Month: December 2020

                                        Tuesday, 

Anti-Government Protests Continue In Armenia

        • Sargis Harutyunyan
        • Astghik Bedevian

Armenia -- Opposition supporters demonstrate in Yerevan to demand Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian's resignation, .

A coalition of more than a dozen Armenian opposition parties vowed to force 
Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian to resign soon as thousands of its supporters 
continued to demonstrate in Yerevan on Tuesday.

It sought to step up the pressure on Pashinian in the face of his continuing 
refusal to hand over power to an interim government following the war in 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

“We have been growing in number for the last several days and our ranks are 
joined by more and more decent people,” Artur Vanetsian, the leader of one of 
the parties making up the Homeland Salvation Movement, told the crowd marching 
through the city center.

“Together we will very quickly drive Nikol, who is clinging to power, out of the 
government building and he will be held accountable before the Armenian nation,” 
said the former director of the country’s National Security Service.

Ishkhan Saghatelian of the Armenian Revolutionary Federation (Dashnaktsutyun), 
another key member of the opposition grouping, said the protests will continue 
on a daily basis and end in success soon.

“These demonstrations are multiplying our power and more people are joining us 
every day,” he claimed. “As a result of these actions, we will set the stage for 
Nikol’s departure in the coming days. The New Year without Nikol!”


Armenia -- Opposition supporters demonstrate in Yerevan to demand Prime Minister 
Nikol Pashinian's resignation, .

The opposition forces hold Pashinian responsible for the Armenian side’s defeat 
in the war with Azerbaijan and say he is not capable of confronting new security 
challenges facing the country. Their demands for his resignation, the formation 
of an interim government and conduct of fresh parliamentary elections within a 
year have been backed by President Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian Apostolic 
Church and prominent public figures in Armenia and its worldwide Diasapora.

Pashinian has rejected these demands. In a televised address to the nation aired 
on Monday, he insisted that he still has a mandate to govern the country and 
will quit only in case of a democratic “expression of the people’s will.”

Pashinian met on Tuesday with parliament deputies representing his My Step bloc. 
Participants of the two-hour meeting said it focused on the current situation in 
the Karabakh conflict zone and the ruling political team’s plans to amend the 
Armenian Electoral Code.

One of the pro-government lawmakers, Nazeli Baghdasarian, told reporters that 
the authorities “do not rule out pre-term elections.” But she would not be drawn 
on when they might be held.

Baghdasarian also claimed that the opposition does not want the polls to be held 
soon because it would stand no chance of winning them.



Freed Captives Examined By Doctors

        • Marine Khachatrian

Armenia - Captives freed by Azerbaijan walk off a Russian plane at Yerevan's 
Erebuni airport, 

Doctors in Yerevan were examining on Tuesday the first group of Armenian 
soldiers and civilians freed by Azerbaijan in a prisoner swap facilitated by 
Russia.

The 30 prisoners of war (POWs) and 14 civilian captives, most of them residents 
of Nagorno-Karabakh, were flown to Yerevan by a Russian plane late on Monday. 
For its part, the Armenian side released 12 Azerbaijani prisoners.

All of the freed Armenians were hospitalized immediately after their 
repatriation. According to the Armenian Ministry of Health, the civilians were 
taken to civilian hospitals in Yerevan to undergo thorough checkups and, if 
necessary, receive medical treatment.

Officials confirmed that some of the 44 soldiers and civilians were captured by 
the Azerbaijani side before the recent Karabakh war stopped by a 
Russian-brokered ceasefire. One of those servicemen, Arayik Ghazarian, was taken 
prisoner after straying into Azerbaijani territory in August 2019.

Ghazarian’s mother was among relatives of the freed POWs who waited outside a 
military hospital where the latter were examined by doctors.

“They were giving me hope, saying that if there is a prisoner swap Arayik will 
definitely come back because Azerbaijan did not bring criminal charges against 
him,” she told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service.

The November 10 truce agreement commits the conflicting sides to exchanging all 
POWs and other captives held by them. Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian spoke 
on Monday of “intensive” efforts to secure the release of other Armenians 
remaining in Azerbaijani captivity.

Their precise number remains unclear. Armenian official say only that Azerbaijan 
has admitted holding fewer Armenian POWs than were captured by it during the 
six-week war.

“Some of the prisoners have been returned home but a large number of others 
remain in Azerbaijan,” said Artak Zeynalian, a human rights lawyer representing 
the families of dozens of POWs.



Armenian Central Bank Raises Key Interest Rate


Armenia -- The governing board of the Central Bank meets in Dilijan, January 1, 
2017.

The Central Bank of Armenia (CBA) raised its main interest rate by 1 percentage 
point on Tuesday following a major depreciation of the national currency, the 
dram.
The CBA’s governing board increased the refinancing rate to 5.25 percent from 
4.25 percent despite anticipating a sharper contraction of the Armenian economy 
than was projected earlier this year.

The bank cut the benchmark rate for four times between March and September this 
year as the economy plunged into recession due to the coronavirus pandemic. 
During the most recent rate cut it forecast a GDP decline of 6.2 percent.

Armenia’s economic outlook worsened further following the ensuing outbreak of 
the war in Nagorno-Karabakh stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire on November 
10. The domestic economy is now projected to shrink by more than 7 percent in 
2020.

The Armenian dram has weakened against the U.S. dollar by almost 6 percent over 
the past month. Its exchange rate had been largely stable since 2013.

The CBA board did not mention the dram’s depreciation in a statement explaining 
the interest rate rise. The statement cited instead what it described as 
increased inflationary pressures on the Armenian economy emanating from the 
outside world.

Senior Central Bank officials downplayed the exchange rate fluctuations earlier 
this month. They said the bank’s key concern is to continue to curb inflation.

The weaker dram has already pushed up the prices of some key imported foodstuffs 
such as flour, sugar and cooking oil.

The International Monetary Fund praised the CBA’s monetary policy when it 
approved a $37 million loan tranche to Armenia late last week. At the same time 
it urged the bank to be ready to “adjust” that policy while maintaining 
“exchange rate flexibility.”



Another Provincial Governor To Resign

        • Karine Simonian

Armenia -- Lori Governor Andrey Ghukasian.

The governor of Armenia’s northern Lori province said on Tuesday that he will 
step down because of a decision to replace him made by the country’s political 
leadership.

“After the political decision made within the [ruling] team I was offered to 
tender my resignation,” Andrei Ghukasian told RFE/RL’s Armenian Service. “I 
accepted the decision and am going to resign tomorrow.”

“After the resignation I will stay in the team and fully support the 
government,” he said, adding that he has already received new job offers but 
wants to “take a little break for having a rest.”

Ghukasian linked the decision to replace him with ongoing “changes” taking place 
in Armenia but did not elaborate. He said he is likely to be replaced by another 
member of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian’s political team.

Last week, a pro-government lawmaker representing a Lori constituency resigned 
from the National Assembly, saying that he will soon take up a position in the 
executive branch. The lawmaker, Aram Khachatrian, on Tuesday did not deny or 
confirm his impending appointment as Lori’s new governor.

Ghukasian has run the region bordering Georgia for the last two years. He is the 
third provincial governor replaced since a Russian-brokered ceasefire that 
stopped the war in Nagorno-Karabakh on November 10.

The Armenian side’s defeat in the war sparked opposition protests and growing 
calls for Pashinian’s resignation. The prime minister has refused to quit so 
far, pledging instead to reshuffle his cabinet. He has replaced six government 
ministers over the past month.



Armenia, Azerbaijan Begin Prisoner Swap


NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Armored vehicles of Russian peacekeepers move along the road 
towards Agdam from their check point outside Askeran, November 20, 2020


Armenia and Azerbaijan exchanged on Monday the first groups of prisoners under a 
Russian-brokered deal that stopped the war in Nagorno-Karabakh last month.
Armenian officials said a Russian plane carrying 44 Armenian prisoners landed at 
Yerevan’s Erebuni airport late in the evening. It was not immediately clear if 
the group included only soldiers or also Karabakh Armenian civilians that were 
held in Azerbaijani captivity.

“Additional information about the returned prisoners will be provided later on,” 
Deputy Prime Minister Tigran Avinian said in a Facebook post that announced the 
start of the prisoner swap.

“The process of finding and repatriating our other compatriots who went missing 
or were possibly taken prisoner is continuing intensively,” he said.

An Azerbaijani government agency announced the start of the exchange earlier in 
the day. It did not say how many Azerbaijanis have been returned home.

According to news reports, the Armenian side freed two Azerbaijani men who were 
detained in 2014 after crossing into the Kelbajar district which was handed back 
to Azerbaijan late last month. The men subsequently received long prison 
sentences after being convicted by a Karabakh court of murdering an Armenian 
teenager.

The November 10 truce agreement calls for the exchange of all prisoners of war 
(POWs) and civilians held by the conflicting sides.

Armenia’s and Karabakh’s closely integrated armed forces have not yet given the 
official number of Armenian POWs. According to officials in Yerevan and 
Stepanakert, Azerbaijan has admitted holding fewer Armenian soldiers than were 
captured by it during the six-week war.

Karabakh’s human rights ombudsman said earlier this month that his office has 
identified about 60 Armenian POWs shown in videos widely circulated on 
Azerbaijani social media accounts.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.

 

                                        Monday, 

U.S., French Envoys Explore Renewed Karabakh Talks


Armenia -- The U.S. and French co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Group and other 
diplomats meet with Armenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian, Yerevan, December 
14, 2020.

U.S. and French mediators have visited Baku and Yerevan to explore the 
possibility of resuming Armenian-Azerbaijani peace talks following the war in 
Nagorno-Karabakh.

The two co-chairs of the OSCE Minsk Groups traveled to the region to follow up 
on a December 3 statement by Russia’s and France’s foreign ministers and U.S. 
Deputy Secretary of State Stephen Biegun calling on Armenia and Azerbaijan to 
“take advantage of the current ceasefire to negotiate a lasting and sustainable 
peace agreement.”

The statement also urged the conflicting parties to meet the U.S., Russian and 
French diplomats co-heading the OSCE Minsk Group and “commit to substantive 
negotiations to resolve all outstanding issues in accordance with an agreed 
timetable.”

The Russian co-chair, Igor Popov, did not join his French and U.S. counterparts, 
Stephane Visconti and Andrew Schofer, in meeting with Armenia’s and Azerbaijan’s 
leaders. Moscow gave no reason for Popov’s conspicuous absence. It was 
represented at the talks by Russian diplomats based in Baku and Yerevan.

According to an Armenian government statement, Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian 
discussed with the visiting mediators on Monday ways of restarting peace process 
more than one month after Russia brokered an agreement to stop the war in 
Karabakh.

The statement cited Pashinian as saying that the United States, Russia and 
France should resume their joint efforts to achieve a “comprehensive settlement” 
of the Karabakh conflict. He stuck to the official Armenian line that Karabakh’s 
predominantly ethnic Armenian population must be able to exercise its right to 
self-determination as part of that settlement.

Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev met with Schofer and Visconti on Saturday. He 
reiterated that Baku essentially resolved the long-running conflict during the 
six-week war which resulted in sweeping Azerbaijani territorial gains.

Aliyev again blamed Pashinian for the war, saying that the Armenian leader 
“ruined the negotiations with provocative actions and statements.” He also 
lambasted the Minsk Group, saying that it has failed to achieve a peaceful 
solution to the conflict.



IMF Approves $37 Million Loan Tranche To Armenia


U.S. -- An exterior view of the building of the International Monetary Fund 
(IMF), with the IMG logo, is seen in Washington, March 27, 2020

The International Monetary Fund has disbursed a fresh $37 million installment of 
a loan designed to help Armenia cope with the coronavirus pandemic and economic 
consequences.

The loan tranche brought to about $332 million the total amount of funds 
allocated to the country under the IMF’s Stand-By Arrangement worth $443 million.

The IMF approved the lending program in May as the Armenian economy plunged into 
recession after three years of robust growth. The decision came shortly after 
the Armenian government announced plans to borrow around $540 million to offset 
a major shortfall in tax revenues and finance its efforts to contain the 
pandemic.

Armenia’s economic woes were compounded by the war in Nagorno-Karabakh that 
broke out in late September and was stopped by a Russian-brokered ceasefire six 
weeks later.

In a weekend statement announcing the disbursement, the IMF said that the 
Armenian economy is on course to contract by more than 7 percent this year 
seeing as “the full impact of the twin crises is still unfolding.”

“The Fund’s financial support will help Armenia meet these challenges, including 
the urgent social and economic implications of COVID-19 pandemic,” read the 
statement.

“The authorities have responded proactively to mitigate the socioeconomic and 
health effects of these shocks,” it quoted Tao Zhang, the IMF’s deputy managing 
director, as saying.

“The authorities’ 2021 budget is appropriate given weak growth and is embedded 
in a clear medium-term fiscal strategy. The authorities remain committed to 
taking measures to safeguard debt sustainability as a result of which public 
debt is expected to fall to around 60 percent of GDP over the medium-term,” 
added Zhang.

In its draft budget debated by the Armenian parliament, the government projected 
a GDP growth rate of 3.2 percent for next year.

The IMF expects the Armenian economy to expand by only 1 percent in 2021. Its 
statement said in this regard that the country’s economic outlook is “contingent 
upon the anticipated global recovery and domestic reform implementation.”

The Armenian currency, the dram, has weakened against the U.S. dollar by almost 
6 percent in the last two months.



Pashinian Again Rules Out Resignation


Armenia -- Amenian Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian addresses the nation, Yerevan, 
November 14, 2020.

Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian continued to reject on Monday opposition calls 
for his resignation backed by President Armen Sarkissian, the Armenian Apostolic 
Church and public figures in Armenia and its worldwide Diaspora.

“Rumors are being constantly circulated about my resignation, even though I have 
made clear that I will give up the status bestowed on me by the people only on 
the basis of credible results of an expression of the people’s will,” Pashinian 
said in a televised address to the nation. “As long as there has been no such 
expression of the will I will continue to perform my duties.”

“I want to again emphasize that the number one challenge now is to stabilize the 
security environment around Armenia, and we are going to consistently follow 
that path,” he added.

Pashinian did not explicitly express his readiness for snap parliamentary 
elections, also demanded by opposition forces blaming him for the Armenian 
side’s defeat in the Nagorno-Karabakh war. Instead, he again accused them of 
seeking “leave the people out” of political processes in the country.

One of Pashinian’s close associates indicated last week that the ruling 
political team is ready to discuss with the Armenian opposition the possibility 
of fresh elections. Opposition parties said afterwards that they have received 
no such offers from the government yet.


ARMENIA -- A placard with an image of Prime Minister Nikol Pashinian is seen 
lying on the ground among coins during a rally to demand his resignation, 
December 10, 2020.

Most of them want of them want the elections to be held within a year by a new 
and interim government. The idea has also been advocated by Sarkissian.

“If you have a crisis, if you lose a war … you have to start anew. Otherwise the 
defeat will become an ordinary occurrence,” the president told CivilNet.am on 
Friday.

“You don’t need 200,000 or 300,000 [protesting] on the streets to have a crisis. 
You just need to see it. Therefore, the first step must be the resignation of 
the government and the formation of a [transitional] government.”

Sarkissian met over the weekend with Vazgen Manukian, a veteran politician 
nominated as a caretaker prime minister by a coalition of more than a dozen 
opposition parties holding anti-government protests in Yerevan and other parts 
of the country. The protests were due to continue later on Monday.

Manukian was also received by Catholicos Garegin II, the supreme head of the 
Armenian Apostolic Church. Garegin and other top clergymen of the church too 
have urged Pashinian to hand over power to an interim government tasked with 
holding the elections.

Pashinian came under fresh opposition fire on Saturday as Azerbaijani troops 
seized two more villages in Nagorno-Karabakh’s southern Hadrut district which 
was mostly occupied by them during the six-week war.


NAGORNO-KARABAKH -- Russian soldiers of the peacekeeping force man a checkpoint 
on a road outside Stepanakert, November 26, 2020

Russian peacekeepers stationed in Karabakh rushed to the scene of the fighting 
in the following hours. “The situation in that area has been normalized,” their 
commander, Major-General Rustam Muradov, stated on Sunday.

Pashinian discussed the situation with members of Armenia’s Security Council and 
other officials at an emergency meeting held on Sunday. He accused Azerbaijan of 
violating key terms of a Russian-mediated ceasefire agreement that stopped the 
war on November 10. Citing the same agreement, he also said he expects the 
Russian peacekeepers to help place the two Hadrut villages back under Karabakh 
Armenian control.

In his televised remarks aired the following morning, the Armenian premier 
accused his political opponents of disseminating false rumors about additional 
Armenian territorial concessions made to Azerbaijan in a bid to spread panic and 
discredit his government. He claimed that the anti-government campaign of 
“information terrorism” is partly “managed from abroad” but did not elaborate.


Reprinted on ANN/Armenian News with permission from RFE/RL
Copyright (c) 2020 Radio Free Europe / Radio Liberty, Inc.
1201 Connecticut Ave., N.W. Washington DC 20036.