing criminal investigation has effectively disrupted RZD’s operations in
Armenia. He warned that the state-run company managing Russia’s vast network of
railways is therefore considering pulling out of a 30-year management contract
signed with the former Armenian government in 2008.
In late 2018, Armenian law-enforcement authorities also launched a fraud inquiry
into Gazprom’s Armenian subsidiary. They have not indicted any senior executives
of the gas and railways operators so far.
Armenian Opposition Demands Explanations On Karabakh Talks
• Ruzanna Stepanian
Germany -- Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian (R) and Azerbaijani President
Ilham Aliyev meet in Munich, February 15, 2020.
Armenian opposition leaders demanded on Wednesday that Prime Minister Nikol
Pashinian personally comment on Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov’s claim
that Yerevan and Baku are “actively discussing” peace proposals calling for
Armenian territorial concessions to Azerbaijan.
Lavrov said on Tuesday that he presented them to his Armenian and Azerbaijani
counterparts at a trilateral meeting held in Moscow a year ago. He said the
proposals envisage a phased settlement of the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict which
would start with Armenian withdrawal from “several districts around Karabakh.”
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian implicitly denied this. He insisted that
for the last two years the conflicting parties have only exchanged views on
“some elements” of peace deals put forward by the Russian, U.S. and French
mediators in the past.
Mnatsakanian’s assurances did not satisfy the two opposition parties represented
in the Armenian parliament. Their top representatives said Lavrov’s statement
runs counter to Pashinian’s repeated claims that no Karabakh peace accords have
been on the agenda of Armenian-Azerbaijani talks held during his rule.
“With all due respect for my good friend Zohrab Mnatsakanian, I must say that
his response was absolutely inadequate,” said Naira Zohrabian of the Prosperous
Armenia Party. “He did not answer the most serious and important question: what
active negotiations are they talking about?”
Armenia -- Edmon Marukian, the leader of Bright Armenia Party, talks to RFE/RL,
Yerevan, March 21, 2020.
“It is very important that Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian also reacts,” said
Bright Armenia Party leader Edmon Marukian. “Our officials are saying that there
are only discussions, not negotiations, while Lavrov is saying that there are
negotiations and they center on a particular document.”
Marukian told RFE/RL’s Armenian service that Yerevan should not only “provide
explanations to our public” but also “demand explanations from the Russian side.”
Ruben Rubinian, the pro-government chairman of a parliament committee on foreign
affairs, insisted, however, Mnatsakanian’s response was good enough. “The
Armenian foreign mister told the truth yesterday,” he said.
In a joint statement issued in March 2019, the mediators reiterated that a
Karabakh settlement must involve “return of the territories surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh
providing guarantees for security and self-governance; a corridor linking
Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of
Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will.”
This formula has been at the heart of various framework peace accords drafted by
the U.S., Russian and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group since 2007.
Armenia, Azerbaijan Pledge To Keep Karabakh Peace Process Alive
Switzerland -- Foreign Ministers Zohrab Mnatsakanian of Armenia and Elmar
Mammadyarov of Azerbaijan and international mediators meet in Geneva, January
30, 2020.
Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s foreign ministers pledged to continue looking for
ways to resolve the Nagorno-Karabakh conflict despite the coronavirus pandemic
during a joint video conference with international mediators held late on
Tuesday.
“Considering the great challenges now confronting all populations without regard
to political boundaries … the Foreign Ministers and the Co-Chairs [of the OSCE
Minsk Group] expressed the hope that the resolve seen in the global pandemic
response will bring a creative and constructive impetus to the peace process,”
read a joint statement issued by them.
“The Foreign Ministers and Co-Chairs agreed to remain in close contact and to
continue negotiations in person as soon as possible,” it said.
The statement said that the worldwide spread of the virus has delayed not only
such talks but also confidence-building “humanitarian measures” previously
agreed by the conflicting parties. “Nevertheless, the necessary work to prepare
these activities continues,” it stressed.
During the discussion, the U.S., Russian and French mediators co-heading the
Minsk Group also renewed their calls for the parties to “strictly” observe the
ceasefire in the conflict zone and “avoid provocative actions in the current
environment,” according to the statement.
Foreign Minister Zohrab Mnatsakanian and his Azerbaijani counterpart Elmar
Mammadyarov most recently met in the mediators’ presence in Geneva on January 30
for two days of what they called “intensive discussions.” In a joint statement,
they said they focused on “possible next steps to prepare the populations for
peace” and “principles and elements forming the basis of a future settlement.”
Two weeks later, Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian and Azerbaijan’s
President Ilham Aliyev held a brief meeting before participating in a panel
discussion on Karabakh held as part of an annual security conference in Munich.
Earlier on Tuesday, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said that the two
sides have been actively discussing a peace plan which he presented to
Mnatsakanian and Mammadyarov at a trilateral meeting held in Moscow a year ago.
Lavrov said the plan calls for a phased settlement that would start with
Armenian withdrawal from “several districts around Karabakh.”
Mnatsakanian implicitly denied this at a news conference held in Yerevan shortly
afterwards. He insisted that for the last two years Baku and Yerevan have only
exchanged views on “some elements” of a possible peace deal.
Mnatsakanian said that any deal must allow the Karabakh Armenians to exercise
their right to self-determination through a “free expression of will” that would
involve no “limitations.”
Azerbaijan has repeatedly ruled out any settlement that would fall short of
restoring Azerbaijani control over Karabakh.
In a joint statement issued in March 2019, the mediators said “any fair and
lasting settlement” must involve “return of the territories surrounding
Nagorno-Karabakh to Azerbaijani control; an interim status for Nagorno-Karabakh
providing guarantees for security and self-governance; a corridor linking
Armenia to Nagorno-Karabakh; future determination of the final legal status of
Nagorno-Karabakh through a legally binding expression of will.”
Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
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